I'm wondering if the reaction to the aluminum is normal or if it's due to the anodizing. It would make sense that the hardblok has some kind of etching properties to help with adhesion but it could also be a reaction to the aluminum oxide layer that isn't typical. Aluminum engine blocks aren't anodized as far as I'm aware.
Don't really know Evan, I just know there is some kind of reaction going on and by the way I followed your suggestion of trying Moroso Engine Block Filler, not hardblok, so hardblok may be a totally different kettle of fish. Here you go @Joe Santarsiero some pics of the process. Mixing and pouring. Morose Engine Block Filler. Little mud volcano. You could still hear it crackling away after to had solidified. Not easy to sand, this was done on a benchtop belt sander (it wasn't happy). So I think I'ill try melting a candle in shallow metal tray to seal the bottom and not totally fill. One good solid smack with a ball hammer and a flat punch on a section of railway line on concrete. Followed by one solid smack with a small cold chisel. Getting there!! From my experience, its hardness is somewhere between marble and concrete. Cleaned out. Another mess to clean up. What it looks like on the inside after knocking it out..
Not as bad as it looks Rick, just giving it a bit of a clean with nylon brush and some white vinegar, most of what you see is the grout stuck to the aluminium. Give me a little while to take and process another picture. And here's the picture. It has a satiny feel compared to the smoothness on the outside, but certainly messes with the anodising.
Sorry to bump an old thread. I'm curious if anyone tried using the block fillers that were mentioned here for this. I have a gallon jug of moroso here and am planning on trying to fill some v slot. My concern is this is obviously an off label use. I'm filling long 2040 v slot towers for a delta printer. There's really not a lot of volume in the middle part I'm going to fill, but they're probably 4 feet long. Any idea of this moroso stuff will cure in one shot at that kind of depth? Or should I do a quarter, wait for it to cure, mix another quarter, wait for that to cure, etc?
Interesting. A friend of mine just built a 1500mm x 1500mm c beam CNC. She noticed the torquing the first time she ran 1/8" aluminum. She tried aluminum plates bolted on. She tried filling with cement. But, what finally worked the best was resin epoxy with a steel rod down the center. It also quieted the machine somewhat. So she repeated the process on all axis, and improved her accuracy to .002. Hope this helps!
I am curious about this. I have been thinking of the same idea with the steel rods with no epoxy. Is the steel rod free floating inside the alum ext? I was planning on tapping both ends of the steel rod thru gantry upright plates and placing a torque on the nut holding rod pulling the rod tight thru the extrusion like the Tension system pulling the lead screw to eliminate whip. I also have another idea about bolting plates to back of gantry but I was more thinking of 1/8 steel then extra alum plates. Funny then I think all this supporting the alum with steel. Might as well try to build it out of steel. But the rod idea sounds like a viable solution.
Yeah, she used it as a tensioning system. I am getting ready to build a 1500mm x 1500mm and plan to use her idea.
starting a sphinx type build and need max rigidity contemplating a few of these suggestions does anyone have any tips is the epoxy and sand the best way or the block filler? steel rod or threaded rod thru or nothing tia
