Aluminum Soldering

No, glue. I think the zinc reacts badly with some kinds of adhesives. Aluminum has this problem too. Anyway, there are glues that work, and glues that don't work.

Joe Gwinn

There are techniques that work as well, not just adhesives.

For instance, for aluminum... The problem is that aluminum grows an oxide layer is just a few seconds. So what you have to do is prep the oxide layer and bond to that. Phosphate wash followed by two-part primer like EpiBond or Randoplate. Now your glue can bond to the primer and get some adhesion.

Urethane glues will actually work with the primer, Looks like it dissolves into the primer.

But for general bonding metal to metal, pick a Goop, any Goop, and stick with it.

How does this work for people to metal?

Cyanoacrylate. Glues people to almost anything.

Yes, but Goop?

Thanks Eric that sound promising.

George H.

Hi Paul, I need a good 'acoustic' joint between the two materials. I can see a press fit giving good contact around the perimeter, but I don't know about the two faces. What (I think*) I want is to get rid of all the air gaps at the boundary. I've been using this ultra sonic 'goop' between the layers, the quality of the coupling depends on squezzing hard and having the absolute minimum of 'goop'.

OK, that looks like an option. I'll order some. (I already committed to dicking around with the zinc stuff... can't just let it go to waste.)

Hmm, did you mean Lord 406/19. There's a lot of that on the web.

Here I was thinking that gluing would be the easy alternative, but the advice I'm recieveing seems to suggest that it may be harder than I thought.

Thanks for the wisdom.. at the moment I'll keep the Lord stuff as a back up plan, (If all the more commone epoxies we have laying around fail.)

George H.

Ahh OK, I'll give it a try if the soldering doesn't work.

Say will the plumbers goop work if the surface is wet? (I've got this Intex blue plastic pool for the kids. I noticed a little pin hole leak in the side wall. I stuck the every present duct tape on it, which has reduced it to a trickle, but...)

George H.

Interesting idea, Thanks

George H.

You're welcome. I hope it helps.

"Seal All" is your friend for that application. From Ecclectic Products - same company that sells ShoeGoo AND goop- A SUBSIDIARY OF WHILLAMETTE VALLEY CORP

The specialty rods marketed for repairing and/or joining aluminum parts will also work well with most non-ferrous metals.. which would include joining aluminum to many other alloys.

One can expect considerably more joint strength when using the aluminum repair rods, than the strength from using lead-type soft solder.

When the workpiece(s) can tolerate the higher sustained temperature of about

Oh. So you can post a link -- great. I'm waiting for it.

Famously, Al quickly acquires a tough oxide layer of Al2O3 in air, and nothing solders to that. There are ultrasonic iron tips that break up the oxide so quickly and thoroughly that it can't reform before the solder gets to it, but they are too rare and pricey.

I actually had success with the method I heard about here long time ago: cover up your soldered area with light oil (engine/turbine) and scratch the aluminum surface vigorously under the oil with steel brush or a scraper, then apply hot iron loaded with solder. I used regular SnPb.