On Fri, 11 Nov 2005 22:51:24 -0000, John McCoy
wrote:

I have an aluminum casting which has broken. Does anyone have any
experiences or recommendations on the likelyhood of success, glueing
it back together with epoxy? I have West System on hand, and can
fairly easily get other products (e.g. Aluminax). Any tips,
techniques, or pitfalls I should be aware of?

thanks,

John

If the casting is ornamental, there is no reason why an epoxy glueup
would not work for you.
But if the casting takes a knock, or sustains any load at all really,
you should be wary.

Think about the numbers:
epoxy 2 part glue - tensile 2500 to 5000 lb/sq in
Aluminum alloy casting 10 - 30 thousand psi

If the casting in question has fairly thick wallls - say 1/2 inch or
more - but not more than 1 inch thick at the break - and you don't
need to maintain an anodized colored surface, you should tote it to a
weld shop with aluminum MIG or TIG expertise.

Brian Whatcott Altus OK