How to weld aluminum with a propane torch and low heat aluminum welding rods fix your radiator.

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How to weld aluminum with a propane torch and low heat aluminum welding rods fix your radiator.
(paid links)
Here is a link to a propane torch head (pencil flame) at Amazon: goo.gl/W5d7R Or Ebay: goo.gl/td6Nsr
Harbor Freight Tools Pack of 8 Alumiweld Aluminum Welding Rods At Amazon: amzn.to/2Rn2XO1 Or Ebay: goo.gl/Z3ajYW
This is a how to on fixing a leaking aluminium radiator with a propane torch and low heat aluminium welding rods which can be purchased from Harbor Freight. BTW the cheapest propane bottles are at Walmart in the camping section.
Here is a link for a 20% off coupon from Harbor Freight to save you some money.
www.harborfreight.com/affiliat...
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Last update 01/18/19
Thank you and enjoy.
How to weld aluminum with a propane torch and low heat aluminum welding rods fix your radiator.

[@StandingGoatsRescue]

Your lack of adhesion is due to the heat hitting the rod. You'll need to heat up the radiator to the 720 (or whatever the recommended temperature of the rods are), then the rod should puddle up instantly when it comes into contact with the aluminum radiator. I've found that it's much easier to put the item your braising (your radiator) on top of a gas bbq grill to heat up the entire unit...then use the torch to raise the heat of the area you are wanting to weld. Aluminum cools down at a really fast pace, and it sucks the heat out of the area you're trying to weld....leaving you with an aggravation, unless you preheat the entire item. I used the harbor freight aluminum welding rods too, with the same end result. After I found out about heating up the entire piece (preheating), the welds turned out beautiful....and incredibly strong! Thanks for putting out a great video, wish I would have found it at the time of your upload. I hope this helps a little...I spent a lot of time and wasted lots of material before I found out how to do it correctly. God bless you my friend! Donnie (Standing Goats Rescue on KZbin)

[@richardlloydusa]

You are most welcome. Thank you for watching, commenting, the valuable feedback and the kind words. I appreciate it greatly. I am happy to know I could help. All the best.👍😀

[@fctuber]

Richard, just a tip I haven't sen anyone else mention but I haven't read all comments. If you have an oxy-acetylene torch set, light it in pure acetylene, low flame and soot your work area. Heat it with your torch carefully and the soot will burn off just below 700°F so you know when you're getting close. Don't have the Red in the heat but touch it to the repair area to "tin" the metal. Rod will melt in if it's the right temp. I'm not criticizing, just offering help. Good video. I know I try and learn from mistakes, preferably others mistakes. Good job showing them.

[@Jdeminico]

Very informative. Thanks for showing the ENTIRE process failures included. I wish more people would teach this way.

[@richardlloydusa]

Thank you very much for watching and understanding why I left the failures in the video. I could have easily edited them out. If it happened to me it might happen to you too. I do the same on all my videos for the same reason. :)

[@jedediahbc]

I've been a pipe welder for over 35 years and done a lot of metal repair on other metal. I've used these rods and they work well, it looked like you didn't get metal hot enough you were trying to get the rod to run before the tub was hot enough just practice and it will look as well as the experts do it.

[@richardlloydusa]

jedediahbc Thanks for the advice. I believe failure is essential to learning. LOL I did get it right in the end and it's still holding today. Thanks for watching.

[@richardlloydusa]

You are quite correct in your analysis. I learned a lot doing this video and I am going to make a few more "soldering" videos.

[@richardlloydusa]

I pressure tested the radiator to 30 PSI which is 10 PSI above the release pressure on the cap with no leak so I am confident the weld will hold. I was impressed. I am sure your suggestions would make it even better.

[@brianzaborowski2724]

J-B Weld is man's best friend for stuff like this, used it on my KX 500 rads and worked great ... no torch needed. The original formula is good to 600* and the quick set version good to 300* and if your coolant ever reaches 300* you will have bigger problems to worry about other than your rad, lol. I bead-blasted both rads and touched up all the bad spots with J-B Weld, painted them and still good 6 years later.

[@richardlloydusa]

Thanks.

[@richardlloydusa]

@John Doe Thank you very much. As I stated earlier to the know-it-alls, I could easily have edited out all my mistakes, but I would rather you learn from my mistakes than from yours. Thanks for your kind comments and watching.

