Repairing pot Metal

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About the photo

This photo is of the completed Pot Metal repair of a 34 Nash Lafayette Grille. It had been backed into while at a car show and broke off the lower left section of the grille.

Read the full post on this pot metal repair

Repairing Pot Metal.

Pot metal repair is an art that many say can’t be done. However, there are just as many who claim they can, but when put to the test fail miserably. And then there are those who try their luck at welding pot metal. These repair attempts always wind up looking nothing like the original part. Pot metal welding is no joke. It takes time and talent to achieve any kind of real, satisfactory results not to mention having the talent to return it’s original shape and strength…

That said, let’s take a closer look at these pot metal repair options and then ask your self which would best suit your needs?

Repairing Pot Metal with Epoxy.

This method has been around for a long time and is the simplest means of repairing pot metal. Although it works for some parts, not so much for others. You see, epoxy is a two part polymer adhesive that works very well on lighter porous materials such as wood and the like… It creates a rigid bond once it has had time to cure – it can produce a very strong bond, however, attempting to use epoxy on a material such as pot metal, especially on parts that are subject to vibration and mechanical pressure, such as a grille, handle or mirror like this ’58 Edsel rear view mirror? You’re almost guaranteed a 100% failure. Here’s a page that talks about someone attempting to repair pot metal using epoxy: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/ultimate-epoxy-for-pot-metal.148113/ However, if your pot metal parts are ornamental, by all means give JB Weld a try, but doing so will only increase the cost of a permanent repair.

Read the full post on this '58 Edsel Mirror

About the photo

This Antique Ansonia AAAAN Swinging clock was broken in three pieces – at the waste and the supporting arm.

Read the full post on this Spelter swinging clock

Repairing Pot Metal with Low-temp Flux & Solder.

This method of pot metal repair has been around for quite a while and is one of the more user friendly ways of repairing pot metal. It can be done by using a traditional propane torch, double-cut file, wire brush and one of the leading brands of soft solder and flux. And if done properly you can get a pretty good repair; as so it would seem… There are many “how to” YouTube videos showing how easy it is to do, funny thing is none of them allow comments on any of the videos. One can only imagine why comments are not allowed…??

The cost. Some soft solder kits are really over-priced for the average, person with no experience. Before you can perform a soft solder repair on a part you plan to have re-chromed, you must have the local chrome shop strip the existing chrome off the part. Otherwise if this is not done, the process of removing the old plating will cause the solder will come apart costing you more time or money.

And finally the major problem with pot metal solder repairs. For some reason after the part(s) have been plated many platters have experienced issues with the solder melting under the fresh plating from the heat caused by the polishing process. 90% of the time the new plating tends to develop bubbles around the repair. When this occurs, the shop must strip the new plating down to the base metal re-cleaning etc. for a second attempt. This has been confirmed by numerous chrome shops who’ve attempted to use soft solder for repairing pot metal.

However, if you plan to paint, then solder may be the way to go if it’s a decorative part not subject to any vibration??

Repairing Pot Metal with Copper Plating & Conventional Solder.

Like flux & solder repairs directly to pot metal, this method still utilizes acid bath copper then conventional solder as a means of gluing the metal together. Here’s the difference. Again the pot metal parts must be stripped then the broken pieces are plated with strike copper. This is done for solder (glue) adhesion. Even though this method is superior to soft soldering directly to the pot metal, the parts must still be stripped, pits, scratches and or cracks, must be grind’d and cleaned for the strike copper plating. This type of repair is still very susceptible to stress and vibration. for example, a solder repair done on a part such as this ’37 Buick RoadMaster grille would not last week with either of the two methods above. The only way to repair a grille would be to weld making the parts into a whole piece again.

ask James about copper/solder process

About this photo

This photo illustrates pot metal molding pre-plated with copper. This allows the soft low-temp solder to bond to the molding filling imperfections. Or in the case of this illustration, extending the length of the molding. This type of repair is very common with chrome shops. Read full article here.

Brazing Pot Metal? Hmmm…?

The other day I was researching what others are searching for in Google, Bing, Duck Duck Go etc. I came across someone asking about brazing pot metal. Well, to make a long story short, I recently thought that pot metal couldn’t be brazed, but recently I came across a situation where this pot metal project I was working on would not weld due to the level of casting contamination. – It wouldn’t melt. All it would do is burn. This happens when there is too much corrosion(rotten or dead material) in the metal…

To solve this problem, I used a small torch and heated the the filler rod and the part and rubbed it with the filler rod until the rod would flow onto the base metal before it started to burn. It worked out, but not the perferred mothed by any means. Nevertheless it was much stronger than soldering.

About this photo

This is a pot metal hood ornament for a 1954 Chrysler sedan. The mounting boss was broken off leaving a hole in the topside of the molding.

Read full post on this '54 Chrysler hood ornament

Repairing Pot Metal by Welding

This is a subject that not only a few believe, but can actually achieve. However the quality of their achievement is the question… 99.9% of individuals who can successfully get the job done are gas welding it with a jewelers torch. But there’s a couple of problems that keeps this method from being an ideal process for welding pot metal. Pot metal has two inherent problems. The first is it’s a very dirty metal. This is apparent when it starts to melt. The second, much like aluminum it oxidizes really quick about 10 times faster! This only adds to it’s volatility. If that’s not enough throw it’s heat sensitivity into the mix and you’ve got your hands full! Pot metal is a beast that most won’t even bother with.

The good news is, with good understanding and the right equipment one can successfully weld pot metal like a surgeon! Unfortunately to my knowledge there is only one piece of equipment in existence and only one who understands how to use it….
Long story short, Pot metal can be easily welded and is far more cost effective and is a permanent solution that doesn’t have any of the draw-backs previously mentioned with the other repairs. With welding pot metal, once the weld beads are smoothed down, it can go straight to stripping, copper, nickel and finally chrome. Your chrome shop will love you for it. Guaranteed!

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