Durafix Easy weld

[hunter27]

I bought 5 Durafix rods a couple of years ago with a stainless steel brush thinking they might be useful in an emergency and put them in the bench drawer, (I only have a DC tig). Today I was turning myself an aluminium spacer for between the gearbox coupling and the shaft coupling on my boat to move the propeller shaft back a fraction and took a bit to much of the spacers register lip.
With nothing to lose I dug out the durafix rods and was surprised how easy they were to use. I built up the lip using my blowlamp for heat and adding the rod (like soldering) and then turned it back down to the correct size.
I appreciate that with a AC TIG it would be an easy job but they got me out of a fix.
The rods are not cheap but I only used half of one of them.

I have no connection with this company but am impressed with the rods.

Pete

 

[Digger6135]

I have used them on several occasions to make aluminium fabrications and found them to be very good, my rods were called Lumi weld, using just a sievert propane torch they gave excellent results,
they can be used to build up damaged castings in all sorts of aluminiun alloy materials, they certainly do the job well.

Digger6135

 

[sardine]

I tried them, and it was a total fail, the rod and the ally melted at near the same temperature, I ended up with a lump of melted ally. I was using some 5 or 6 mm angle .

I used a stainless scraper to get the oxide off, but the rods never flowed into the metal. I gave up on them.

 

[hotrodder]

If they melted at a similar temp to the part then either the part wasn't aluminium or the rods weren't what they were supposed to be
Durafix, lumiweld... whatever the name they're all a self fluxing zinc based solder regardless of what the shills that hype the stuff up claim. Melting temp is 380ish °C versus 640 - 660ish for aluminium depending on alloy.

Cheaper to buy from a proper welding suppliers as a self fluxing solder for aluminium, SIF 555 Al solder is one of the usual suspects that's available in small quantities as well per kg. I bought a pack of 12 last week which cost £20 inc VAT delivered versus £18 - 20 for a pack of 5 from the snake oil salesmen so the BS sales claims effectively doubles the price...

I bought some to try and repair a chrome plated mazak part from an old Yank pick up for a mate. They have their uses for sticking ally together but the shills that bang on about their 'super repair' rods being stronger than welding always forget to mention how brittle the stuff is

 

[optima21]

a few years ago I used one of these aluminium solders with a sievert propane torch to make a new plenum on an intake manifold. the issues I had were with thermal expansion and the thermal conductivity of aluminium.

inlet manifold with plenum removed

with new plenum, with hindsight I should have made some steel brackets for holding the aluminium in place, to offset the issues with thermal expansion of the aluminium

 

[dannyp]

i made an inlet manifold for a vw 16v turbo conversion useing these once. never again.

NA you'll proably be fine but mine went about a wrong as it chould, the joint poped under full boost , so i lifted, the vacume finished busting it off and the engine ate the shrapnel.

 

[Coo]

Not heard of these before , sound great !

 

[hunter27]

i made an inlet manifold for a vw 16v turbo conversion useing these once. never again.

NA you'll proably be fine but mine went about a wrong as it chould, the joint poped under full boost , so i lifted, the vacume finished busting it off and the engine ate the shrapnel.

Looks like they have their limitations then, but for a non critical situation I think they would be handy for folks without any other option apart from glue .
I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was and they worked OK in my case.
Pete

 

[hunter27]

a few years ago I used one of these aluminium solders with a sievert propane torch to make a new plenum on an intake manifold. the issues I had were with thermal expansion and the thermal conductivity of aluminium.

inlet manifold with plenum removed

View attachment 61041

with new plenum, with hindsight I should have made some steel brackets for holding the aluminium in place, to offset the issues with thermal expansion of the aluminium

View attachment 61040

View attachment 61042

View attachment 61043

Wow I was only thinking of them for a small repair job, That is impressive, bet it used a few rods.
Pete

 

[optima21]

no I didn't use to many rods, but it helps that I'd previously made model boilers by silver soldering them together. As dannyp has indicated, they arn't an answer to everything,and if my engine was forced induction, I'd have been wanting an inlet manifold welded together,as it is effectivly a pressure vessel

 

[Coo]

I recently did pie cuts to corner outriggers on an aluminium frame to radius them, I could have used these to 'weld' it up rather than plate it over with steel!

 

[brightspark]

there verry good and easy to use but like everything else they have limitations. most jobs can be fixed with them just using a propane blowtorch