Printable View
have a stress crack in the back of my livewell that is about 6 inches long. it is in the weld that was put there to form the livewell when it was new[1985]. was thinking of trying jb weld on it but haven't had to much sucess useing it on my buisness equpiment because it flexes. has anyone tried it on their aluminum boats?
I think I would try urethane caulk before I would use that. I think it would work better for you, or check on 3m's 5200 caulk. There are alot of people using it for salt water use on their jack plates instead of silicone caulk.
I have used it to seal cracks in fiberglass, steel and aluminum. I even repaired a leaking crack on a hydrolic fluid tank of a log splitter. I prefer the JB Weld putty stick. Green on the outside and white on the inside. Cut off a piece, need it between your fingers till it becomes one color and fill in the crack. It dries very quickly so fill it fast. Make sure the surface is clean (absolutely no grease or oil) and rough up the surface with a grinder. When sealing a live well, I put it on the inside and the outside of the cracked tank. I find it to be amazing stuff. Good luck.
^ What he said to a T.Quote:
Originally Posted by RIVER HAWK
was told that if it failed or did not work that the repair would be more because it would have to be removed[the jb weld]. I was also told that to weld aluminum it needs to be warm for the weld to take. If I had to wait on that I will be fishing in may the way things are right now. Any welders out there that can tell me if that is so?
I would for sure take River Hawk's adviceQuote:
Originally Posted by RIVER HAWK
Im a welder and have been for 23 years. It doesnt have to be warm to weld alum.But I will try that line next time I have to weld and it snowing.lol Alum has to be clean,dry and out of the wind to be welded. The weld probably failed due to vibration the first time.Was probably weld on the outside corner only because if you weld the inside of a corner joint it will warp some due to heat.I use a product use sonicweld which is available at most partstores.The good rtv will work also. I would use Jb weld due to the vibration cause jbweld doesnt flex too well. If it was mine I would and it was hard to get the livewell out or hard to find a welder I would use the rtv or sonicweld and try it.Heck if it dont work you will have to pull the livewell anyway.Be sure to clean all paint and scuff the area.Spray with ether it is a good cleaner. Watch for sparks.Maybe this will help.
Don't know about jb weld, but I had a rivet knocked out on the bottom of my bass tracker. I bought a product called Marine Tex and placed over the hole. That was three years ago and it has yet to leak.
that is the problem. the livewell is rivited in and I only have one shot to do it right or I will have to drill out the rivits and pull it. the back of the liviewell is hard to get to without pulling off the back deck which I may have to do anyway so it can be welded. Thanks for everyones input.Quote:
Originally Posted by trashtrout
where are you located?
dawsonville ga.Quote:
Originally Posted by trashtrout
For what it is worth, I knocked a hole in an aluminum boat running the river one time. I took a piece of aluminum and JB Welded it over the hole and it was still holding up 5 years later when I sold the boat.
The only time the JB Weld putty did not work was when I tried to repair a split brass propane pipe while under pressure and it was raining. Make sure both sides of the repair a clean, dry and the surface is a little rough ( use and electric grinder or dremel tool). If you can press the putty into both sides of the crack until it meets in the middle combining the JB Weld into one solid repair, I really think you will be amazed. This repair will cost you less than $5 and can be completed in less than an hour. Hell I am a welder (mild steel and stainless only), but many times breaking down the equipment so it can be welded is more of a pain in the behind than it is worth. If the JB Weld did not work, I would have had to weld it later. Let us know how things work out.
think I will try it this wekend. nothing else to do in the rain besides getting my boat right for when the weather gets better.
JBweld will not hold on a stress crack, unless you can sandwich the JBweld with a thin piece of aluminum. Apply the weld to the crack and press the aluminun strip onto them both till it squirts out all sides. Still a little risky because of the flexing issue...
If you dont care about color then 5200 will fix it permanently, it will flex too, as will Gutter Cement (which is a form of silicone) that is used to bond aluminum gutter seams together and is water-proof, it comes in multiple colors and found at Ace Hardware...
In your case i would recomend the Gutter Cement because it can be color matched and is nearly unseen to most who will ride with you in the future...
I am a retired mechanic with the city of savannah, I bought a new air impact wrench one time and put too much teflon tape on the air nipple that screws into the handle and the handle of the gun cracked up both sides and of course air was gushing out both sides. I repaired it with jb weld and used that impact gun for years and finaly traded it in for a new one and it still was not leaking. that is good stuff. but for what it is worth I think the advice that Joe gave you was the best shot because of the flexing . Jimmy S.:)
Thanks Jimmy:)
talked to two different people[welders] today and they both were different. one wanted me to drill out the riviots and bring the well to him and the other said he could do it but it may take a while. They both agreed that if jb weld didn't work that it would be more exspensive fix to grind the weld off. The problem that im haveing is that it is basicly filling by boat with water. the other thing is that there is no support under the livewell[ about 1/3 of a inch] so I need to brace it with something[the underside] to keep the weight of the water from pulling down on the bottom of the well. That is why I was shying away from jb weld because like I said eailer I've tried to use it on my equipment at work and it would not hold because it flexed.
Have you considered filling the void area with sealant. Gutter cement comes in a caulk tube and can be shot in thru a hole, even if the hole has to be drilled. With such a small gap, i think it would adhere the two surfaces together making a stronger livewell. Good luck at trying to seperate them later.:D
acman, how does it do in cold weather. I read the directions on the back of jb today at home depot and it said that cold weather could compremise the weld.
I once took some JB Weld to a 350 chevy block with a stress crack between #2 and #4 cylinder. To my knowledge, it's still going strong.
Of course, no flexing was involved... but definitely lots of heat.
That stuff works miracles. I wouldn't hesitate to try it on anything in a boat. But be sure to get the fast acting kind.
i have used it on several things . used it in my pontoon . i had a crack i had it welded it still leaked . i used jb weld still leaks . to much flex . think i will have to have a patch welded over it . may just use screws to hold the patch with a epoxey under it . not sure if it is thick enough to hold a screw . it doesen`t leek much after 3 dayes it will have a galon or so of water ;). as long as i don`t have to leave it for a long time it will be ok for now .
One problem about cracks in metal. If you do not take a drill with an 1/8" bit and drill a coupld of holes at the end of the crack, your repairs are likely to fail. I drill two holes a 1/4" apart, starting at the end of the crack. The reason I do 1/4" is that sometimes you can't see the end. This way if it is past the first one, the second should get it. The JB will do a good job. I know of a friend that purchased from BP some alum sticks that with a good butane torch, he was able to fill in the crack.
Good luck
Chuck
i've used jbw on a motorcycle engine block, a car battery, all kinds of stuff. the only thing i put it on that did not work well was on the bottom of an old john boat, i put it around some rivets when we stepped on the inside the whole patch of jbw would crack away from the bottom of the boat. if the bottom of the boat had been totaly stationary i am sure it would have worked. if area is not stable you might want to go with the pliable caulking idea. just my two cents worth.
had a patch put on my pontoon boat tanks . no probablem now . some of the ga. drag racing fan may know Josh MClellon . he has a shop here and did the weld .he builds all kind race car parts . he said it is hard to weld where JB weld has ben used .i would say he is the best i have ever seen .
Hello Slingshot, I have used marine jb weld on my jon boat where the ribbets were loose and it is water tight and works good. I don:t know where you live but if you can"t get it there let me know and I will go to bass pro and get it and send it to you. just let me know. Jimmy S.Quote:
Originally Posted by slingshot