Hey does anybody have any info on fixin a pot metal tag frame that broke clean in two places?......other than trash it? thanks.
http://www.muggyweld.com/newgap.html That's just what a quick Google search came up with. I know Eastwood has some kind of pot metal repair kit now but I couldn't find it on their site and I don't know if it is good for breaks or just filling in pits. If it isn't all that common have you considered having a copy cast with it? Right now I'm in the process of casting new Pierce parts in bronze that were originally pot metal...it's really nice to have something that's a little more solid and should be a lot more durable over time. You could even have it cast in aluminum if you go that way. There are many variations of pot metal, so repairing it can be difficult if you don't know exactly what is in yours (it can be challenging even if you do know as well). Hopefully someone can chime in that has some good experience repairing pot metal, but IMO the best bang for your buck would be to find someone with a little foundry that can whip a new one up for a reasonable price. Or if you aren't too picky you could just use something like JB weld and paint it after it cures.
You're gonna laugh but the BEST stuff for cast and pot metal if its a clean break is CA or cyanoacrylates adhesive (think crazy glue but dont buy crazy glue thats crap) go to a full line hobby store and get it...if its porus the slow set (thicker may be what you need. best thing is if it doesnt work, and it should, you can remove it and no harm done. check it out http://www.zapglue.com/
I agree with the cap and go the foundry way i had a cast aluminum tail light molding and just for fun tryed to fix it. I used a home depot special cast aluminum brazing rod. I work arlight but took alot of time and patience to get it right. It takes just the right amount of heat otherwise the metal will just fall out. I came out surprisingly good though with a few pits in it. I ended up buying new ones in show chrome.
Thanks guys. I will give eastwood a call and see what they got. I might give the JB weld or that CA stuff a try just for kicks....The foundry sounds like the best, I have never had anything cast would that get pricey? gotta keep it kinda in a tight budget..
Being that you are on a tight budget, the CA stuff sounds like a good way to go. A plater welds pot metal with standard solders ( I use lead-free silver-bearing solder,) only made possible by applying a thin copper "strike" plating to the strippped and cleaned base metal first, and then soldering to the copper. This method requires replating, and therefore not doable on a tight budget. The muggy weld is tricky, but will work, but will also require the plating to be stripped off at least in the areas around the break. We tried it years ago, and then stopped, because the solder over copper strike method is more efficent, much cheaper, and easier to plate over succesfully for us. Muggy weld is overpriced IMHO.
Wire wheel the back over the breaks, up a few inchs on either side of the break. Tape the face side at the break, to prevent leaking. Lay 2 three inch pieces of welding rod in the groove on the back, over each break (for strength), then fill the back of the groove over the rods with JB Weld. I have one that I repaired this way, and it's been fine for the last 5 years. I'ts not like you're trying to repair the gash in the Titanic. How much of a beating does your license plate frame take...
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