Hey Gang.....
The local media blaster here in my area is selling a zinc based product to "fill" those pesky small (dime size) holes that appear all over our beautiful northern cars. I have not seen the application in action, but it appears that he is using some sort of "heat gun" that "sprays out" a molten zinc coating that can be built up around the affected area and fill in the hole. It looks pretty trick is not real expensive, only like $15.00/hole, and being zinc based should last forever. Has anyone had any experience with this product? I was thinking about it for the rusted areas in the windshield channel of my '66. I know they make the replacement metal, but this seems sooooo much easier.

TIA

Mike

Mike,
have you seen the gun in action?? If yes, I will tell you how the aircraft industry uses these metal spray guns.

Roy
65 El Camino
Team Member #74

No Roy....have not seen the gun in use....yet. I did see a cowl panel from a Firebird that was done...once it gets sanded and lightly filled you wont be able to see it...
One other point is it coats both sides of the area being repaired..
Just looking for a little input.

Mike,
The only one I saw was back in 1967. It was set up to spray aluminum. It was at the Boeing Airplane factory in Renton Wa. It looks like a paint spraygun without the cup, hose feed. After a little closer inspection it has two gas lines, ox. and acc. for the flame and another ox.line for the spray tip. It is feed by an controled wirefeed and then the gas flame will melt the wire to be sprayed on a steel mold. Thats were it gets is name (flamespray gun). I guess as long as the flame it hot enough you could spray just about any metal (wire). They also did a few copper coatings. This al. coating was only about 2 mil. thick. Preimpregnated fiberglass cloth was then aplyed with glass honeycomb and more layers of the prepreg cloth. Then vacumn sealed and a vacumn pulled to 28 in. and it was preasured cooked in an autoclave. NOT all skin on an airplane is solid al. plate. To lighten the aircraft up, about 10 % (?)is fiberglass.
Some machine shops have the ability to spray a crankshafts journels to add material. I don't know if this has been successful or if it is stil done.

Team Chevelle Member #74

Flame spray, plasma spray, hardcoat...
We use it ALL the time using various powders made by Metco to repair/machine jet engine components. Some of these materials can only be finished by grinding using a diamond wheel. Others can be easily tooled with carbide.

Very interesting stuff guys. I have never seen or even heard of this process. Years ago there were spray guns that shot molten lead. They seemed to work ok but you are talking about a whole different animal.

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1965 Buick Gran Sport Convertible
1965 Buick Skylark H/T
"Fan of most anything that moves human beings"

After checking WWW.Flamespray/Denver.com, (http://WWW.Flamespray/Denver.com,) I found out more about these processes. The process I think that was first mentioned is called Arc spraying. A thin coating of metal. A thicker coat can be applied by metallizing. There are other methods as well. Therospraying, PlasmaSpraying and CeramicSpray. I think mostly used in the airline, or air industry. These are not just metals that are sprayed but also cermics.
Are your headers coated??
They used one of these processes.

Ive heard of this method before. I want to say Ive seen it advertised in eastwoods or in hemmings, showed a fender with a hole about the size of a softball and was then sprayed shut with this stuff...Eric

Cool. Spray-on Metal. Sounds like something right up my alley. Don't suppose there's a 49.99 Harbor Freight version of this out???

Chief,
What is the shop you're talking about? If its local to you, it probably is to me too. I'm just a little north of you.
Thanks,
Dennis

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Dennis...

The place is called "Strip It" They are located on Groesbeck Ave. just south of 16 Mile Rd. (586) 792-7705, and ask for Stacey. They blasted my frame and did a terrific job, and they are going to get the body as soon as the funds allow. I am thinking i want him to fill the areas around my windshield for me, if the holes don't come out too large after blasting. He is only about a mile from my house, I jsut have not gotten over to see how this process is done.

Mike

i believe the process your talking about is called nu-metal i had it done to my doors the jam area had holes in it it worked great

That sounds like a great process. Especially if you can't get certian patch panels. I talked to Stacey about media blasting my car, but I found a place here on the west side to get it done. I wonder if he's the only place around that does this.

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John B

64 SS Pro Streeter in the "ugly" stage

Had my 69 SS stripped by Stacey and having it prepped by the new guy (Adam) at U-paint-It (he bought the place next door to Stacey). The process of filling the pin-holes looks great and it saved me big bucks on new sheet metal.

69 SS 396
(In the paint booth next week)

Chief,
Thanks for the response, and info about Strip it. I thought that might be the place. I've heard good things about them. This sounds like a process I'm going to be utelizing as well, on my 69.
Thanks again,
Dennis

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