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I am an artist, using found metal to create sculptures. I use everything from knives and forks to nuts and bolts, and lots of metal kitchen utencils. I am not able to weld, as I live in an apartment, and the items I am using are usually very small. In the past I have used two part epoxy, crazy glue, liquid cement, model glue and some kind of glue I got from an automotive store. After a maximum of a year, they all have fallen apart. Which after hundreds of hours of hard labour, is quite depressing. Can anyone suggest something that might actually work?
Your problem arises from differences in the coefficient of thermal expansion for the materials you are joining and for the adhesive. What is happening is the temperature of your artwork changes through the day and through the seasons. With a change in temperature, the metal in your artwork expands and contracts much more readily than the adhesives you are using. This creates a shear stress on the joint and, over time, the joint fails.
To minimize this, keep the artwork in a controlled environment and out of direct sunlight.
I know of one product you might want to try: Gorilla Glue. You can find it in the paint sectionof your local Lowe's Home Improvement Center (among other places). This product foams and will fill some of the voids in your joint. Gorilla Glue purports to bond wood, stone, metal,ceramics, and more. Ultimately, I think that it will also succumb to theshear forces created by differing rates of thermal expansion. Alsonote that you will have to be quite creative infabricating fixtures to clamp your pieces stably for the required fourhours.
There are a couple of ways I can think of to overcome this problem:
1) You can try to match the thermal coefficient of expansion of metal and adhesive. It is difficult to find all of the pertinent data, but you can get a rough idea of what might work by looking through Chemical Rubber Company's (CRC) Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Always, experience is the best guide, so I would encourage you to seek out those who make crafts similar to yours at art shows, at street festivals, and online. Ask them what they have found that works.
2) You can use a flexible compound such as silicone adhesive. This will largely withstand the shear forces and should hold if the metals surfaces to be joined are super clean and also oil free.
3) You can learn to solder. This method may be appropriate for some of your materials, but not all.
I have found one two-part epoxey that is perfect for your use. It is called JB Weld, and comes in formulations for steel and plastic. It works VERY well. I have used it to mend a crock pot, a tractor block and dozens of other items. Get some and try it. You'll be pleased. Make sure that the parts that you intend to join together are lightly sanded to give the epoxy more surface area to adhere to, and clean them free of any oils, waxes or dirt.
Best regards, --W/D--
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These type of "beauty covers" typically have a small allen screw around the circumference of the cap somewhere that tightens against one of the flats of the nut. If no allen screw is found it could be held in place by a silicone glue. Try prying CAREFULLY as not to damage the cap. the actual nut is located under this cap.
The glue might not work because glue can melt and since it is close to your vacuum motor that creates heat causing it to melt so I personally would just go buy a new one they are like 20$ but if you want to keep on trying glue I think super glue would be your best gues
I had the same problem. I bought this scooter for my daughter at a flea market and the rear axle was gone, someone had tried to fix it with a bolt, but it was very unstable. Here is what I did and it has seemed to work well. This will cost you less that 10.00 at your nearest home improvement store.
You will need
1x - 5/16 x 8 hex bolt
1x - 5/16 nut
4x - 5/16 x 1 1/4 flat washers
2x - 1 1/4 hard rubber stoppers
1x - 3/8 drill bit & drill
1x - gorilla glue or lock tight
Ok... before we start let me tell you what all this is for and how it works. The way I assembled this was, hex bolt, 1 washer, wheel for scooter, 1 washer, 1 rubber stopper (Insert this into the metal tube on the back of the scooter, so that on the other side you will just have a bolt sticking thru) now, 1x rubber stopper, 1x washer, other scooter wheel, 1x washer, hex nut.
The rubber stoppers are the hardest part and the reason for them is to keep the bolt going thru the middle of the axle tube. This will help to eliminate the scooter from wobbling.
Now, if you have read this far here is how we did it in order.
1. Take both rubber stoppers and trim them with a kitchen knife so that they will fit into the metal tube on the back of the scooter securely. (do not push them all the way in yet)
2. Drill a hole thru the middle of both trimmed rubber stoppers with the drill and bit
3. Take your hex bolt and slide a washer on
4. Slide your 1st wheel on
5. Slide on a 2nd washer
6. push on the trimmed rubber stopper to where it meets the washer. (The wheel should be able to still spin pretty freely, If you think it is to tight just pull the rubber stopper up a bit)
7. Take this assembly and push it into one side of the metal tube on the back of the scooter (you want the rubber stopper to be and flush with the edge of the metal tube and you can)
8. Your hex bolt will be stick out of the other end of the tube, slide on the last rubber stopper try and work it into the tube as best you can.
9. slide on 3rd washer
10. Slide on last wheel
*At this point I put the scooter on its side and pushed down on the wheel to force the stopper into the tube
11. slide on 4th washer
12. screw on nut
*Now I found that if you put the nut on to tight the wheels would not turn, but if you left it loose it would fall off.
13. To fix the above issue we put some gorilla glue on the bolt threads and screwed the nut on, we would spin the back wheels until we were happy with the amount of tension on the wheel. We then put some more glue on the top of the nut to help hold it in place.