[@cybercapri]

Richard Lloyd I agree with you, because you left in your mistakes I know I will be able to learn from them too, if you had used edit to remove your mistakes there would have been almost nothing for me to learn. Thanks for sharing...

[@richardlloydusa]

Paul Bialozor You are welcome and I still leave my mistakes in my DIY videos so people can learn from my mistakes. Thanks for watching and understanding.

[@wither8]

It's way better to see you mess up live, so we can learn, than have some perfectly edited 'take #13' cut. Is there any reason you didnt use flux? (Not a welder, but I DIY'd enough copper piping to have enough rope to hang myself ;))

[@richardlloydusa]

The instructions (yes I read them) included with the rods specify that you do not use flux. Thanks.

[@hollyondoglake]

Thanks for messing up.and leaving it in. It saved me alot of guesswork.

[@martins4212]

A tip that I got from an experienced welder was when cleaning the repair material don’t use a steel brush as it leaves a residue. Use a stainless steel brush instead.

[@richardlloydusa]

Thank you so much for watching, commenting and the valuable feedback. I appreciate it greatly. All the best.👍😀

[@carlarmbruster]

I appreciate you sharing your mistakes as well as your successes. Helps us on what to look for. I have done a lot of soldering of copper pipes and feel I am pretty good at it. I think I will give this a shot on an aluminum pressure washer pump that has a hairline fracture at the outlet port. Thanks for the video.

[@richardlloydusa]

You are welcome. Tell us how it worked for you. Thanks for watching.

[@richardlloydusa]

Thank you for your advise. I appreciate that. My repair was successful and holds to this day though. Getting the heat right on the surface and rod is very tricky as you can melt what you are trying to repair. Thanks for watching.

[@richardlloydusa]

Thanks. Eventually I figured it out and the result was excellent. It is still holding today. Thanks for the feedback and watching.

[@scdevon]

Nice work. You needed more heat on the radiator during the first attempts for sure. I know you were worried about blowing through the base metal, but the aluminum on the radiator is several times thicker than the cans and it needs to be heated longer.

[@richardlloydusa]

If I ever have to do it again I will do that and I wont use the flame thrower to heat it up either. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@TengYuan]

+Richard Lloyd I was gonna say the same thing, and thought gotta be someone else having the same idea. there I found scdevon's comment i didnt even know you could DIY join aluminum at home, kind of curious what kind of stuff that weld rod is. probably very acidic core? but, anyways, if it is anyway like soldering/brazing brass/copper, you have to get the radiator hot, no way around it. and I think what you are using is perfect for the job, probably wouldnt be a good idea if you switched the heat source to something else.(Right temp + Concentrated flame)

[@richardlloydusa]

+Teng Yuan Thanks. Fortunately I have not had to do it again so I would say that the torch I used actually did do an excellent job of heating the surface as the repair has held and never failed. Thanks.

[@Love2FlyKAP]

If the melting temperature is below 842°F (450°C) then it is soldering per American Welding Society (AWS). The rods sold at places like these are solder rods. AWS defines brazing as such a process which involves a filler metal which has a liquidus above 842°F450°C (450°C). You also need to check what alloy of aluminum you have, 5000 series alum. needs a very aggressive flux.

[@richardlloydusa]

The cans blow through on the cans worried me. The last thing I wanted was a blow through on the rad. That is why I was hesitant to apply lots of heat. It did work well though the repair held strong. I would recommend the repair.

[@GrandpaBill]

Ran a welding/fab shop for over 25 years 1st. thing NEVER use brass or plain steel wire brushes on alum. -- use only stainless steel 2nd. wrong kind of sand paper; they make a screen mesh type for alum. 3rd. Clean area with acetone. 4th. Remove all rubber or plastic parts and pre-heat in an oven at 350/400 degrees. 5th. Clean it again with acetone when it's hot. That type of rod will flow out just like you were using lead solder when the metal get up to the right temperture. Grandpa Bill

[@Hopeless_and_Forlorn]

Nice learning experience, Richard. If I may make a suggestion, brazing or soldering a cracked radiator may be easier if you first flush it thoroughly with water and allow it to dry. Residual glycol inside the radiator always seems to find its way through a crack when heated, and prevents adhesion.

