have you guys seen this stuff?? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-cv3R4fWZc
20 years ago it was called Lumiweld or summit like that that....bought a kit but never used it....I recall there was some reason why it seemed to good to be true....but hey that was 20 years ago before it was new and improved for the new millenium
I've got something similar in a cupboard too, maybe Lumiweld. The demos looked the same. I've tried using the stuff a few times, but never managed to get the same results that they do . . .
i have a young fella at work here who bought it from ebay........hasn't tried it yet though............said i could try some...I thought i might use it to fill in dents on the engine casings.......
Yeah, I have a thing that will do that job, it's called a welder Why don't you bog it up cmoore and paint it silver, saw a CB1000F in cyclespot that had both covers fully done like that, looked pretty trick. Even better the sales jockey's faked amazement when I pointed it out to him. Needed another coat of silver because the pink from the bog was showing through.
I think it's like watching the Henrob welding torch demo.I saw the guy weld a cast iron exhaust manifold without grinding off the skin or preheating,using a piston ring as a rod.I saw him hardface a mower blade with a hacksaw blade,and weld a coke can.Yes,I can do that with it too...but it would take 4 years of daily practice to do it as well in the demo.I think my attempts with this new alloy welding rod would look very similar to my attempts at alloy welding with normal rods.
so really what your saying is....it's all smoke and mirrors and nothing is new............
I don't doubt that it is good stuff. Personally, i've only had limited success with it, but I still dream of the day it delivers the results shown on the video . . . .
Where did the sucess stop Max? Im thinking if it really works and I can find a tech with the skills it could be a go as the fixer for my kawasaki crankcase blues
From my trade experience there is more to doing successfull ali repairs than what this product claims. Ratti- crankcases are a bit special, they mate to surfaces and need to retain flat surfaces. When a jod such as that came in the proceedure was a bit like this; Soak the job in thinners- as ali is porous, especially cast ali and it will retain oil and contaminants which will show themselves when heat is applied and contaminate the weld pool. Wash with water based degreaser, then plenty of fresh water. Blast dry with high pressure air. Heat the entire job with butane torch or oven evenly until it is around 150C Commence welding. When welding is finished bury job entirely in kapok or other heat retaining medium for at least a couple of hours. Then your done. Maybe things have changes, that was 20 years ago but I doubt it. Of all the common metals, cast ali is the most liable to distort. If it does distort your engine will leak like a Guzzi and may be skip bin material. Personally I would save up and take it to a professional because if it goes wrong you will be very sorry, especially if you get it all back together and then discover you turned Italian.
Yeah, wot Dodgy sed . . . the video makes the process look like "Brain Surgery In Three Easy Lessons". Due to the variables of cast vs machined/forged, plus all the different alloys, let alone all the different applications, the video paints a very simplistic picture of alloy repairs. On the face of it, the lower melting temp of the repair product makes it attractive, because it can be used with a butane or LPG torch. Believe me, I really want this stuff t work, 'cos it would make some jobs much easier. I've just not managed to enjoy the same success the guy in the video has achieved.
Maxed Shedroom ...the lower melting temp of the repair product... That's exactly it in a nutshell. To fuse metal you need to melt it, if the product melts at a lower temp than the job it will never have any real strength because it will not properly bond. As the engine heats up the alloy expands- and contracts as it cools, having a substance with a different melting point in there means it will not mimmic the properties of the job metal and therefore will not follow the same pattern of expand/contract which may cause problems. You may as well use 2-pot epoxy and paint it silver. Don't laugh, it's been done plenty of times.
Like the cooking gadgets at the Easter Show....it pares, it grates, it dices, it slices.....and they make it look so easy.... reminds me of this.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIeAsOpavzE
Yeah,it's sort of like alloy brazing...not that brazing isn't strong (all the British frames were brazed,even the fancy ones like Rickman),but it's all in the application.I've known guys who can weld anything - worked with a guy who used to repair carbs if they broke.He'd melt down another similar carb in a piece of angle iron to use as a filler rod.
damn. bloody engines..mutter mutter...whts wrong with standardisation anyway? grumble mutter ok gentlemen I do understand what you are on about ( scary thought in itself ), back to plan A.
