Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Rust out REPAIR idea..

Just thought this up lately, I had seen this used in prototyping a formed metal dome for a cast item. They were using punched metal like speaker grills. It occurred to me that this metal would likely shrink and stretch very easily as the metal always has somewhere to go.

A buddy works in a die shop that stamps metal speaker grills so I got some test material, and yes it is extremely easy to form into compound curves.

So here is the idea; sandbast your skin with the rusted area. cut a piece of the holey metal and form a close fitting patch. Then solder it on the inside, then fill with solder, lead or bondo.

I figure it would work pretty good and put way less heat into the parts. Let me know what you think.

The metal I used was about .040 thick with 1/16 holes..I think the same stuff I have seen on pumps with louvers they put screen on to keeps bugs out.

Sounds a lot better then trying to form up a patch on the english wheel I have. I will try this - might be a big time saver.

I would perfer to Tig the edges into the back of the panel rather then solder. The holes should hold the bondo rather well as it squirts out the back side of the holes giving it something to lock into, might look better to tig down the forming metal with holes, then over tig the back with a solid metal so it looks smooth and hides the bondo where it locks into the back of the screen. This would solve the problem of bondo poping in high stress areas because it has a lock grip almost exactly like plaster/lath or stucko/chicken wire type walls.


Travis E. Towle
Topeka, Kansas

785-357-1004

I think fiberglass would be stronger

Forgot to mention, till about 1930 most id not all Harley and Indian tanks were multi piece held together by solder...

Can you get fibreglass down to 1/8 total thickness?? this method will.

I have used expanded metal before to patch rustouts, got the tip from my brother in law who is a bodyman.
They make several sizes and gauges of expanded metal and make it in stainless too. Some with smaller holes than window screen.
They make perforated metal in all sizes too.

The perforated metal welded or soldered in would be stronger than the expanded metal, I would think.

[This message has been edited by jkyocom (edited 08-19-2007).]