Who needs rivets...or even welding of aluminum..??

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richg99

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Wow. When this stuff is available, I predict a revolution in tin boats! richg99

https://www.gizmag.com/mesoglue-metal-glue/41292/?utm_source=Gizmag+Subscribers&utm_campaign=680f0dad61-UA-2235360-4&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_65b67362bd-680f0dad61-91654449
 
more like velcro that's had a torch gently applied to it --- very interesting.
 
I can understand the one side/two side glue together working. Heck, if you've ever used contact cement, you get that part of it.

I guess I wonder what makes the glue(s) stick to the metal pieces so well?????

richg99
 
I'll stick with my 3M 08115 and heat gun for now. I would like to see more about this and especially some test pieces.
 
Its used for automotive body paneling. Once applied, it can be moved around for upwards of 30 minutes until it begins to setup and can be cured with heat applied. I used a lot of this stuff on an old 71 C10 ratrod I built years ago. My father was an auto paint and body guy back the day and he introduced it to me. I've never used it on a marine application though. Once cured, I've seen sheetmetal shear while trying to pop the bond. It's pretty strong stuff.
 
Wyatt said:
I'll stick with my 3M 08115 and heat gun for now. I would like to see more about this and especially some test pieces.
That's what our body shop uses and that stuff is amazing !!! Bedsides , door skins , all sorts of stuff ... I never even considered it for my tin rig restore but may have to now lol
 
I actually contacted 3m today and was able to chat with Don V. Sent him a link to my build here and I am seriously considering this now , I can't believe I hadn't thought of this before as much as our body guys use it. The technical data looks amazing with unbelievable shear strengths when properly prepped on aluminum !
8a69057c48133cb9231c338331e3d124.jpg

We talked about temperature and how it could affect the cohesive properties and I just need to do a couple test runs on some sample pieces and it would be good to know what the surface temp would be of the painted aluminum in direct sunlight on say a 90 degree day. He mentioned 180 is where it would start weakening and I don't think it would get anywhere near that with the right color paint.
The complete technical data sheet can be found here
https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media...a-sheet-3mtm-panel-bonding-adhesive-08115.pdf
 
180 would scald you on contact - though I suppose if the boat were sitting in direct summer sun that wouldn't be unattainable.
 
onthewater102 said:
180 would scald you on contact - though I suppose if the boat were sitting in direct summer sun that wouldn't be unattainable.
Yeah I think I am going to give it a shot, will be much less expensive a solution than paying a welder @ $38-$45 a tube. Im going to talk to our body shop supplier this afternoon and see what I can get it for off of him. As a side note after talking to the Body guy that painted my boat they test this stuff using two flat panels glued for 24 hours and then attach each piece to our frame machine and pull them apart. The metal always fails first. Since my build doesn't require doing anything structural I think this may be perfect for me to be able to do at home.
I will probably everything cut and prepped and drilled and hold it all together with Cleco fasteners and see how it works out and let everyone know on my build thread how it turns out.
 
Boy, I am learning a lot of stuff on this thread. First aluminum "glue" from 3M, and now Cleco fasteners????

I looked at a picture of them on Amazon. They look like long rivets to me.

What's the story...please????

richg99
 
richg99 said:
Boy, I am learning a lot of stuff on this thread. First aluminum "glue" from 3M, and now Cleco fasteners????

I looked at a picture of them on Amazon. They look like long rivets to me.

What's the story...please????

richg99
Our body shop guys use the cleco fasteners to hold panels in place for various reasons. I'd guess to spot weld or even see how they fit before final assembly. It's a spring loaded locking pin that you stick in the hole and it locks into it and holds it in place. Would be good for lining up drilled holes for pop riveting also I imagine. I have went up there before and they have had 30-40 of them holding a panel on a vehicle
14f28d084b21e4532ebb0a143036d13d.jpg

I'm locked and loaded for bear at $38.50 delivered !
 
1 tube , maybe 2 at the most will do everything I need , got quoted $250 to weld my front bow panels up, so I'm hoping to save $211.50 or $173 if I use 2. I may6 have misunderstood them up there but I thought they said 1 tube will glue 2 truck bed sides on a standard size pickup.
Another thing to consider is I didn't have to purchase the dispenser gun for it. It would have cost me $60
 
Awesome investigating. This has more work time listed than I initially thought. It appears that letting it cure for 7 days at ambient temps makes for the strongest bond. Please keep us updated within your build thread since I'm subscribed lol.
 
richg99 said:
Boy, I am learning a lot of stuff on this thread. First aluminum "glue" from 3M, and now Cleco fasteners????

I looked at a picture of them on Amazon. They look like long rivets to me.

What's the story...please????

richg99
Rich, if you've ever watched any video of vintage aircraft restoration or even new aircraft skin repairs, you've probably seen cleco fasteners in use. They are similar in size to a cigarette. They have a 2 or 3 piece split shaft that fits into a rivet hole and are used to temporarily hold the two or more pieces of metal together firmly while the next hole is drilled or lined up if reinstalling a piece of metal. Keeps everything lined up good so that once you get all your holes drilled, they will all line up at the same time and all of your rivets will now fit as you remove the fastener one at a time and install a rivet in it's place as you remove them. It takes a special made tool that resembles a pair of pliers to install and remove them. Search for aircraft skin repair pics and you'll see them in use.

Edit: I should add that they not only keep the holes lined up, but because of the internal spring, they also work to pull the layers of metal together once the fastener has been installed. The combined strength of all the springs working together will surprise most people at how well they can pull the layers of metal together. I got my first exposure to them while in the military but my body shop buddy uses them some times.
 
Bigwrench,

I am curious about how this is going to play out. I may have some ideas, that I can use this stuff with. Please report back to us with some real world results. Thanks.
 

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