Bonding / Gluing Aluminium

[john fletcher 1Participant @johnfletcher1]

I need to bonding / glue a sheet of Aluminium to Aluminium angle about 500 x 500. I would like details of preparation and title/ name of suitable Glue/

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

People wil want more info.

Is the 500 x 500 the size of the sheet, size of the angle or contact area that you have.

Any load involved or just cosmetic. temperatures, chemicals, etc.

[Robert Atkinson 2Participant @robertatkinson2]

Sikaflex EBT+

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

We glued the VC10 aeroplanes together with araldite – seemed to work OK ! Just follow the instructions on the packet.

Bob

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Epoxy resins are suitable … but good surface preparation is essential.

Abrasive cleaning first, followed by [say] a wipe-over with phosphoric acid to etch … Then apply the epoxy promptly!

i.e. before the oxide layer forms again

If you are too slow, the bond will eventually fail.

MichaelG.

.

Edit: demonstrated to me, many years ago, by the British Airways repair team

[mark costello 1Participant @markcostello1]

What I heard in the Interwebby was to put some epoxy on the part and sand through it. It would keep the aluminum layer from oxidizing. Sounds messy but might work.

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

permabond holds Lotus cars together

[Robert Atkinson 2Participant @robertatkinson2]

Permabond is a brand not a type of adhesive.

[mark costello 1]

On mark costello 1 Said:

What I heard in the Interwebby was to put some epoxy on the part and sand through it. It would keep the aluminum layer from oxidizing. Sounds messy but might work.

Yes that was a valid technique back in the day, used in boatbuilding and repair of anodised aluminium mast sections.

Modern techniques seem to lean towards using etch primers.

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Lumiweld, or similar? Permanently bonded at normal temperatures.🙂

[VicParticipant @vic]

Sand blasting the joints first worked well for me once. I used araldite. These days you can buy rubberised cyanoacrylate which may be an alternative?

Edit: This should help.

https://permabond.com/aluminum-glue-adhesives-bond-aluminum-permabond-adhesives/

[Nigel BennettParticipant @nigelbennett69913]

When I was involved with the design of railway carriage doors, the makers of the things used Redux 609 adhesive, which is an epoxy with a cotton scrim. It comes in easily-cut sheets, so you cut the size and shape you want (scissors), clamp it between two sheets of aluminium and apply some heat. I’ve just enquired on the Interweb Thingy and it’s still apparently available. If you’re only after one piece, perhaps a request for a sample?

The rubber tyres on my Clayton steam wagon were stuck on with the stuff; I think 100 Celsius sort of temperature was required and simply I popped them into the domestic oven.

[Author]

Posts