[@richardlloydusa]

Thanks for the tip. I had not flushed the glycol from it. All the best.

[@shawnhaynes3726]

This was painful to watch. Wish I was there with this guy to let him know that the base metal needs to be at just over 700 degrees to melt the rod. Never put the rod in the fire. Keep the heat moving then test the rod if it melts when not in the fire then you know you are at optimum heat. then place on a bead and it will follow the heat. No need for a half a rod a tiny bit would do it. heat the opposite side and when the base metal melts the rod then you know you have enough heat.

[@richardlloydusa]

Understood. Thank you.

[@shawnhaynes3726]

No problem pal..Glad to help

[@amm1270]

If it was painful to watch youtube has this amazing feature call a stop button.

[@MtnXfreeride]

Thanks for showing your learning process and allowing the critiquing in the comments, its still a useful video.

[@richardlloydusa]

My pleasure. If I were to do it again. I would use a lower BTU torch with a finer point and of course I would heat the surface of the radiator till the rod melts. BTW this is the trick as you have to keep checking it regularly to make sure you don't over heat it. The torch I was using could have easily melted the aluminum rad if I had overheated it. That was my primary concern. Thanks for watching.

[@tomfoolery1956]

I dont blame you for being hesitant on burning through the radiator. Ill never forget in high school a know it all tried brazing a radiator for his friend. All he did was turn a tiny leak into a gaping hole!! Theres no going back after that

[@kennethkrajewski9443]

Works great. I did my kx250 radiators. No worry on any aluminum. The cans are paper thin. That's why. Anything thicker needs more heat

[@richardlloydusa]

Thank you for watching, commenting and the valuable feedback. I appreciate it greatly. All the best. 👍😀

[@garryheywood1]

I've just scrolled through most of these posts which offer advice on welding or brazing Aluminum. The thing is I was looking for Aluminium and not Aluminum, now I feel a right daft bugger, by the way I'm offering a prize of a full packet of Tunes (cherry menthol) for anyone who can show where Aluminum appears on the periodic table of elements, I've looked and, believe me, it isn't there- look for yourself if my word isn't enough, but if you do, prepare to be amazed because it really isn't there. (p.s. don't confuse it with Aluminium)

[@mriosgto]

I like all the comments about this video , here is mine I believe If Richard Lloyd had 50 more or those to do he would have it down in less than a hour, and by the end of the day his work would be proper. Ive welded in shops , shipyards for a many years, sometimes you have no choice but to work with is at hand, and for 15 bucks and back on the road plus a video to show off. Not bad , as for everyone trying this remember Eye protection, fire watch, gloves . in a safe spot. show us your work !

[@ra777wow]

That will work. I can understand why you don't want too much heat there. It's really a touchy little project' especially radiators. I am the same way too, about fixing things. I won't let Anyone fix anything of mine , unless I definitely can't fix it, and that's very rare. Thanks and nice work.

[@1999mikedunn]

I had same problem and used non lead solder with flex. Lower melting temp than aluminum. Seems to have worked. Thanks for the video.

[@richardlloydusa]

Excellent advice! Thank you. I will try this out and video it again.

[@mrcrux213]

I fixed a radiator leak with JB welding once and it hold the pressures. Very good job

[@richardlloydusa]

Thank you very much.

[@MrSousa909]

Nice repair, although I have to say you got lucky. I use this stuff all the time the proper way is to heat the surface you try to repair and scratch the rod on the surface intermittently until the rod begins to melt at which point the remove heat keep applying rod on surface until it stops melting then repeat procedure untill satisfied with repair. Avoid putting Rod into the flame. This stuff is very forgiving but if you want a solid repair this is the way to do it. This torch seems to have a little too many BTU's for your application. Although would be adequate for something that was thick. Thanks for the video!

[@richardlloydusa]

Agree with every point you make. The torch was the biggest issue as I had fear of melting the rad. Thanks and btw the repair is still holding.

[@richardlloydusa]

Very interesting indeed. Nice to know what is possible. Cool fix getting steel to adhere to aluminium.

[@richardlloydusa]

Thanks for the great advice. Much obliged.

[@richardlloydusa]

You are welcome. Glad you found a solution that worked.

