Metal Glue

[Dune]

Has anyone used a decent metal glue. Ill tell you about the application first.

My middle lad managed to lose the shoulder off his metal watch strap, you know the outer bit that hinge the metal strap and is joined by two pins. The factory part is pressed on to ribbed pins in two corresponding holes. Hopefully you get the idea but just in case Ive included a photo. Before you ask it was silly money to buy the new strap for the watch.

Now I made this part out of a SS nut that I cut down, shaped and polished. The thinest drill I had was a little too large to clamp on to the splined pins. My first attempt was with alradite. No luck after, a little while it came off. Stud grade locktite didnt work.

What I am worried about is that the sweat from a teenager will loosen the bond.

Any ideas?

 

[madkayaker]

have used the b&Q one on a radiator that worked

 

[shenion]

I'd use J&B Weld (epoxy for metals.)

 

[Rudi McAnichal]

I never had much success with Araldite used cold, but that may be because it is hard to get the adhesive properly mixed, and hard to get the components pressed tightly together. Nowadays I always boil a mug of water, and stand the tubes in it for a couple of minutes. Warm Araldite is easy to mix, flows into a joint much more readily, and I seem to get a higher success rate.

In my experience, cyanoacrylates (super-glues) produce joints that appear very strong under static loads, but then fail with quite mild impacts. Am I doing something wrong, or am I using the wrong type of super-glue?

 

[JimM]

+1 for JB Weld, hope you've got a steadier hand then me though as it's not the easiest stuff to apply in small areas

 

[Dune]

Thanks for the suggestions. I do have some metal putty which I will try.

Alradite. It a funny stuff. Ive had really good results with it on rougher items but not so much with smoother. I have a friend who builds model rail, he uses aradite to glue axles and wheels together. He applies the mix to the wheel and fits the axle in. He then puts it in the oven at 100c for an hour. He swears by it, if I did that I would just get sworn at!

As for a steady hand, I have hands that are rather large, but have fixed lots of very small items.

 

[brookie456]

Belzona would do it, but would probably cost more than the watch! If you can find a local engineering company with some, a small donation to the tea fund would probably cure it. Use it at work for holding in stripped helicoils etc, it's ideal when there's just too much clearance to get away with stud-lock etc. - teenage sweat my be beyond polymer technology though...

 

[brightspark]

Belzona would do it, but would probably cost more than the watch! If you can find a local engineering company with some, a small donation to the tea fund would probably cure it. Use it at work for holding in stripped helicoils etc, it's ideal when there's just too much clearance to get away with stud-lock etc. - teenage sweat my be beyond polymer technology though...

belzonas the buisness devcons also good

 

[Robotstar5]

belzonas the buisness

Didn't realise they were still going, used to use Belzona "nato" fluid in the 70's was a brilliant penetrating oil for seized fixings

 

[brookie456]

Didn't realise they were still going, used to use Belzona "nato" fluid in the 70's was a brilliant penetrating oil for seized fixings

Yep, still going, based in Harrogate now. The only one's I've used that make specific applications, i.e. steel, cast, ally etc. The only other I can think of that may do for a stainless watch repair is Arrin Alpha, sticks like hell but not much good for filling gaps - too fluid, but was the only thing back then to cover moulding "indiscretions"

 

[Dune]

When I say the holes too big the pin is0.75mm and the drill hole 1mm. So it's not that much of a gap.

Oh and the watch was an 18th birthday present. The price of the watch was a serious amount so even £20 on some glue would do.

 

[SwissTony]

Any good

Slightly bigger

 

[Dune]

Swiss Tony, thanks for that but Ive already made the part and being so small its wasnt the easiest thing to do. Ill just be glueing the part on.

 

[Durara]

I'd use J&B Weld (epoxy for metals.)

yep, i think only by this way could it be more steadier.