Aluminum to aluminum bonding help!!!

[mlsdrum]

What i have is a sign that has been engraved from .25 thick aluminum and i need to set a 2" aluminum return on the back of it, also the mounting system that will mount it to the wall will be 2" aluminum tubing. I NEED to find the worlds strongest aluminum to aluminum epoxy or something of the sort that will bond and hold the return on as well as the tubing which will need to be structural and hold the sign in place. The sign will weigh about 50lbs when completed. I don't want to weld the returns and tubing on due to the risk of sparking and ruining the faces brushed aluminum finish. Thank you in advance for your help!

 

[J Hill Designs]

LORD adhesive

 

[Rick]

LORD adhesive

 

[letterman7]

3m 8116 / 8115

 

[Moze]

Lord 406/19.

 

[MikePro]

ummm. nothing against Lord's adhesive, which I highly recommend for bonding aluminum, BUT I don't think people are reading much into what you're proposing here.....
correct me if I'm wrong, but:
50lbs-worth of .25" aluminum faces, "trimmed" with 2" aluminum returns, mounted to square aluminum tubing, AND you're trying to accomplish this with GLUE?!? if so, then, NO you cannot. You may as well be trying to build a tree stand out of legos & superglue.

Weld it or at least find a way to include some sort of mechanical fasteners.

:Welcome:bak2:signs101:

 

[Billct2]

50lb Total weight is what I read In which case assembling it with the correct expoxy should be fine. But I would stud mount it to the wall

 

[Z SIGNS]

Yes glue and vhb used properly is what the professional sign maker would use.Check out 3m or lords website.Their stuff is amazing and it works.Most failures come from not following the instructions.

 

[letterman7]

Let me put it in perspective: the 3M adhesive I learned through an autobody shop. Many cars and vans have glued panels in place, not welds. I've been using it ever since with not a single failure on some fairly highly stressed aluminum items (not always signs..).

 

[DigiPrinter]

+1 to LORDS ADHESIVE

 

[Moze]

ummm. nothing against Lord's adhesive, which I highly recommend for bonding aluminum, BUT I don't think people are reading much into what you're proposing here.....
correct me if I'm wrong, but:
50lbs-worth of .25" aluminum faces, "trimmed" with 2" aluminum returns, mounted to square aluminum tubing, AND you're trying to accomplish this with GLUE?!? if so, then, NO you cannot. You may as well be trying to build a tree stand out of legos & superglue.

Weld it or at least find a way to include some sort of mechanical fasteners.

:Welcome:bak2:signs101:

Not to be argumentative, but Lord 406 has a tensile strength of 4500psi or some such thing. It will hold a 50 pound sign together.

 

[rjssigns]

As far as the strength of modern adhesives:
Friend of mine builds some exotic things from time to time. One of the things is monocoque race car tubs using aluminum sheet with a hexalite core. No mechanical fasteners just a special epoxy.