[@jinnashookah]

I was taking this very seriously until I heard, "There's too much on there so the next thing to do, is to... keep goin' around"! & "Except for that part just fell off!" & "I'm getting better!" lol I appreciate your effort and showing us what can and most likely will go wrong! I have some steel pipes I need to solder together so thanks for sharing your video! Keep up the good work! :)

[@richardlloydusa]

I pressure tested this rad to TWICE it's rated maximum pressure prior to installing it back into the motorcycle which continues to hold to this day. Spent less than $20 to fix a $150 part and it's as strong as factory. Glad you enjoyed the video. Good luck with your pipes.

[@markalan4026]

I'd like to give these a try. Thanks for the video.

[@richardlloydusa]

You're most welcome, They worked great for me. Thank you so much for commenting and the very kind words. I appreciate it greatly. All the best.👍😀

[@wjackstl]

awesome video man, thanks for sharing....I can't wait to try welding my aluminum diamond plate! thanks for getting me interested in doing it again

[@richardlloydusa]

+Wesley Jackson You are welcome. Thanks for watching.

[@richardlloydusa]

@ Chris Long The instructions say that the rods do not require flux. It's up to you if you use it or not. Thanks.

[@SuperCharles1952]

It would have been a lot easier if you had used flux, when it gets to the rite tempture it would start to buble then you stick the rod to it and it will suck the solder rite into the place where the leak was cracked.

[@richardlloydusa]

Charles Detharidge If I ever have to do it again, I will try it with flux. Thanks for the info and watching.

[@fuzzymonkey84]

you dont need the flux but in my exprerience its better to heat the thing you want to fix and then run the rod over it, dont put flame onto rod cos it will not stick. it stuck in the end because the rad eventually reached the right temp....hope it holds

[@fuzzymonkey84]

lol just got to the end of the video, you figured it out in the end. good job sir

[@richardlloydusa]

Thanks.

[@rickwatson1799]

We all learn by doing, some are fortunate enough to be able to watch someone else learn by doing so kudos to you. thanks for being humble enough to show us the good and bad.

[@richardlloydusa]

Rick Watson You are most welcome. Thanks for watching and understanding.

[@woolywonders5546]

Excellent. Have circular sock machine made out of pot metal. It’s cam shell needs repairing and this is my plan. Thanks for posting your learning experience!

[@richardlloydusa]

So far so good. But excellent suggestions. I will follow that if I have to do it again. Luckily taking the rad out is pretty easy.

[@baggie00001]

Yes its pretty easy to weld over holes. The molten metal acts like it has high surface tension and you can get it to bridge over holes without it falling through. Ive also managed to weld steel nuts onto Aluminium tubing with these rods. It did a great job and now i have new fixing points for the plastic fairings on my KTM 250 motorcross Bike. I think this product is a revelation. No need for expensive welding anymore.

[@Naveedsgarage]

Thanks for the time to make and share this informative video!

[@richardlloydusa]

You are most welcome. Thank you for watching, commenting and the kind words. I appreciate it greatly. All the best.

[@KnolltopFarms]

Lucky you didn't melt any holes in you radiator hose and of sizzle your bushings. :O Glad it held, I know how expensive riding can be and am happy we have many options to fix cast or forged parts nowadays. When I first started riding I was buying new levers and bars almost every other weekend, LOL!

[@richardlloydusa]

Yea it's great to have DIY options to fix this stuff. A new rad is not in the "cheap" section of the store.

[@joohop]

you did it daddy ! i think the trick is heating the piece up first , good info thanks brother

[@richardlloydusa]

You are right and you are welcome. Thanks for watching.

[@slvrserfr]

One more reason to choose aluminum over plastic ended radiators. Thanks for the tip! Will remember this if my dual core all aluminum radiator leaks. Heating the surface was probably part of the problem with the adhesion, soldering carries the same principle, surface needs to be pre heated for a weld to take place.

[@richardlloydusa]

slvrserfr You are welcome. The repair is still holding strong. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@DrRestoration]

Great video, would you use this method to extend an alluminum steering rod? I need to cut an aluminum rod and weld them back together inside a sleeve to make the rod 1/2" longer. Basically how strong are the welds?