14. Let the glue dry
Thats how I fixed my daughters scooter. I am in NO WAY a professional or expert at this stuff. Just a dad trying to make his baby happy. Hope this works for you!
You haven't given me much to go on, but a common problem is to mis-identify where to tighten. There is a large nut (about 1-1/4 inch) that is the locking nut for the headset (which is where the bearings are that allow the fork to turn and steer the bike). This large nut does not tighten the handlebars. Rather, there is a long bolt that travels straight down through the handlebar stem. The handlebar stem is the bar that clamps to the middle of the handlebars and extends vertically down into the headset. At the bottom of the bolt (where you cannot see it) there is a wedge shaped nut. When you tighten this bolt the wedge nut jams itself inside the tube which is the top of the forks inside the headset, thereby locking the handlebar stem to the the forks. The head of the bolt you need to tighten can have a variety of shapes - could be an ordinary hex head, or it may require an Allen wrench (hex key). There are lots of different styles, but if you Google images of "handlebar stem" you will get the idea.
good luck.
Al K
Front axle nut = 50-50 ft. lbs.
Front axle pinch bolt and nut = 21-27 ft. lbs.
Front brake caliper mounting bolts = 25-30 ft. lbs.
Handlebar clamp bolts = 12-15 ft. lbs.
Front Fork
Upper bracket pinch bolts = 30-35 ft. lbs.
Lower bracket pinch bolts = 30-35 ft. lbs.
Fork stem pinch bolt = 30-35 ft. lbs.
Front fender fasteners = 9-13 ft. lbs.
I was told by many people it was a hard job. I didn't think so.
What you need is: New Seals. 8mm Allen Key. Half Inch Stocket bar AND Extender. Extra Fine Sand Paper/Polishing Device. Fork Oil + Measuring Jug. Threaded Bar with a Two 19mm Nuts Locked to each other on one end. Spanners. Screw Drivers.
How to do:
First Get the Front end off the Ground (ALOT, Center Stand on Bricks for extra height.)
Remove Front Wheel and Brake Calipers.
Open Drain Philips Screw on Base of Fork (Both Sides). Dont Lose Rubber washer under screw. Watch Out Also for Oil Being under Pressure.
Remove Nut from TOP of Fork (Alowing Handles and mirrors to come loose).
From Top you can see down tube has Nut/Cap with a Square Half Inch center. Use Socket Bar (and Extender if needed) without Bit to Remove reach in and remove. Watchout for Spring Pressure under the Cap/Nut.
Use Screw Driver or Hook of some kind to remove Preload Spacers, Washers AND Spring from Fork.
Slide your Threaded Bar with19mm Nuts (Make sure they are Locked Tight together at one end) down into the Fork and let it catch on the Oil Damper at the base. You will know when it's cought because you wont be able to spin the threaded bar anymore. This will stop the Damper from spinning while you undo the Allen Bolt at the very base under the fork (Outside).
Use Allen Key to remove Bolt from Underside of Fork While having someone or somthing hold the Threaded Bar form spinning.
Now look at the Old bust/leaking Oil Seal. There will be a Clip/Locking Spring in a Groove holding it in place.
Remove Clip without Damaging any part of clip or fork.
If Everything above was Done, you can now give the slider( Bottom Part) a big tug and it will all come lose.
One Part of the Oil damper will either fall off, or be left in the slider(Bottom Part). It slides over the Damper in the base of the tube.
Clean Everything.
Clean Again.
Polish Tube.
Clean Again.
Remove Two Split Washers from base of Tube and Copper Washer. Remove Old Oil Seal.
Place New Oil Seal on Gently.
Replace back on Copper washer, followed by two split washers.
Use Grease as a kind of glue to hold the part of damper that fell off back on.
Slide Slider back onto Tube.
Screw Allen Bolt back into base of slider as per originally was (Remeber to hold Threaded Bar if it starts spinning)
Push Gently new Oil Seal into Fork Slider for Snug Fit. Be Gental.
Replace Clip/Spring over top of Oil Seal Locking it in place.
Remove your threaded bar from top of Fork.
Replace Spring into Fork.
Replace Philips Oil Drain Screw into base of fork (Dont forget Rubber washer).
Now: For a GT550 (I am told also KZ550 but can confirm) you need 300ml of 15 weight Fork Oil. EACH Fork. So a Total of 600ml whole Job. IN EACH SIDE YOU WILL ADD ONLY 300ml of FORK OIL. (15w)
After this. Replace any washers, Preload Spacers and so back into for.
Replace Cap/Nut into Fork Tube with Socket Wrench and Extender.
Replace Handles and Moirrors and Nut holding both of these.
Replace back onto bike the Front Wheel
Check Brake Calipers for leaks and Pad Wear. It's Very Cheap to get new Pads. Not cheap to have months off work after a crash.
Replace back onto bike Calipers.
Pushing Bike (Not ride) test Brakes and Suspension.
At This point I am thinking your done. You may need to Add Air Preload into the Fork via the Air Valve. 4PSI is a Starting Point. I have run upto 15psi. Without Air in the Preload you may find it too soft. Upto you.
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