Adhere Aluminum sheeting to 16Ga. steel.

countryguy

countryguy

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Hi everyone,
My kid and I are trying to adhere some aluminum trim sheet as the backing for a plasma cut sign. A neighbor asked him to make a small tombstone marker type sign for a dog that passed.

So the open steel sign is 16ga. Looks really nice. Say 18" by 22" He wanted to put on a white aluminum backing to the back of the steel sign to make it 'pop'. And it does! Now to adhere it! We've tried JB Weld, Locktite weld, caulk, and anything I had around the house. Nothing really puts down a good bond! I noted he may need to just cut backing from #18 or #20ga and just spot weld it if the Aluminum wont stick wtih anything.

any thoughts? I'm told there is an epoxy for everything? Ohhh (on edit) Could he braze the Aluminum? We are thinking of that for either the aluminum backing or the thin steel backing too.

all the best -
CG.
 
I would use Gorilla double stick tape, then clear coat the whole sign to seal it. Warming it up to 80F or so and some pressure will help the bond. Another option might be pop-rivets, or a combination of both.
 
Yes epoxy is the way to go. Automotive panel adhesive would seem like the best choice, and easiest to dispense as it mixes the 2 components as you push it thru the special 2 component caulk gun- you can get that stuff at any place that sells professional automotive paint ad body work supplies. Amazon probably sells it too.

The next choice for me would be epoxy that comes in large bottles. Home depot sells it and it comes with 2 bottle of about 4-6 ounces each. The one I have sets in 5 minutes, which might not be enough time for your project. I'm not sure if they sell a slower one.

Another choice would be 3M VHB tape. Its made for this type of application but might be hard to find. Automotive stores also sell a version of it for sticking body side moldings and automotive trim to a car. This stuff works really well. Just make sure that you squeeze the whole assembly together for a couple of hours for maximum effectiveness. Sandwich it betweem 2 pices of plywood and and weigh it down evenly with as much weight as you can find. Once stuck, You'll never get it apart!

Edit: I never tried the Gorilla tape. If it's good for exterior exposure, that'll probably work well too.
 
Is the steel galvanized? If so you will have a hard time getting anything to stay stuck to it.
 
Quick update-
John, Not Galv. I agree... Nothing but a tongue when freezing likes to stick to Galv. Hey, I did 5 test strips yesterday. 3M Super 77 seems like it'll be a good candidate. Putting it into the Freezer for the night. That seems to have stuck really well to our surprise. It goes on like thin oil.

So Here's what I told him today - If you are going to make some signs and expect it to remain outside, take extreme temp swings, then you'd better research brazing and spot welding for this. (pending what we find product-wise here) I told him to call up an adhesive vendor and ask them. They love to talk about their product for applications. It would be good practice for our Engineer to be! :)
 
Thanks Jim! We're onto a lead here. I think in the end I'll tell him to hit the websites and I think I should order some 20ga. sheeting for him. Then he could braze or spot weld it I would think. The aluminum dents too easy as well. I think we'll get some steel in the mix too. for now, the 3M 77Super test is in the freezer! :)
 
I don't think you are going to braze aluminum. Spot welding aluminum to steel might be a bit of a problem also, I don't think it's possible. Somebody please correct me here if I'm wrong.
 
PL-200. Used for gluing paneling to pretty much anything. Sticks to aluminum and steel. It stays kind of flexible so if parts expand, like metals do, the glue won't crack.
 
5200 Marine adhesive by 3M. I use it on boats all the time and have never had a failure. A little goes a long way.Be sure to clean your hands and tools before it sets up or you will have "Wear" it off.
***************Just Saying *********************************Gator*********
 
Couple of things here. No I have neverheared of anyone welding steel to AL. secondif gluing besure to rough up both parts and clean them well. Also remember that the two metals will shrink and grow at different rates from the temp. changes if this is going outside. this means however you join them will needto be flexable. Also if outside corrosion is a big factor when putting AL. with steel. A process called Electralesis (sure I miss speld that) will will happen between the two metals and spedd up the corrosion. Have you considered SS It can be welded to steel. Mark
 
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