Fixing screw holes....best practice?

[Jfenny]

So picked off the caulking the previous owner had gooped on and found this gem. Just wondering what the suggested practice would be on filling these holes after I pull the screws and remove the bondo? I haven't tried brazing before but wouldn't mind giving it a shot. What do you more experienced guys suggest?

 

[maintenanceguy]

I used to be a big believer in aluminum brazing rod. I've fixed a lot of stuff with it and it's not that hard to use.

But then it happened: I was brazing a small crack in my aluminum boat. Unlike steel, aluminum doesn't go through any sort of color change as it gets hotter. You have to be careful to get the brazing rod hot enough to melt, the aluminum hull hot enough for the melted brazing rod to flow, but not hot enough to melt the hull. And it's all a guessing game because the aluminum hull doesn't give any indication of its temperature. I got the hull too hot and a quarter sized hole turned to liquid and fell from the boat. My tiny 1/4" crack became a huge hole.

I was able to get it patched up and all is good but it was a lot of unnecessary work . I don't think I'll use al. brazing rod again.

The right way to do this is to have someone tig weld it. Quick ,easy job for someone who knows what they're doing. Most of the work is in cleaning the metal before welding and you can do that part with some emery paper and elbow grease.

 

[Weldorthemagnificent]

There are several different fixes here depending on expectations. The premium number one is having it Tig welded. A good welder can have that fixed up in no time and slick it off with a blending disc. Second would be the brazing rods which work mint but like welding, it is a skill. I'm a welder by trade and I have had success with the brazing rods but if I screw it up, I can fix it with the welding machine.
A good budget fix that anyone can do is JB Weld Steelstik. I have used this even though I'm a welder and it goes against my being, lol. I've had really good luck with this stuff and it holds up. I made a thread here a while back about budget fixes when I filled my old transducer holes with it. Make the aluminum clean down to bare with sandpaper, wire wheel, nyalox wheel or whatever you have, the important part is clean bare aluminum. Cut a chunk of Steelstik and knead it until it's a uniform color. Mash it into the holes and on both sides of the repair area. Smooth it out and walk away. After it cures it can be sanded and painted if desired or just left bare.

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[Weldorthemagnificent]

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[Jfenny]

Thanks guys, you've convinced me, I think I'll bring it to my local welder. Do it once, do it right. I'll see if I can come up with a couple other small things for him to do to make it a worthwhile trip.

I knew the JB weld would work and if it was just a temporary fix, or in an out of the way spot, I'd probably do that but since this area isn't going to be painted I think I'll have a proper weld done on it. Save me trying to Braze it and possibly make things worse. I'll do some practice brazing on a different project or on a couple of the interior bench holes that if I screw up, aren't an issue. I'd prefer not to do my first brazing job on all that, near the seam, below the waterline!

I appreciate the feedback guys.

 

[Ronbedard57]

Hi,
If that mess is below the water line, and appearances aren't a huge issue, I would consider riveting a small plate over the whole area with a gasket sandwiched between. That would afford a clean area for mounting a new device if you wished.
Could be done cheaply and would look OK as well.
Ron

 

[Kismet]

Aww mannnn! Just plain ole sexy, that is.

 

[nytebyte]

I had a boat with that problem. Seemed the previous owner couldn't decide where to mount the transducer. I just took a piece of cutting board type material and placed it over the holes and used loctite marine between the boat and cutting board and used some short screws from the inside of the boat threw the already there holes to suck it in. I was able to mount the new transducer to the plastic board without new holes.