OK, I have a dumb idea to use some 1" tall, 1/8" thick laser cut metal letters on one of my builds. The "correct" way, would probably be to make a jig & "emboss" the letters into the panel. But, if you were gonna take the easy way out & attach them to sheetmetal (think dashboard, fender, etc.), how would you do it? First thought was to mig weld the perimeter, but all that grinding sounds like work. I don't have a tig, so don't suggest it. I'm considering drilling holes & rosette weld from the back side. I have no experience with panel bonding agents, but that seems like an option as well. Thoughts?
As long as it is not on an area that is going to flex or twist a lot I would panel bond it. That will give you a complete seal against any moisture getting behind it. You can get panel bonds that work in a regular caulking gun so no need to worry about specialized guns.
Not only are modern cars bonded together (BMW, Jaguar, Porsche, Corvette, etc), but every airplane that you fly in has more glue in it, than rivets..! This is a hint... Mike
@gimpyshotrods & @K13 are some opinions I value greatly on this board, so I think I have my answer. Now, just need to find the cheapest & smallest tube out there. Thanks guys!
Find an automotive paint supply store that sells a product called Fuser (sometimes referred to as "Lord Fuser"). It is a two part epoxy made for bonding like & unalike automotive panels & parts. There are different types available for different materials, but I would think that you would want one designed to bond metal to metal. They are available in a slow, medium, & fast set types. They offer small tubes & application guns or large "caulking gun" style for larger usages.
Actually, that's a really good point. The double-sided tape you'd want is called 3M VHB (short for very high bond). It is actually used in hot places like Dubai and the UAE to hold glass to steel skyscrapers. Have a look here: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/vhb-tapes-us/
you can find it disguised as Scotch Mount tape in retail stores, eh? I have a huge roll left over from robotics stuff....
You are saying its a metal to metal situation. Are you going to paint over the lettering after its bonded, or is one surface going to be painted already?
Yeah, as mentioned above, "tape". Cheap and easy to get. As long as the letters have the same shape as the panel (flat ?). The tape is about .06" thick, so any differences in the letters to the panel should be less than .06" different. I've mounted a few things with this stuff... https://www.lowes.com/pd/Scotch-Mount-1-in-x-5-ft-Two-Sided-Tape/1002430894 Some emblems on a non-NAMB car, an MSD box (NOT light) to the fire wall, the fuse box to the fire wall. You can get the parts off, but you'll need some fine wire and something to separate the parts. VERY...sticky stuff. The emblems on my non-HAMB car have been there for just over two years now, with no signs of coming off. And the car sits in the 100°+ SoCal sun..! Mike
Maybe I need to be a "little" more specific. Letters are raw, no chrome, etc. They will be attached to raw sheet metal. Yes, I will be painting over them. Same color as the body, so they disappear (sort of). They will be on the outside of the car, in the weather. Was looking for a permanent attachment, but hadn't thought of small machine screws from the back side. That could be an option. But, I think the panel bonding agent seems like the way to go.
JB Weld will bond well and you only need to run your finger around the perimeters to achieve a water proof seal, finished to perfection before it sets. It is a paintable, fast and easy way to do what you want. I did something similar today. I'll go take a pic and edit this post. Edit: I cut a diagonal slice off an old fire extinguisher to create a heat shield around a Fenton header. I did tack it with the MIG but the JB weld would have held. I was just concerned about the heat on the JB.
I have done this before on an F100 tailgate by sweating on the letters with solder, similar to body soldering worked perfectly.
3M Two part structural adhesive, Used for rubber bumper repairs... An a million other things once you have it in your shop, An it's just two tube's, So it won't get Funky after use...
I think I would put some paint on the metal before attaching the letters. Sealing the metal against possible future moisture and rust problems. Newer vehicles have letters glued to the paint all the time and they hold up well.
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