Filling Seams with silicon bronze

[dasmith76073]

All,

I came across a thread that was showing where the seams were filled with silicon bronze material. I'm curious if you would have to use a TIG to obtain these results or can you braze the material in the seam without warping the panel?

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[dontlifttoshift]

As far as I know, you gotta tig it.

[SlowProgress]

I used TIG but I admit it isn't as easy as it looks. That's some great work there !

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r68/chaos_19/Tail%20Panel%20Repair/100_3353.jpg

[dasmith76073]

It looks amazing.. I don't have a TIG welder so I was hoping there was an alternative.

[19 usac]

I use it all the time. Iuse a tig but you can gas weld it also. Just remember it has a very low melting point when i use it i weld with about 45 to 60 amps. Jim

[MrQuick]

I used TIG but I admit it isn't as easy as it looks. That's some great work there !
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r68/chaos_19/Tail%20Panel%20Repair/100_3353.jpg

what size rod are you using?




I use it all the time. I use a tig but you can gas weld it also. Just remember it has a very low melting point when i use it i weld with about 45 to 60 amps. Jim what size rod do you use?

[dontlifttoshift]

1/16" i sometimes wish I could get it smaller than that but usually you are filling a pretty wide gap (seam) so it works out pretty good.

[19 usac]

1/16 and 3/32 depending on how much i have to fill.

[dasmith76073]

Anyone used this stuff?

http://www.muggyweld.com/?view=super1

[absintheisfun]

Anyone used this stuff?

http://www.muggyweld.com/?view=super1

Looks interesting....but seems a little pricey for what it is...

[scotzilla]

thats all i use for race car tin work- Keep the panels straight since the silicone bronze has such a low melting point. You get a lot more warping with regular tig rod

[censo69]

I have never seen this before. The work looks great ! Are you using the silicon bronze to join/weld the panels as well, or do you traditionaly weld the panels and then use this purely as a fill operation.

[ATOMonkey]

I think I saw a roll of silicon bronze wire at the weld shop yesterday.

[TT302Z28]

Hey thanks for this thread, those seams are beautiful!

[67 455 Bird ragtop]

I've seen the aluminum version of this stuff. But never a steel version. I guess you could use the Super Alloy 1 for seams. Interesting stuff. May have to check it out.

[mikey]

You can also use it in a mig we use .35 wire and argon for a shielding gas at work. Works great grinds real easy for cleanup and finish work. Not as pretty as a tig but maybe a viable option for some.

[SlowProgress]

I use thin wire about .040" with my TIG but I notice that I have trouble filling the seam well and I either have to feed too fast, or twist a few strands together. I think it would be better to have a larger diameter but my local shop has the small wire in stock. Mine never looks that nice before I grind, but I found some good photos on the DSE site. I think this is pretty much what it should look like before grinding. Would be nice to be that good !

http://www.detroitspeed.com/projects/mcgilton/data/images1/gmcgilton-606l.jpg

Scott

[BulldawgMusclecars]

Other than ease of working with the softer material, what is the advantage to using this? Its weaker than a weld with the appropriate wire or filler rod, and being a bronze material does it have the same problems of reacting with fillers and primers like brazing rod can? I would think it does.

[sccacuda]

Other than ease of working with the softer material, what is the advantage to using this? Its weaker than a weld with the appropriate wire or filler rod, and being a bronze material does it have the same problems of reacting with fillers and primers like brazing rod can? I would think it does.

I agree. If you are welding the seams, weld it with a steel rod or wire. I always grind out any brass or bronze. It is not very structural. If you want to fill the seam, use a seam sealer. I only use silicone bronze on the outside flange of a header to have a little give but make a seal.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/02/siliconebronze-1.jpg

[dasmith76073]

My thought is that it would add strength to the joint while being easier to shape that normal wire if you want to keep the seam visible for a stock appearance. I've read that these joints are prone to flex and cause lines in the paint and that's why some weld and smooth these seams. I've got to decide now if I'm going to weld and smooth or do something like the silicon bronze. Being my first build I would rather be safe than sorry. Any advise is appreciated..

[scotzilla]

if your car is flexing right there you have bigger problems than cracked paint. All those panels are spot welded from the factory- The filler is just there to seal it and prevent rust weep. The problem when doing this on an older car is there is usually 40 years on paint, crap and corosion in between the panel, which makes tigging them difficult. Ive found it just keeps drawing the contamination out of the seam. Not a problem if you are replacing the panel. Its one of those different solutions for different scenarios type things.

As far as having the braze joint crack- Ive done dozens of raze cars and street car back half tin jobs this way and I havent had one come back yet.

[David Pozzi]

I've seen Silicon Bronze used a lot on Vintage race cars. Even in applications like welding a spring seat threaded adjuster to a McPherson strut. I believe the tensile strength is around 60,000.

http://metalshapers.org/101/covell/covell-silbronze.shtml

[Mathius]

You can get silicon bronze in a wire feed. It feeds poorly like aluminum. You almost have to have a dedicated setup like aluminum. It's like any other alloy, it has its uses. We use it a lot in the HVAC industry for welding galvanized.

Every alloy on the market was invented for a reason. It's always one of my pet peeves when people say you can tell stainless because a magnet won't stick, or that stainless won't rust, or conversely when they acknowledge its stainless, but say if it rusts or a magnet sticks it's "cheap stainless". It's not cheap, it was just intended for a different purpose. IIRC most 400 series stainless used in the appliance industry is magnetic and any stainless will rust if it's contaminated.

As far as using it on cars, it can be used as a filler. It comes in useful when a part is going to be powdercoated because it will work like bondo in a pinch, but still allow powder to stick well.