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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    melbourne australia
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    Default Aluminium Brazing Rods HTS2000

    Hi All,
    Have any of you tried this product? I'm keen to hear real-world feedback on its effectiveness for light weight aluminium repairs and fabrication. Looks too good to be true.

    Quality Tools, European tools for sale online | Aus Tools - HTS-2000 Aluminium Brazing Rods

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCrixbXz4rc
    Chris

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    South of Adelaide
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    1,225

    Default

    I have seen ads for that all over the place. I think its snake oil, but would be interested to hear from someone who has actually used it.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Canberra
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    1,322

    Default

    These have been flogged at field days, usually by a bloke using them to repair holes in the base of aluminium beer cans.

    Many years ago I used them fairly successfully to make an enclosure aluminium angle and sheet. The key thing was to scrub the oxide off with a SS brush, then heat the metal and rub the rod on it once in a while until it started to melt.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    North Brisbane. Qld. Australia
    Age
    70
    Posts
    1,511

    Default

    Bought some of these many years ago. Still in the cupboard unused. If I get time soon I will try a rod or two. Got them at some sort of show.

    .
    Nev.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Near Bendigo, Victoria, AUS
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    72
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    3,102

    Default

    They work OK. They do need an oxy set (oxy LPG is fine). Air-gas burners can't seem to get the heat into aluminium focused enough, because aluminium transport the heat away too quickly.
    Just remember that they are brazing rods, NOT welding (as many current ads infer or say).
    I've been using them for decades - first seen and bought at a local field days. Still buying and using them from time to time.
    I've repaired aluminium castings a few times - once even modified a gearbox casting which required milling, drilling and threading. The stuff is pretty fluid at the right temperature, so for the building up of the modification, I used some pottery clay to make a sort of mould around the bit I needed to build up - and then just filled the space.
    The key is to let the aluminium melt the rods, NOT the flame!! Treat the process a bit like soft soldering - if you melt the rods with the flame, you will NOT get them to wet the surface and flow where you want them to go. Also, the have a very strong surface tension. So they will flow over the top of holes and cracks, without any penetration into the the voids whatsoever!
    Obviously, cleanliness is essential. Aluminium oxide prevents any adhesion. So scrape, wire brush or sand the joints and then clean them with acetone. Clean the rods with acetone too!
    The rods are reported to have both magnesium and tin in them (possibly others). They are as hard as aluminium once deposited, but less strong and more brittle.
    Its a good product for the right purpose.
    TIG welding is more reliable and more flexible, but a different skills set needed. It is easier than oxy-acetylene welding aluminium though (for me).
    Cheers, Joe
    retired - less energy, more time to contemplate projects and more shed time....

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    melbourne australia
    Posts
    3,228

    Default

    Thanks Gents. I just ordered some of these:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...KIKX0DER&psc=1

    They are well reviewed. The comments in the reviews mirror those here.
    Chris

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Lancaster, Ohio, USA
    Posts
    100

    Default

    One other thing, once they are used on a part,TIG cannot be used until all of the brazing rod is removed.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Athelstone, SA 5076
    Posts
    4,255

    Default

    I cant get them to work...bloody waste of money for me

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Near Bendigo, Victoria, AUS
    Age
    72
    Posts
    3,102

    Default

    eskimo: what happens? What heat source are you using? What have you tried? What are you brazing? How have you cleaned? Photos of the results?
    Cheers, Joe
    retired - less energy, more time to contemplate projects and more shed time....

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Canberra
    Posts
    1,322

    Default

    I commented before watching the whole video - their approach looks a little different to how I used the rods. While I scrubbed off the oxide before heating, they seem to heat until some rod starts to melt onto the base metal, then scrub it with a brush and add more rod.

    In my case, I only had an LPG torch, but I was using thin section, probably 1.2 or 1.5mm angle and sheet.

    Thinking about it, I can see why the field day guys use aluminium can bases for their demonstration - once you're adept with your application of heat, it's cheap material, ubiquitous in terms of punters relating to it, and impressive given it's thin material. And the thin section needs little heat to bring it up to brazing temperature, so it works well with modest heat sources like LPG.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Lancaster, Ohio, USA
    Posts
    100

    Default

    Another thing to watch out for is-- I had to fill and ream a worn out hole that bottomed out about 1/8" from a 1/2" hole running across it. I filled the first hole and the filler rod evidentially alloyed the bottom of the hole material and it fell out. No big problem as I just put a piece of round steel and let it flow down to it. Just don't anyone to have a big surprise.

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