Brazing nuts onto tuber?

[gstealer]

How are you guys brazing the nuts onto a tube frame to mount the panels to?

What do you use to hold the nuts in place while you braze them? Please don't say use a welder because I don't have one.

[PROTOTYPE]

Try a drop of CA .

[JohnRobHolmes]

vice grips, channel locks, a flat peice of metal, whatever you need to do. I dont think you could braze after dirtying the joint with CA.

[Ace]

Thread all thread thru and line up the all thread then braze. Much easier to get lined up that way when there are nuts on each side of the frame.

[doctorducttape]

same way as ace does it

[Cloak]

I give my wife some heavy gloves and a pair of pliers with rubberbands around the handles.

[RCCrawlerTT]

I am to that point in my build right now and was wondering this precise same thing. Thanks for the answers folks!

JRH, you'll be getting an order next week!

[mrpink]

Originally Posted by Cloak

I give my wife some heavy gloves and a pair of pliers with rubberbands around the handles.

I smell divorce.

I was wondering more about how people are putting the washers on their tubers. I guess all thread, a nut on either side of the washer, and braze away. Any better suggestions? isn't their some type of helping hands clamps for holding pictures or something.

[roktoy]

Originally Posted by Ace

Thread all thread thru and line up the all thread then braze. Much easier to get lined up that way when there are nuts on each side of the frame.

That's a cool idea. Not sure I've used that. I like using the Tamiya flanged nuts and usually use one of two ways:

(1) C-clamp scrap of aluminum sheet on tube, set nut on sheet, then braze.

(2) C-clamp chassis to metal sheet work surface, set nut on surface, then braze.

This puts the flanged surface of the nut even with the o.d. of the tube.

Jay

[mrpink]

part number on the tamiya nuts? Are they the ones that come with the tlt kit?

[RCCrawlerTT]

Just go to Ace Hardware, they have flanged nuts. They are probably cheaper and you'll have them right on hand when you need them.

That is what I just did anyway. All of that is assuming you are doing it with a standard and not a metric, as I didn't look in the metrics.

Originally Posted by mrpink

part number on the tamiya nuts? Are they the ones that come with the tlt kit?

[Cole82]

I just tap holes. As when you braze the nuts on you have a good chance of thread damage. I find it easier to just tap the holes I drill.

[RCCrawlerTT]

Tried brazing then re-tapping? I imagine it'd be pretty easy to re-tap them since they have already been tapped.

[roktoy]

Originally Posted by mrpink

part number on the tamiya nuts? Are they the ones that come with the tlt kit?

This bag has 57 in it:
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXHGZ7&P=7

Looks like these might work too, but more $$:
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXJJ46&P=7

Jay

[JohnRobHolmes]

Retapping a brazed nut is a pain. I dont know why, but the brazing filler just doesnt want to take threading like steel or aluminum. I have tried many times on botched brazing attempts and have only ruined taps.

[thaclodking]

Most of the time I lay the portion of the chassis down that is getting them onto a sheet of 1/4" aluminum plate and braze the nuts on. This may sound like more of a hassle, but it all but guarantees that the nuts will be on the same plane.

If I am installing nuts onto a section of chassis where I cannot use the aluminum as a backer, I tack the nut to the tube with a mig welder, then complete the job by brazing.

[RCCrawlerTT]

I started brazing nuts onto my chassis last night using the threaded rod method described here, and it worked perfectly. The brazes are super strong, far more strong than I thought they would be. If someone doesn't have a vertical brace in the center of their tuber, I could definitely see brazing nuts onto the chassis and using aluminum or steel plate for body panels, thus satisfying the comp. rules and reinforcing the frame as well.

[gstealer]

Thanks for all the info guys.

I finished stripping down the build to do more brazing this weekend

I picked up 100 steel 3mm nuts from Fastnal for $1. My LHS didn't have any threaded rod for the 3mm so I'm going to try it with steel rod. If that doesn't work I'm going to use some alum scrap to hold them flush. I'm not too worried about having them perfectly aligned with the tubes as I'm using lexan for the panels.

[RCCrawlerTT]

Just put a screw with the nut on the end of it in some vicegrips and hold those up with a magnet or vice or something while brazing. You don't need threaded rod as much as you just need something to hold it in place until you get it brazed.

Originally Posted by gstealer

Thanks for all the info guys.

I finished stripping down the build to do more brazing this weekend

I picked up 100 steel 3mm nuts from Fastnal for $1. My LHS didn't have any threaded rod for the 3mm so I'm going to try it with steel rod. If that doesn't work I'm going to use some alum scrap to hold them flush. I'm not too worried about having them perfectly aligned with the tubes as I'm using lexan for the panels.

[mississippirocs]

You can also use small magnets to hold the nuts. You can get small 90 degree welders magnets from Harbor Freight.