Prop brazing

[Tom Foley]

Has anyone tried to braze repair a berrylium copper prop ? I have a few large nicks in a really nice 1667 I think I can fix but have never done it . Thanks for any replies .

 

[gilbert galli]

octura propellers are easy to solder with brass or silver, you have to make a small ball of solder to then restore the shape,
no solder adheres to the propshop propellers

 

[Terry Keeley]

It brazes nice, the trick i found was to get the temp just right so it flowed well.

Got any pics of the damage?

 

[Steve White]

Silver solder would be my choice and warm the whole prop up before the solder application.

 

[Tom Foley]

It brazes nice, the trick i found was to get the temp just right so it flowed well.

Got any pics of the damage?

I will when I get the props off . If I had to describe it the blades just hit the edge of the rudder when it got flexed to the left in a crash so the blades hit the 90 degree edge of the rudder blade . About a 3/16" X 3 / 16 " notch . It could be shaped easily without changing the prop much .

 

[shoboat]

Tom,

You would be better off with a new blade.
If you have that much damage I would bet
the whole blade has been bent. For $25.00
raw they are not worth repairing in my opinion.

It Just Depends How Much Your Time Is Worth,

Good Luck & Happy Holidays,

Mark Sholund

 

[Wasted wages]

I would also be concerned with the fumes of the beryllium that may leach out during the brazing process...at the least I think you would need very good ventilation and a respirator ??

 

[Tom Foley]

I would also be concerned with the fumes of the beryllium that may leach out during the brazing process...at the least I think you would need very good ventilation and a respirator ??

I have been a welder for close to 40 years so the fumes don't concern.me too much . It would be done in an open area but really not a big deal . If you have ever been in the pits with 6 Twin nitro hydros all running and revving at the same time .....the term fumes is moot.!! Welding galvanized steel pipe brings new meaning to fumes as well lol even though.aluminum welding is really my thing .

 

[Tom Foley]

Tom,

You would be better off with a new blade.
If you have that much damage I would bet
the whole blade has been bent. For $25.00
raw they are not worth repairing in my opinion.

It Just Depends How Much Your Time Is Worth,

Good Luck & Happy Holidays,

Mark Sholund

Mark it is really nice cupped , sharpened and back cut 6.8 - 1667 , part of a set ,so I think its worth some of my time . If we ever put a time clock on our hobby stuff we do for ourselves we would be in trouble

 

[John Beardslee]

I would also be concerned with the fumes of the beryllium that may leach out during the brazing process...at the least I think you would need very good ventilation and a respirator ??

In order to get any dangerous fumes off the BeCu 20 you would have to melt it and super heat it. For solder/brazing you only need to get the base metal to the melting poi of the solder.

 

[Alan Elzer]

Tom
Jim told me you can buy beryllium tig rods fix them. Just reach out to him about where & how. You need very low Amp's & very small tungsten if I remember.

 

[Wasted wages]

Tom, that is some beautiful work !!

I admire people that can weld aluminum and make it look really nice!! I can stick and mig weld, and can even hold my own with an aluminum gun that has been properly setup.

But I'm far from being considered a "welder"...
I've never held a Tig torch or even tried to operate one. But, as far as gas welding and soldering, I've done commercial refrigeration all of my life as well as diesel refers, and have run hundreds if not thousands of miles in copper pipe... Soft solder, silver solder, 45% silver, aluminum soldering...brazing, are all in my wheelhouse. I've built a roll cage or two and done axle work etc. for my rock crawling buddies and I..

I recently had a 30 ft tall liquid reciever tank on a new installation that the manufacturer made a mistake on the elevation of a 3"inlet fitting.
Being as the vessel is certified, the manufacturer sent their own people out to blank off the fitting and cut in a new one at the proper height in the side and then hydrostaticlly recertified the tank.
The welder that did the work was a master...I think he made three passes, and when he was done, it looked like a "stack of nickels" all the way around the fitting. It was flawless...

 

[Tom Foley]

Tom, that is some beautiful work !!

I admire people that can weld aluminum and make it look really nice!! I can stick and mig weld, and can even hold my own with an aluminum gun that has been properly setup.

