[TheForge] Re: Repairing pot metal: Is *anything* reliable?

[Mike]

> what about a devcon metal epoxy?

Yes Ries, I have some metal epoxy here -- not Devcon(tm).  I used it
to join and build up the cast aluminum handle of of my circa 1930 B&D
grinder and it has been very durable.  Attached a brass handle to a
stoneware sugar bowl cover, too.  Great stuff.

The present problem is that, unless I'm just going to make a huge glop
of Devcon or whatever around the whole object, I need something that
will flow deeply into fine cracks. Some of them I can open up with a
drill.  In the most important places -- i.e. most stressed areas --
that probably won't be possible.

There are various commercial low-temp solder products out there that
claim good results with pot metal and zinc car trim but they're
expensive (US$10 per 18" rod) and would be a pig in a poke for my
application.

If I could find some reliable info on a suitable flux for "pot metal"
type alloys and some wetability details for a variety of low temp
alloys, I might be able to make up my own solder from bismuth, lead,
antimony and/or whatever and bake it in at, say, 400F.

This is one of those head-scratchers that I wouldn't undertake for a
customer without a signed permission to totally destroy the piece. :-)

- Mike

-- 
Michael Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada       .~. 
                                                           /V\ 
mspencer@tallships.ca                                     /( )\
http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/                        ^^-^^

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