[@richardlloydusa]

Being that it is steering rod I would not recommend it. Personal safety is involved here. I would suggest replacing the rod with a longer and complete one. Thanks

[@GS17403]

Thanks ! Your vid provides some great real world experience with using these rods. I've been doing research before I actually try it, so this has been invaluable for me and I appreciate the "mistakes" ! The one thing I'm getting consistently from all the vids I've been watching is that the "trick" to brazing with these rods seems to be heating the base metal to a point were the heat in the base metal does most of the melting of the rod. I hope I don't ruin my carb :-)

[@richardlloydusa]

+G Seidman You are welcome. Best of luck and thanks for watching.

[@GS17403]

I gave it a shot. Unfortunately on a second attempt I got a little too aggressive with the heat and melted my piece beyond repair, but the experience was worth it. Maybe next time I'll have better luck.

[@richardlloydusa]

+G Seidman This was my primary concern when I was doing it and if you look at the comments I get a lot of heat (pardon the pun) about being too careful applying the heat to the base metal, but you have just proved my point on this. Aluminum has a very low melting point regardless of how thin the metal is it melts at the same temperature. The only difference is how long the metal takes to get to the melting temperature. It's a delicate balance. Thanks for the feedback and better luck next time. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@richardlloydusa]

In the end I did get good adhesion but I was putting the heat to the rod and the rad at the same time. I guess eventually both metals reached the same temp.

[@russellbritt1022]

Hey.. Thanks for the video.. the comments below are wonderful and will help me from making some mistakes..

[@bradasmith]

Well worth the cost of the rods :) After watching your video and finding HTS-2000 and watching their video, I ordered som HTS-2000 rods. They are supposed to be stronger and not require flux, based on the their video it is supposed to be a good enough bond for fabrication and thread filling. I am looking to make a single wheel trailer for my bike using aluminum as the frame rather than steel. Thanks, for your response. Safe riding.

[@richardlloydusa]

HF does not make any of the tools they sell including these rods. They are a reseller of tools and supplies. They are value priced the key word is 'value'. As far as I am concerned they do the job. BTW I drilled an engine block out with a HF drill. I still have the drill and the job took 6 hours of continuous drilling with a half inch drill. I paid $39.99 for the drill and that engine now has 110,000 miles and is still going strong and so is the drill. Paid for itself and owes me nothing.

[@vicmon25mon85]

You're good Richard the only thing I want to add to the other comments it a that yes Sr this rods does not need any flux I have use them before few time the only think you need yo do it's clean it with stainless brush and heat the material instead of the rod if you heat the material to the right temperature the brazing rod will melt very nice!! You're good all ways

[@richardlloydusa]

You are most welcome. Thank your very much for commenting, watching and the kind words. All the best.

[@WagonWheels707]

Holy shade-tree maintenance, Batman! Plus one for flux! Also you will get much better control out of a jewlers torch. They're relatively inexpensive and are very handy even if you don't work in a radiator shop. However, if it seems silly, but it works, I guess it's not so silly. Good job.

[@richardlloydusa]

Thank you. The repair holds to this day. I agree with you 100% on not using a flame thrower to do the job. Next time I do this job I will certainly not use a Howitzer to kill a fly. This is how we learn. BTW they rod manufacturer say not to use flux. Thanks again.

[@InvincibleExtremes]

Yup, more heat on the source

[@TurboHeart]

great video. thank you.

[@richardlloydusa]

+Turbo HEART You are welcome. Thanks for watching.

[@Jsellers1965]

Good Job! Once the radiator heated it stuck better. I want to try this now. LOL

[@richardlloydusa]

Thanks. It worked very well and did not leak.

[@jonathanrood3548]

Thank you!

[@andIloveH]

Thanks for the lesson

[@richardlloydusa]

You are most welcome. Thanks.

[@domenicscavetta7790]

awsome video mad respect to u sir

[@richardlloydusa]

+Domenic Scavetta Thank you very much.

[@oscarreyes3321]

Good video and.nice job

[@richardlloydusa]

+Oscar Reyes Thank you very much.

[@martinc5183]

Thanks for the video!!...... Like you said it may not be pretty but you saved 75$ for the next project...beside grinding and paint will make anything look nice!!!

[@richardlloydusa]

Thanks and that is true. Plus I had many rods left over for any other repair I may need to make in the future.

[@richardlloydusa]

I was worried about melting the base metal. It did work well though.

