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soldier aluminum?
- Thread starter JFettig
- Start date
- Joined
- May 11, 2002
- Location
- Currently in New Mexico
Its possible, just have to get the correct soldier.
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2001
- Location
- Valparaiso, Indiana
You need a propane torch and as Lord_of_Decay said you need the right solder.They sell soldering rods for aluminum.Its pretty easy,you just need to rub the rod on the joints to be soldered to break the oxide and the metal should be just above the solder melting point,with a little practice you can make it turn out nice.
- Joined
- May 11, 2002
- Location
- Currently in New Mexico
MIG/TIG Welding also works well for Aluminum, very useful when fixing cracks in Cylinder Heads. Steady hand and a practiced eye.
Here's a link for some aluminum solder paste.
I'm sure the directions will cover this, but any joining of aluminum including welding has to so Super Clean to make it stick.
This stuff says it joins it to other metals too, but it's not specific. I'd hope it will join aluminum to copper too (should the need arrise.
I'm sure the directions will cover this, but any joining of aluminum including welding has to so Super Clean to make it stick.
This stuff says it joins it to other metals too, but it's not specific. I'd hope it will join aluminum to copper too (should the need arrise.
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2001
- Location
- North America
maskedgeek said:
Aluminum has an oxide surface layer that is very tenacious and resistant to normal soldering. However, it is possible to solder aluminum with either a very toxic flux (acids, etc.), or with a high temp and flux zinc solder (850 deg. F). Both of these are very ugly solutions outside of the industrial environment.
One way around it is to have the aluminum nickel plated, which can be done by most plating job shops, or even perhaps at home. I would caution the use at home only in that I think several acid etches are involved in plating aluminum with nickel.
The good news is that once plated with nickel, aluminum can be joined to copper or nickel, etc. using standard ZnCl pipe joining flux and lead-tin solder. I have done that, and it works very well. Good luck.
Koooler King
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2001
- Location
- Staten Island , NY
Use JBweld!!!
Hoot suggested that to me a while ago, and it worked out great.
It's too much of a hassle to weld aluminum correctly.
Hoot suggested that to me a while ago, and it worked out great.
It's too much of a hassle to weld aluminum correctly.
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2001
Lord_of_Decay said:MIG/TIG Welding also works well for Aluminum, very useful when fixing cracks in Cylinder Heads. Steady hand and a practiced eye.
Mig is Metal Insert Gas and is not used for aluminum you probally mean Spoolgun and Tig is used for Aluminum and Steel depends on the type of tip.
Personally bud, I'd use the solder.
I can weld aluminum with both mig and tig (yes, you can use mig), and they would both work fine...but. Since your looking for the best temp transfer from one half of the block to the next, more surface would be joined in the seam of the block with solder leaching into the gaps. Welding would only get 1/16 to 1/4" deep, and only at the accessible edges.
Like in the pic, welding will only penetrate to the light red areas at the edge, solder would get most if not all the surface joined to the top cover. (the waterchannels are the blue of course.)
Just my thoughts.
I can weld aluminum with both mig and tig (yes, you can use mig), and they would both work fine...but. Since your looking for the best temp transfer from one half of the block to the next, more surface would be joined in the seam of the block with solder leaching into the gaps. Welding would only get 1/16 to 1/4" deep, and only at the accessible edges.
Like in the pic, welding will only penetrate to the light red areas at the edge, solder would get most if not all the surface joined to the top cover. (the waterchannels are the blue of course.)
Just my thoughts.
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2001
- Location
- Milton Keynes, UK
first of all, JBweld is an epoxy
why not stick a plexi top to the waterblock, it would look cool and an epoxy or gasket gule should work.
why not stick a plexi top to the waterblock, it would look cool and an epoxy or gasket gule should work.
- Thread Starter
- #19
the overclocker said:
everything iv epoxied or jbwelded isnt very solid, i would like it to be solid... and for the bottom to conduct heat to the top....
and i dont want a plexi top partly because its gonna be facing down(on gfx card ram) and another worry about it leaking.....
