Welding Tips and Tricks

greetings,

i recently scratched my new aluminum skiff, a gouge actually and wonder if there is a thick aluminum tape that i could cover the gouge with. if that option is not advisable, perhaps there is another method of covering/filling the gouge.

any advice would be welcome...

thanks for any help.

tws

Welcome.

This is an odd "first post" for a welding forum, but I thought I'd let it slide, as I have an opinion, and you've made me curious with this question.

First, if the "gouge" does not leak, I would not contaminate it with the adhesives that all tapes require. I would weld it, or have it welded, if it's deep enough to concern you (and apparently it is).

On the other hand, if you need use of it before it can be repaired properly, tape adhesive may be the lesser of two evils, as the tape will protect the damaged metal from water (for a short while).

Here's a 3.2 mil tape, for an example:
http://www.amazon.com/Nashua-Aluminum-M ... =foil+tape

Here's a 3.6 mil that's more "weather resistant":
http://www.amazon.com/Scotch-3311-Alumi ... B00O9R4K7O

Good luck, and tell us a bit about you, since this is a welding forum, not a "taping forum"...

Steve S

thanks otto,

that's the information i needed about the tape. i'm learning that adhesive/aluminum mixture will corrode over time.

sorry for tape question on a welding forum...

also, tho i'd like to weld instead i would rather not compound a minor gouge well above the waterline by having a lot of the interior paint melted away in the welding process.

to bad there is no suitable liquid aluminum... for a job like this... i guess a cold bond is not possible.

thanks again,

tws

tws,

If this is strictly a cosmetic issue, you can find epoxies that will very nearly color-match the aluminum.

Steve S

Have a look at LOCTITE 3479
Epoxi for metallic repair that looks like aluminum.

Otto said it correctly that if it isn't a cosmetic issue, use an epoxy. If the cut is deep, be safe and run a few beads over that.

This has NOTHING to do with welding, but putting tape over something ugly reminds me of something I did years ago ...
I was having this girl over to my apartment for dinner, and had a sink full of dirty dishes. I did have some contact paper that perfectly matched the counter top, so I just put the contact paper over the sink. This worked out great until she went to put her dishes up, then she noticed that I didn't have a sink. Oh well ... I explained that the landlord was working on that.

Yes ... I did get

Am I the only one that thinks this thread should start with "You might be a Redneck if....."

Well if everything really needed welding they'd never have invented JB weld or duct tape now would they - if the OP was proper redneck he'd have got it vinyl wrapped in real tree cammo ! no need to repair the gouge at all.

Nah, vinyl wrapping is too city-boy...
Real tree camo duck-tape, that's the ticket!
(I'd call it Duct-tape, but the camo patterned stuff was never intended to go anywhere NEAR a duct, so...)

Devcon used to make an epoxy-based, aluminum-filled product called Plastic Aluminum that was hell for stout. As far as I know, they still do. Their Plastic Steel is also a good product.

hey_allen wrote:Nah, vinyl wrapping is too city-boy...
Real tree camo duck-tape, that's the ticket!
(I'd call it Duct-tape, but the camo patterned stuff was never intended to go anywhere NEAR a duct, so...)

Hey, Allen,

It was patented as "Duck Tape". It was originally cotton Duck fabric (A heavy woven cotton tape) impregnated with adhesive.

Even today, stuff labelled "duct tape" won't withstand the heat a typical duct carries. HVAC guys don't use it on ducts. They use aluminum tape, tar-tape with aluminum backing, and "Thumb-tight" sealing compound.

Steve S