[@_inked_out]

hey thanks for the video it was very informational. I am trying to build a scale model of a scaffold so im going to have to weld some parts. however im not sure about my choice of material. I've read that steel doesn't weld as well as other metals. would you recommend welding steel?

[@richardlloydusa]

You are welcome. I have no problem recommending welding steel. Steel is a very strong and weldable metal. As long as you use the correct materials and tools you should have no problem. Thanks.

[@richarddiaz1811]

Thanks for showing your mistakes and taking the time to show us. I'm going to harbor freight

[@richardlloydusa]

You are welcome. My point was to show that I am by no means an expert but I learn from my mistakes and show them so you don't have to. Thanks for commenting and watching.

[@furyiiiplate]

The most important thing is to get it right....eventually....i watched a similar video and the guy heated the aluminum parts on his gas grilled to get them heated up thoroughly.... of course you couldn't do that, but same idea... aluminum really spreads heat.

[@richardlloydusa]

Is there a special type of flux that I should have used? No wonder I had a hard time getting it to adhere. But note that in the end it worked well regardless. I pressure tested it to 30 PSI without a leak.

[@eagle94haslanded]

@7:00 you werent getting adhesion because you didnt have the aluminum hot enough you were applying all your heat to the rod. The cans melted so easy because they are so thin.

[@halosavage]

I don't know much about aluminum welding but i do know that aluminum oxidizes almost instantly. if you just use heat then you will melt the aluminum but the oxidized layer will coat your melted aluminum. The oxide melts at a much hight temp than the aluminum. That is why welding aluminum is always done with AC current, something about the low or high cycles actually burn off the oxide exposing the aluminum to be welded...

[@richardlloydusa]

Thanks for the info.

[@decorativeironplus4644]

you learn from your mistakes id suggest if you have one of those temp guns to preheat the parent surface first to the recommended temp then start in with the alloy rod i think will buy some of that to have on hand thanks for posting his vid

[@richardlloydusa]

I do learn from my mistakes. I so have one of those infrared thermometers now, didn't then. Thanks for the suggestion and also thank you so much for watching, commenting and the valuable feedback. I appreciate it greatly. Subscribe, Click The Bell and stay tuned! All the best.👍😀

[@richardlloydusa]

Sorry to hear that. Looks like HF is only in the United States. Looks like a business opportunity in Canada. Thanks for the feedback.

[@sportyhog69]

The experts say to clean with a stainlesssteel wire brush or for heavily oxidation clean with acetone first.

[@richardlloydusa]

Thanks. I appreciate the feedback.

[@FreshLaundry]

Just an FYI, you should scrub the aluminum surfaces with a stainless steel brush first. This is done to remove the surface oxidization layer on the aluminum and ensure proper adhesion.

[@richardlloydusa]

Thank you.

[@taurushipointenthusiast1306]

Nicely done and I agree work with cans FIRST. then if one can braze without melting through side wall then one is ready. My Choice is map/o2 it heats faster than propane does same job. 2 as a noob to this myself heat waving or in circular pattern.

[@cnealmartin]

Great job Richard, Thanks for letting me learn from your mistakes LOL. Your vid is gonna be a huge help for my project. My only constructive criticism: Considering your dealing with a good bit of heat, safety cloves would be a good way to go. Thanks again!

[@richardlloydusa]

+Chris Martin You are most welcome. Thanks for kind comments and criticism. I will most definately keep that in mind.

[@boysetaylr8553]

Rods on a pop can with a monster torch love it

[@richardlloydusa]

LOL, I know it was overkill but hey, I learned from it. BTW I bet you are either from Canada or the east coast. I have not heard anyone call a "soda" can a "pop" can since I was there. Thanks for watching.

[@thingsdemystified]

soda

[@prestonkd]

I appreciate you leaving all the mistakes in so the rest of us can learn. I have done an extensive amount of MIG welding, but have not welded aluminum. It seems that the problem is not the heating, pre-heating or any of that but rather a misinterpretation or misapplication of the welding process itself. The theory of welding is that you get the base metal AND the filler metal just hot enough to become molten but not too much hotter or you affect the strength of the metal. The flaw with the process depicted here is that you have low heat melting aluminum rods and are trying to weld a much higher melting point aluminum. The base metal of the aluminum radiator never becomes molten and thus never "joins with" or "welds" with the filler metal. You may eventually get some surface adhesion by the process depicted in this video but you will never get "welding" (that's why it leaked. FYI, its going to leak again). A welded bond is as strong or stronger than the original. The basic premise of welding is that the metals mix and join or "penetrate" as the term is used in welding. I don't mean this comment to be derogatory. I appreciate you taking the time to do the demonstration. I felt it was important to point out the reason why it did not work properly so that others would understand.

