I purchased some aluminum charge pipes locally for a good deal and i was wonding if it would be fesable to braze the pipeing togeather in the places where it should be welded. I know brazing isn't as strong as welding but as far as i can see there isn't much stress on charge pipes. What do you guys think?
brazing aluminum ???
- Thread starter themadhatter
- Start date
^ Uh, better check your facts. I do it fairly often. All it takes is the right flux and filler. There are some alloys that can't be brazed but it's doubtful you'll find them for this application.
My concern would be that its such thin walled pipeing that the braze wouldnt have enough to stick too and over time with temperature expansion/contraction and vibration it would crack unless you build it up alot...or if you could flair the ends and press them together then braze the seam that would be a better move but itwould be hard.
What i was planning on using is called alumite its a braze made for aluminum
http://www.alumite.com/
I know the stuff works because i've seen people make homemade catch cans out of aluminum with the stuff lol
http://www.alumite.com/
I know the stuff works because i've seen people make homemade catch cans out of aluminum with the stuff lol
That's technically soldering, as are most of those products. They'll work but real brazing will be much stronger. Myself I usually GTAW such projects. Depends on the situation though.
I got some stuff for brazing aluminium, I wanted to put together my IC piping this way. Working temp of 750 deg F, which is hot enough that I don't think the exhaust heat will ruin it. 
http://www.durafix.com -- I've only made one attempt so far. It bonded the two pieces together as advertised, but due to my own error, I can't use the piece, since it leaks at the joint. I could have tried to fix it, but since the cut was pretty bad, I didn't.
The material itself is much harder than the original aluminum, and when I tested the joint strength, the Al bent/tore before the braze spot did. All in all, the stuff probably works just fine, I just need to work on cutting the piping better.
http://www.durafix.com -- I've only made one attempt so far. It bonded the two pieces together as advertised, but due to my own error, I can't use the piece, since it leaks at the joint. I could have tried to fix it, but since the cut was pretty bad, I didn't.The material itself is much harder than the original aluminum, and when I tested the joint strength, the Al bent/tore before the braze spot did. All in all, the stuff probably works just fine, I just need to work on cutting the piping better.
Why not just mock it up yourself. Make sure everything fits as if you were going to weld it. Mark it well, so you can line it up again on a bench. And find someone in the area that can weld aluminum. If you do all the prep work and everything fits up nicely, it won't take them long to weld and it shouldn't cost you much money.
And I know people like to do everything themselves, but it could look like crap and if saying you did it yourself makes you happier than the shame you should feel for spending so much time on something that ended looking horrible, then do it yourself. If you want it to look good and work better, have someone weld it for you. You can still say you fit up everything yourself, that's the hardest part anyway.
And I know people like to do everything themselves, but it could look like crap and if saying you did it yourself makes you happier than the shame you should feel for spending so much time on something that ended looking horrible, then do it yourself. If you want it to look good and work better, have someone weld it for you. You can still say you fit up everything yourself, that's the hardest part anyway.
I tried it.. I may have given up too soon but it was NOT worth the effort.
I gave in and bought an AC/DC TIG, much better.
I gave in and bought an AC/DC TIG, much better
.hottscennessey;979587 said:I tried it.. I may have given up too soon but it was NOT worth the effort.
I gave in and bought an AC/DC TIG, much better
Hey those Chinese Tig with AC/DC and pulsing DC work really well! And they won't cost you your first born like with a Miller! DOn't get me wrong. Miller is where the buck stops for TIG welding but the prices.. Oh the prices!! Makes baby jesus cry!!!
just a tip for mocking up piping, use tape (i prefer electrical tape) to hold the pipes together. that way you can tape them all together, get the complete section done, and then take it to someone to weld.