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Tue Jan 20, 2009 5:08 pm

Has anyone ever used these for fixing stripped threads on an AS41 case , or any other application , the first link says it welds magnesium alloy and the Durafix says it doesn't weld magnesium ! Any help would be Great ! Thanks ! :roll:

http://weld-aluminum.com/

http://www.durafix.eu/

Tue Jan 20, 2009 7:28 pm

when welding aluminum, in order to get a good result, you need an inert gas enviornment like nitrogen. in order to weld magnesium you have to have the gas...meg or tig. it will hyperburn in a heartbeat if you get it hot enough to melt. think helicoils. ain't it fun???

Wed Jan 21, 2009 12:21 pm

Ok SambaFolks , I just ordered some "ALUMALOY" from ebay , 9.99 for 1/4 pound which maybe about 5-7 sticks, from the videos they used about one stick to repair stripped threads , I will be attempting to use this on my AS41 case were I have two Drainplate bolts stripped out from stepstuds ! And an exhaust stud on a head ! I will keep you posted , if it doesn't work , I'm only out 10 bucks , but if it does work , alot of V DUBBERS will have another tool in their Arsenal !!! :-s

QUOTE FROM SITE:Now, with Alumaloy™ and just a hand held propane torch you can repair, weld and fabricate anything made of aluminum, mag alloys or any white pot metals safely and affordably without extensive knowledge or training.

http://www.alumaloy.net/

Wed Jan 21, 2009 12:25 pm

snookerdude wrote: when welding aluminum, in order to get a good result, you need an inert gas enviornment like nitrogen. in order to weld magnesium you have to have the gas...meg or tig. it will hyperburn in a heartbeat if you get it hot enough to melt. think helicoils. ain't it fun???

snookerdude , sorry I wasn't trying to ignore your post , but Iam trying to find a cost effective way to do this job by myself , without relying on expensive tools,and if I screw this up, you can say "I told you SO ! we will soon see !

Wed Jan 21, 2009 7:03 pm

I've used those on an aluminum 1995 vw gti throttle body. We filled on some thin areas then bored out the t-body. It worked great on aluminum and never had a problem with it.

Wed Jan 21, 2009 7:04 pm

Definitely worth a try for $10. Let us know how it comes out!

Mitch

Tue Jun 22, 2010 2:42 am

i picked some up with the full intent to use it and test its claims. it will patch holes, fill spots and it is able to be machined. However it works best on thin aluminum and low grade aluminum. we used it here at work to fix some odds and ends that aren't worth TIG welding. on high grade aluminum like 5000 series and higher nothing over 1/8" thick, low end cast it does just fine. i personally would use it for anything that will have to have large weight loads or pressures. I'm a welder by trade and i will continue to use it for little stuff. I just wouldn't use it on my block or heads.

P.S it will fix the hell out of a flat bottom boat.

Tue Jun 22, 2010 4:42 am

I'm not sure what it takes to get a magnesium case burning, but I do know that once it starts, it'll burn your house down. Please consider this when applying a torch to your block. Do it outside in a place where it can burn itself out without colateral damage, supposing the worst case scenario occurs.

Tue Jun 22, 2010 8:19 am

If you do create a magnesium fire, don't attempt to put it out with water! It burns so hot that the heat could potentially split the water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, which will recombine and make the fire burn even hotter. It's best to just let it burn itself out.

Tue Jun 22, 2010 8:26 am

Derek Cobb wrote: I'm not sure what it takes to get a magnesium case burning, but I do know that once it starts, it'll burn your house down. Please consider this when applying a torch to your block. Do it outside in a place where it can burn itself out without colateral damage, supposing the worst case scenario occurs.

Here's one in a "controlled" environment.

Tue Jun 22, 2010 9:18 am

Before you begin, call the local hospital and let them know to be expecting you. If you're attempting to weld magnesium, and you are not an experienced welder, well, "good luck". :lol:

Tue Jun 22, 2010 9:46 am

Should you happen to screw up ant ignite your engine block, DO NOT TRY TO PUT IT OUT WITH WATER. Water on a magnesium fire is worse than pouring gasiline on a normal fire. It becomes fuel. THe only way to put out the engine block is to pour massive amounts of SAND on it.
I read of a gut that was trying to weld on his block. It lit on fire so he figured he would toss it into his parents swimming pool. Big mistake, it ended up sinking to the bottom and proceeded to burn a huge hole in the bottom of the pool. Mon and dad were not impressed when they returned home.

Do your home work BEFORE attempting this.

Sat Oct 09, 2010 4:02 pm

Ok - to chime in a bit, I purchased the "aluminum Repair Rods" Alumalloy? from Harbor Fright to fix my case. I repairing the little "feet" or threaded mount holes for the cooling tins on the bottom of my '74 1600 case.

It worked.

No, my house is still standing, no dire - Magnesium fire :-)

Although the helpful posts about handling Magnesium fires were great advice, it's a little over the top for this repair.

The area needed to be REALLY clean (I used a grinder on one area, and wire wheel on another area, and finished with a stainless steel wire brush). Then it must be heated - really heated. A propane torch probably won't due. I used one of the Burnzamatic MAPP and Oxygen torches (about $70) and concentrated the heat on the area for, perhaps 3 to 5 min before it got hot enough to get the repair rod to "wet" the magnesium case, create a puddle and use the rod to "scratch" on the case and lift the oxide to get the repair rod to wet and stick better.

The Magnesium case conducts heat away so well, that you need to use a smaller, hotter flame to get the area up to 750 Deg. (well below the 1250 deg ignition point of Magnesium) you will see small flakes of the edges of the repair area burn bright when it's getting really hot...but it doesn't seem that there is any chance of igniting the case.

Caution is necessary, but the size of the case relative to the small flame of the MAPP gas flame, makes it pretty safe.

http://boingboing.net/2010/01/23/saturday-morning-sci-13.html

File, ground and tapped my holes back in and my case holds my tins again.

----------------------------------------------------
The_whingnut wrote: i picked some up with the full intent to use it and test its claims. it will patch holes, fill spots and it is able to be machined. However it works best on thin aluminum and low grade aluminum. we used it here at work to fix some odds and ends that aren't worth TIG welding. on high grade aluminum like 5000 series and higher nothing over 1/8" thick, low end cast it does just fine. i personally would use it for anything that will have to have large weight loads or pressures. I'm a welder by trade and i will continue to use it for little stuff. I just wouldn't use it on my block or heads.

P.S it will fix the hell out of a flat bottom boat.

Sun Oct 10, 2010 8:08 am

May I suggest a couple class d extinguishers ,, you can rent these, and if you dont break the seals they'll cost you almost nothing to rent..