[@richardlloydusa]

Keith Preston You are, I am sure, technically correct but I am not sure why you think this did not work. It is actually still working today. It has not leaked again since the repair. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@prestonkd]

Richard Lloyd I'm glad it didn't give you any more problems. I don't know what kind of pressure builds up inside a radiator. Apparently not enough to blow out this repair. When I talked about it not working I was mainly referring to the early attempts where the filler metal did not bond and fell off. Although technically the "welding" part of the whole thing didn't work because it wasn't actually "welding". If you don't melt the base and filler metal where they flow together, it's not welding. It's more like "aluminum brazing" if there is such a thing. Maybe that's splitting hairs. I just wouldn't want someone to use this process to "weld" something together that was going to be used in such a way that if it came apart that someone would fall or otherwise get hurt. Parts that are brazed or soldered together can come apart because they are really just stuck together with molten metal as the "glue". What you have on your radiator is a hole in the original metal that is covered over by a layer of Aluminum that has become hot enough to adhere to the surface of the radiator and cover the hole. It looks fine from the outside. That is why when they are testing/training welders they x-ray the joint to see what is really happening under the surface. If you could x-ray your radiator you would still be able to see the hole or break in the original metal. If it was actually "welded" together you would see only solid metal. Your repair might outlive us all, or it might break next week. Whenever you have two pieces of anything that are put together, it is possible for them to come apart. When two parts are actually "welded", they become one piece. There is nothing to come apart because there is no point where "original part A" meets "original part B". There is only "new part C". That sounds like something Yoda would say, so I'll stop now. Bottom line for you is that you fixed your radiator. Congrats!

[@richardlloydusa]

Keith Preston Thanks for the wealth of information. You could call it brazing or soldering. The rad opperating pressure is 16 lbs pre inch I tested it to 22 without issue. Again thanks for the info.

[@bradasmith]

I think more heat applied to make the brazing rod fully molten and a tinning brush to promote absorption into the aluminum. But for first time use, not bad. This method can be very cost effective and effective

[@codybreeding3653]

I would say for never doing it before you did a good job and at least you knew to prep the area you are tring to "weld" I call it brazing ...just warm the metal up you are tring to weld and then use the rod and torch and laydown your weld but it's just like brazing and good job

[@richardlloydusa]

You are most welcome. Thank you for watching, commenting and the kind words. I appreciate it greatly. All the best.

[@baggie00001]

I came across it by accident. One of the holes that was drilled through the aluminium pipe had a crack at the edge of the hole. I repaired it with one of the welding rods and tinned the surface around the hole with new weld. I installed the nut & bolt through the pipe and then set about another repair in the pipe approx 50mm away from the bolt. The heat dissipated towards the hole and welded the nut to the pipe by accident. So i tried it on other nuts and it worked every time.

[@tonym3675]

Yeah those can's are a whole lot thinner than most things you'll want to repair. heat metal and then introduce the rod. preheat is best.

[@richardlloydusa]

Thank you so much for watching, commenting and the valuable feedback. I appreciate it greatly. All the best.👍😀

[@TheDadPenfield]

Richard, the can testing caused all your problems. You were reluctant to heat the metal on the radiator and instead heated the rod and drizzled it over the radiator and found it did not stick. This is the most common mistake in brazing/soldering. The base metal must melt your rod for you. You are not allowed to melt it with the torch. A clarification of terms. This was aluminum soldering, not welding. If the rod had melted at above 800 degrees it would have been brazing.

[@adamellison2220]

Pure Genius

[@richardlloydusa]

Thank you.

[@richardlloydusa]

I am sure they took the tool back without issue. I know they don't make snap on quality tools but for the most part they are good tools for an excellent price. BTW they will refund your money or exchange for any reason, ie you don't like it. So as far as I am concerned that makes it a good value as you are never stuck with the tool.

