Adhesive for Stainless Steel

[Dale Genther]

I have two 1/8 in 304 SS plates I need to attach together. For various reason I can't bolt or weld them. They are each about 4 in X 6 in. I will be overlapping them about 3 inches, so I have a pretty good amount of gluing surface. They will not under a huge amount of stress, I'd guess about 100 Ft. lbs in shear. Would something like 5200 work or is there anything else better?

[pipefitter]

You might check here http://www.devcon.com/devconcatsolution.cfm?catid=37

[JimConlin]

Bolts?

[Cuyahoga Chuck]

Can you solder them? A lot of glues suffer elongation if they are subjected to a powerful shear load for a long period. Solder won't. But, soldering stainless is not everyone's cup of tea.

[Bill Lowe]

Methacrylate adhesives such as Plexus, Devcon, and others.

[Pericles]

Try a marine epoxy resin adhesive.

Introduction.

WEST SYSTEM epoxy is a high quality, two part epoxy which is manufactured by Wessex Resins and Adhesives Limited under license from Gougeon Brothers Inc., USA. It is used to bond fibreglass, wood, metal, fabrics and other composite materials and is easily modified for a wide range of coating and adhesive applications. It is ideal for construction and repair work in the marine industry where high-strength, superior moisture resistance and reliability are essential.




Pericles

[donald branscom]

Glue will not work. Unless they are decrotive.

You can drill tap and thread screws, Or you could rivet them with stainless1/8 pop rivets.

You can silver solder stainless steel 43,000 psi. approx.

[Tylerdurden]

http://www.huntsman.com/advanced_materials/

Check out adhesives. I use a couple of their products for metal bonding.

[Tylerdurden]

Glue will not work. Unless they are decrotive.

You can drill tap and thread screws, Or you could rivet them with stainless1/8 pop rivets.

You can silver solder stainless steel 43,000 psi. approx.


Donald, I beg to differ. If you look up at around 37k feet you will see metal adhesives at work. I have been using an adhesive on aluminum that gives more power than a weld can on applications were I cannot weld. Stuff is expensive but works wonders.
So far in eight years no glue joints have failed but some welds have.

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

Elise (http://www.sandsmuseum.com/cars/elise/information/technical/asauto.html)

[ssor]

5200 doesn't work well on stainless. Heliarc welding would only be precluded if the heat would put surrounding material at risk.

[gary porter]

There is a product called PC7 which is a two part epoxy.. Claims to glue anything to anything and I have to admit it seems to work quite well.
Driven rivets would be my choice but the epoxy would probably work.
Never tried silver soldering stainless but hey if it works that would be a very good choice as well. Check out the PC7 at ACE hardware stores and such , its a good thing to have around.
Gary

[Stiletto]

With the talk of soldering, it reminded me of 'sweating' which is essentially tinning with solder the two surfaces to be joined , and then putting them together and adding heat until both lots of solder melt and fuse together.

[donald branscom]

Donald, I beg to differ. If you look up at around 37k feet you will see metal adhesives at work. I have been using an adhesive on aluminum that gives more power than a weld can on applications were I cannot weld. Stuff is expensive but works wonders.
So far in eight years no glue joints have failed but some welds have.

I agree with you completely. But not with stainless. Aluminum yes.
Aluminum glues very well.

HERE IS MY REAL CONCERN:
I cannot see what he is talking about. If it is stainless steel 1/8 inch thick I would not think it is decrotive, and that means it may have a workload on it, How great is that workload? That is the question.

I worked on aircraft and aircraft engines for many years and was friends with many other aircraft workers, I have never seen 1/8 inch stainless glued together.

Thinner stainless would work (thinner than 1/32 inch.
There is stainless steel tape. It works but the stainless has to be almost as thin as the tape.

You are right that there may be a glue out there but the price would be high.
I have bought a glue that will glue TEFLON onto any surface and can be used underwater in salt water. BUT it cost $40 per ounce and when you took the lid off it smelled dangerous. It actually started to give off some smoke with contact to the air. Anahydrous.

I used it to glue teflon blocks inside of a centerboard case made out of steel. The boat was in salt water. After a couple years of haulouts they were still good.

[Tylerdurden]

Just as a goof, I seam glued two dish tables together. 18ga. stainless.
it was a butt seam with an 2" wide backing plate. I did sandblast the area to be glued and then applied Aradite . One must work fast as the working time is in the ten to 40 second range. They are in a shop in Round Lake NY and get used everyday for the past five years. I saw them in February and they are just like the day they were set.
I know sometimes I do goofy crap, but I like to try things out sometimes.

[SV Papillon]

Devcon products or Belzona, used for industrial applications will bond to metal but their cost are pretty high. The cost of the goops that will reliably bond the metal together may negate the simplicity of gluing and make mechanical fastning the route to take even if it involves a little more work.

Jake