Brazing aluminum strip

What type of filler rod shoud I use to braze 1/2" x .025" 5154 aluminum strip to anouther piece 5154 strip?

Hello again Dennis,

Just for our understanding, are you actually in the wire and cable industry?

Likewise would you please tell us the application and the minimum and maximum dimensions of the strip, including the thickness.

Have you ever discussed your special alloy technical issues with the folks at The Aluminum Association or bought any of the technical books they sell? www.aluminum.org/

Thank you.

Regards
Peter J. Stewart-Hay
Principal
Stewart-Hay Associates
www.Stewart-Hay.com
519 641- 3212

Yes I am

A production worker asked me this question and no one had known which alloy the brazing rod they had been using. The new rod they had gotten was not working very well for them and I thought someone may know off hand which would work the best. The strip is used to make the armour on armoured cable.

I see this forum is not a very friendly place to ask a question, Good bye.

Hello Again Dennis,

Well your response is quite a surprise to me. It certainly wasn't our intent to be unfriendly.

We noticed by your IP number that you were from Canada (Where I am from.) and we are well aware of all the wire and cable plants that have closed their doors in the past 30 years (I think that is now twenty at last count.). Thus wire and cable people are getting pretty scarce in Canada and I was interested. Moreover you have asked two questions here. One dealing with annealing 8000 aluminum alloy which we seemed to answer to your apparent satisfaction ( www.wirenet.org/forum/viewmessages.cfm?Forum=12&Topic=818 ) and this one dealing with 5154 aluminum alloy which, as a high magnesium content alloy is more difficult to braze because it is quite hard to wet. These are both special alloys and there certainly was no harm in asking you if indeed you were in the wire and cable industry.

We do not have a direct answer for you this time but we did give you some good advice. The Aluminum Association does sell "The Aluminum Brazing Handbook" at a price of US $50.00, you can find it at above link. We think you should have that book in your plant technical library.

There are also a few other places you can look for an answer.
- The first is your Purchasing Department which should have clear records on the (approved) brazing filler rod your plant previously purchased.
- The second is your plant formal process engineering instructions for brazing the armor ends together issued by your Process Engineering Group. It should reference the correct brazing filler rod. (Generally an appended ISO Document.)
- The third is your formal "Approved Material Sheets" issued by your Product Engineering Group. They should reference the correct brazing filler rod. (Generally an appended ISO Document)
- The fourth is to contact the supplier and ask them what brazing filler rod they previously supplied.
- The fifth is to ask the armoring machine manufacturer what they recommend as the appropriate brazing filler rod.
Then a quick bit of experimentation and you are finished.

Regards
Peter J. Stewart-Hay
Principal
Stewart-Hay Associates
www.Stewart-Hay.com
519 641- 3212