- Joined
- Feb 13, 2017
- Messages
- 2,138
Recently, watching a U-Tube video (Keith Rucker) on brazing up a cast iron gear and my creative juices flowing (rare) got me to wondering about repairing broken teeth on Atlas, or in my case Craftsman, change gears. Steel gears can be welded, and "old school" repairs to cast iron are done with brazing rod. Aluminium has several methods of repair but my thoughts revolve around the ZAMAK gears on Atlas machines. Zamak is, of course, a trademark for a Zinc-Aluminium alloy with trace elements of Magnesium and Copper. While containing aluminium, it has different characteristics than pure, or almost so, aluminium.
My thoughts involve the fairly recent development of a "welding rod" for aluminium. Such a rod is actually more related to soldering, as it doesn't melt the base stock. I am wondering if it can be used with ZAMAK similarly to brazing cast iron. I have, years ago, used an aluminium rod that was used with a "buzz-box" welder. I don't know how much was the low melting point of aluminium and how much was my lack of skill, but the end result wasn't very good. It held together, but I wouldn't trust it to hold my weight, my standard for welding. And sure as hell wouldn't trust it to hold up on even change gears.
I have some broken(replaced) gears for the Craftsman and intend to one day try it. But thought someone in more of a hurry than me, or someone facing a broken change gear, might give it a shot. Or someone with a little more experience in metallurgy might have a comment. positive or negative. From my perspective, it is an unknown. And likely to remain so for quite a while as the idea has a very low priority. It will get done eventually, but eventually has a loonnngggg life span to me.
My thoughts involve the fairly recent development of a "welding rod" for aluminium. Such a rod is actually more related to soldering, as it doesn't melt the base stock. I am wondering if it can be used with ZAMAK similarly to brazing cast iron. I have, years ago, used an aluminium rod that was used with a "buzz-box" welder. I don't know how much was the low melting point of aluminium and how much was my lack of skill, but the end result wasn't very good. It held together, but I wouldn't trust it to hold my weight, my standard for welding. And sure as hell wouldn't trust it to hold up on even change gears.
I have some broken(replaced) gears for the Craftsman and intend to one day try it. But thought someone in more of a hurry than me, or someone facing a broken change gear, might give it a shot. Or someone with a little more experience in metallurgy might have a comment. positive or negative. From my perspective, it is an unknown. And likely to remain so for quite a while as the idea has a very low priority. It will get done eventually, but eventually has a loonnngggg life span to me.
Bill Hudson