question for you muffler modders....

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

CaseyForrest

I am NOT a tree freak.
. AS Supporting Member.
Joined
Oct 22, 2005
Messages
27,302
Reaction score
9,815
Location
MI
What material and brazing rods do you use when you do your mods?

I havent done any brazing since high school....but figure nows a good time to re-educate myself.
 
What material and brazing rods do you use when you do your mods?

I havent done any brazing since high school....but figure nows a good time to re-educate myself.


Nothing special, just general purpose brazing rod... I used thin wall electric conduit for the stubs. There isn't any stress on the stubs, the braze just holds them in place and seals around the edge.
 
With electrical conduit or any metal that is galvanized you need to not inhale the fumes if you weld it. I assume brazing may also be an issue? It puts off fumes that are toxic. Welders know all about this.

For welding it is recommended to remove the galvanized coating. For a small job maybe not a big deal.
 
yea both braze fine Casy, Use a thin rod and nap gas, cheapest way to go.
plus you won't get welding splatter all over your work.
Last one I did was tig welded.
 
yea both braze fine Casy, Use a thin rod and nap gas, cheapest way to go.
plus you won't get welding splatter all over your work.
Last one I did was tig welded.

MAPP gas...

NAP gas puts you to sleep..... or is it gas you make while you nap...?:hmm3grin2orange:
 
You can braze with Mapp gas but I found it didn't work well at all. There just wasn't enough heat and it was spread over a large area. Times I tried it, the whole part I was doing ended up red by the time the area got hot enough to melt the rod. A oxy-acetylene torch works far far better, with a tiny flame point, you heat only the area you want.
What I have never tried, but will soon, is using a TIG welder to braze.. same as gas brazing but a tiny pinpoint electric arc for the heat, then feed the rod.
I drilled a hole in the muffler cover, then used a carbide burr to open it up to the size for the tube. Sneak up on the hole size so the tube will fit nice and snug, that way it stays put while you braze it.
 
Is copper really a good idea on a muffler???

Tha would make what I want to do allot easier!!!



The only problem I see (if you get it too hot from the brazing) is that it will turn back to soft copper, and it's so soft you can mush it closed with your fingers. Hit the tube with a log, and it will bend... You could try heating it cherry red again and plunging it in cold water, but the brazing will also be affected. I just turn some black iron pipe in my lathe to make it thin-wall, but you can buy thin wall pipe in many sizes.
 
You can braze with Mapp gas but I found it didn't work well at all. There just wasn't enough heat and it was spread over a large area. Times I tried it, the whole part I was doing ended up red by the time the area got hot enough to melt the rod. A oxy-acetylene torch works far far better, with a tiny flame point, you heat only the area you want.
.

Yes a Oxy-acetylene torch works better.
But for someone that does not want to spend that kind of money could use mapp gas.
Modding a Muffler is something anybody can do, and that is the fun about it.
 
I know guys that use coat hangers also LOL It actually works pretty good.

I've used them several times in a pinch. They do not make as strong a weld as regular filler metal, but if it is all you have it will get your equipment up and running again.
 
What material and brazing rods do you use when you do your mods?

I havent done any brazing since high school....but figure nows a good time to re-educate myself.

Just not a bronze fan when it comes to heat. The softest bailing wire or the cheapest coat-hanger is just about twice the strength of bronze, especially at temp.

You may want to put picking up a couple of pounds of real GP welding rod, on you list, in the long run having the right stuff is the best bet.
 
Just not a bronze fan when it comes to heat. The softest bailing wire or the cheapest coat-hanger is just about twice the strength of bronze, especially at temp.

You may want to put picking up a couple of pounds of real GP welding rod, on you list, in the long run having the right stuff is the best bet.

Agree, but they are not going to melt steel rod with Mapp gas!! Braze, although weaker, is still many many times stronger than needed for this application.... its just holding a tiny steel tube on the muffler, about zip stress or load, hot but not that hot. Heck, pure aluminum melts at 1100F, but nobody is worried that the piston or cylinder is going to melt. Bronze melts at about 1660F. Bernz O matic's brazing rod is rated at 60,000 psi tensile strength, even if it looses 90% of its strength, 6000psi will keep the little muffler tube on nicely. We are duck hunting with a cruise missle here... LOL
 
Last edited:
Conduit

this was done with conduit and 110 mig .023 ,the jony was done with conduit and mapp it worked ok but I'm skilled at this the oxy acc. would work much better if you can. Good luck it made new saws out of these
 
I did this one today with my 110 /70 amp arc welder with thin guage quick fill rods. My method is always use what you have available!:)

attachment.php


attachment.php

It was a little tricky on the thin guage steel of the muffler but it can be done. You just have to go very slow. Chad
 
Back
Top