High-Temp Adhesives

[JoelB]

I've purchased an 89A shedplate in 16mm scale to put on the smokebox door of my Accucraft "Earl". I've read (on another forum) about using a slow-cure epoxy such as J-B Weld (available in North America) or Araldite (in the UK) for high-temperature applications. Has anyone on the forum had experience with fixing builders' plates or shed plates on a live steam engine with adhesives, or is it safer/smarter to find some kind of mechanical means?

Thanks.

 

[Rhos Helyg Loco Works]

Araldite Rapid (2 pack epoxy) works for me, even on smokeboxes.

 

[C&S]

No experience with hot bonding, but it sounds like a job for Chemical Metal, a 2-part adhesive that sticks most types of surface together and I'm pretty sure is OK is hot conditions as they suggest motor repairs as one of its functions in the information sheet. Should be available at car-repair/spares shops or good ironmongers/builders' merchants.

 

[New Haven Neil]

JB weld is available here on Fraggle Rock, so it should be in the UK no problem! It's fine for high temperatures and VERY strong, I stuck the magnets back in a starter motor with it.....a full size one! Iit is an epoxy/metal sort of thing, like bellmetal or devcon used to be, back when small green furry things were REAL small green furry things.

 

[LTfan]

One of the magazines a while back had a cautionary tale.
Chap stuck both the new nameplates on the side-tanks, put loco on shelf overnight - in the morning he found the plates had slid down the tank-sides before the adhesive cured.

David

 

[stevedenver]

i too have used jb weld several tiomes-including repairing cracked cheap pot metal and white metal, eye glasses,plastics etc

its a two part epoxy 

and.............!!!!!!! i used it for re-attaching the builders plate to my roundhouse SRRL 24-it is great for high temp adhesion (Roundhose paints the boiler with gloos black paint and then glue on the plate-what happens is under the (in-) appropriate conditions the paint and undercoat primer lets loose from the brass and off comes the plate

it is a medium grey goop and doesnt tend to run 0but as mentioned parts must be unmoved for a couple of hours (at least) to allow it to begin to harden

this stuff is almost as good as duct tape for its ability to repair things that you didnt think could be repaired-they advertise it as 'liquid steel' and this is actually pretty accurate in that it can actually be drilled


its very strong, very slow curing, and needs a roughed up surface like most adhesives for maximum adhesion............little dab will do you

 

[JoelB]

Many thanks to everyone for their helpful hints and tips. Seems the consensus is J-B Weld, at least for those of us on the west side of the pond. Point well taken about glued-on bits migrating overnight, perhaps I can stand the engine on its tail while the epoxy sets...