[@wolfmann7841]

Nice!

[@richardlloydusa]

Thank you.

[@mkl3opt]

Isn't there a rubber o ring gasket in the tank to coil crimped connection on the radiator? did it leak there after the heatup?

[@baggie00001]

I used the Bernzomatic Aluminium soldering rods by the way but ive heard that the Durafix rods are better.Lower melting point.

[@richardlloydusa]

Here is the difference if you bought either one of those items at HF they would have taken them back from you and given you a full refund! How could you claim being wronged? BTW if you have a full refund policy does it really make sense to sell crap people bring back for a full refund? Princess Auto is not Harbor Freight.

[@richardlloydusa]

It worked for me and it cost me less than $15.00. Plus I get to keep all the left over rods so I can fix other things. So if by ghetto you mean cost effective OK. BTW that weld I made is still holding and was tested to twice it's working pressure without fail. So if by ghetto you mean worked perfectly OK.

[@REYLEON-yq3vn]

sorry thank you again I just read the link , you awesome👍👍

[@richardlloydusa]

You are most welcome. Thank you for watching, commenting and the kind words. I appreciate it greatly. All the best.

[@richardlloydusa]

As I tell my daughter. Practice makes perfect.

[@robertgussler4393]

Okay i have a question will this aluminum welding rod fix a hair line crack on the top casing of a 1986 yamaha 225 moto4 when i ride it only does it not leak but more of a seep can this fix it or is it toast i no how to do the work heat the metal first then touch the rod pretty much like a soldering job but ALOT more at risk then a bad connection it is right at the bottom of wjere the jug bolts to the case its on the right side bottom bolt from the jug to the case now the hair line crack starts at the Bolt hole then runs to the right in a strait line hasnt effected how it runs its a torque monster

[@richardlloydusa]

You could give it a try. Watch the heat as you do this and remove anything that can melt or catch fire. Clean the surface well. BTW you can buy a whole new engine on Ebay: goo.gl/6Pwy5W for $389.99 in case you need a spare. Thanks. All the best.

[@9secondsflat]

Is this the same stuff called durafix? do you know how big of a gap it will fill? i have to repair a drain plug on a minbike. some kid over tightened it and cracked it. i have a helicoil inside but need to fill where a small piece broke away and close the crack. the missing piece is smaller then half a peanut

[@garygangster2414]

Always test weld.....measure twice cut once .....great video. appreciate the info....what equipment were you using....Turbo torch?

[@richardlloydusa]

Thanks. I was using this torch www.harborfreight.com/electric-start-propane-torch-91061.html but I was using too much heat on the cans. It was fine though on the thicker material of the radiator. Still holding today.

[@richardlloydusa]

Thanks for the feedback and watching.

[@chadmartin3833]

I usually get the rod almost ready to melt and keep it there then go to the surface and heat it last

[@richardlloydusa]

Thank you so much for watching, commenting and the valuable feedback. I appreciate it greatly. All the best.👍😀

[@shorttime6264]

Good shoe young fellar!

[@richardlloydusa]

I am sure you can use it to fill a hole of that size. I would over fill the hole and grind/file the excess off. Please make sure you clean the area well first. Tell us how it went. Thanks for watching.

[@kevinstearns4198]

can i do this to a silencer i have to move the mounting bracket on a 2001? to use on my 87 kx.

[@richardlloydusa]

You could give it a try. I have not done it so I can't really comment directly. Thanks.

[@richardlloydusa]

The rods themselves say they don't require flux.

[@lancmac]

That would be better described as aluminum SOLDERING... Welding involves melting the two pieces together, You are not you are using a 3rd medal to bridge the two.

[@chrislong1903]

why no Flux, is that a must, or did you just not have any on hand? Ive got Flux and seems like it couldnt hurt.... Expand please hav to do inside rim of a car crack that leaking a tiny bit of air...think it should work ...Your thoughts...?

[@fctuber]

This kind of rod does not need flux. It is about the only one.

[@americanpatriot9865]

Is it possible to use one of those mini torches on these rods? Trying to swing that big tank around seems cumbersome to me

[@mriosgto]

The high heat guns work use a the narrow nozzle

[@garyk1998]

also a novice tried once so far was making same mistake trying to get rod in early, not heating base enough