But I'm far from being considered a "welder"...
I've never held a Tig torch or even tried to operate one. But, as far as gas welding and soldering, I've done commercial refrigeration all of my life as well as diesel refers, and have run hundreds if not thousands of miles in copper pipe... Soft solder, silver solder, 45% silver, aluminum soldering...brazing, are all in my wheelhouse. I've built a roll cage or two and done axle work etc. for my rock crawling buddies and I..

I recently had a 30 ft tall liquid reciever tank on a new installation that the manufacturer made a mistake on the elevation of a 3"inlet fitting.
Being as the vessel is certified, the manufacturer sent their own people out to blank off the fitting and cut in a new one at the proper height in the side and then hydrostaticlly recertified the tank.
The welder that did the work was a master...I think he made three passes, and when he was done, it looked like a "stack of nickels" all the way around the fitting. It was flawless...

Frank there are some really talented people out there for sure . The food grade stainless guys and the pressurized pipe guys are incredible . . A great facebook page is TIG Nation , check it out .

 

[Alan Armstrong]

Silver solder would be my choice and warm the whole prop up before the solder application.

Silvaloy 15 should good also

Has anyone tried to braze repair a berrylium copper prop ? I have a few large nicks in a really nice 1667 I think I can fix but have never done it . Thanks for any replies .

Silver solder, or Silvaloy 15 should work for ya. You can preheat the prop or heat with the torch before actually welding up. Remember to concentrate the heat from the torch around the area you are filling and not too much over the top, you want the heat from the torch to pull silver solder into the the areas being repaired. That's my 2 cents good luck!

 

[don donikowski]

I have been a welder for close to 40 years so the fumes don't concern.me too much . It would be done in an open area but really not a big deal . If you have ever been in the pits with 6 Twin nitro hydros all running and revving at the same time .....the term fumes is moot.!! Welding galvanized steel pipe brings new meaning to fumes as well lol even though.aluminum welding is really my thing .View attachment 297939View attachment 297940

Nice work!

 

[John Beardslee]

Tom
Jim told me you can buy beryllium tig rods fix them. Just reach out to him about where & how. You need very low Amp's & very small tungsten if I remember.

Alan, Jim who?
Thanks John

 

[shoboat]

John,

Alan is talking about Jim Schaefer at ABC Propeller in Columbus, Ohio I believe.
We also have talked about this subject as far as repairs or defect fill ins.
How is the weather at your winter home ? Glad you made the trek safely.

Enjoy Testing,

Mark Sholund

 

[Alan Elzer]

Mark is correct

 

[John Beardslee]

John,

Alan is talking about Jim Schaefer at ABC Propeller in Columbus, Ohio I believe.
We also have talked about this subject as far as repairs or defect fill ins.
How is the weather at your winter home ? Glad you made the trek safely.

Enjoy Testing,

Mark Sholund

Thanks Mark
We had an easy trip down, Thanksgiving day is a great day to drive, very little traffic. Went through Atlanta at 75 mph in the HOV lane, the rest of the traffic was running 80+. Our new place is fine, other than Mother Nature’s growth of weeds that occurs while we’re north in the summer.
For some reason I was thinking Alan was referring to Jim Allen. If TIG rod is available that would be better for Terry to attach his blades on his custom props but to repair a large nick or damaged area in the thin edges of a prop I’d probably opt for a low temp silver solder.
Thanks John

 

[Tom Foley]

Thanks Mark
We had an easy trip down, Thanksgiving day is a great day to drive, very little traffic. Went through Atlanta at 75 mph in the HOV lane, the rest of the traffic was running 80+. Our new place is fine, other than Mother Nature’s growth of weeds that occurs while we’re north in the summer.
For some reason I was thinking Alan was referring to Jim Allen. If TIG rod is available that would be better for Terry to attach his blades on his custom props but to repair a large nick or damaged area in the thin edges of a prop I’d probably opt for a low temp silver solder.
Thanks John

Too thin for tig . My smallest tungsten setup is 1/16" . I will braze it or solder it .