I am busy restoring a second maroon Bialaddin 300X with the brass vent and black enamel cap. After preparing the fount for repainting I discovered a vertical crack through the skirt and into the area where the bottom plate is soldered in. I see no sign of mechanical damage to the fount. Is this a known problem with these founts? What is the best method to repair the crack and stop it from running further up past the bottom plate joint?
Unfortunately, yes - we've had a few reports of similar stress cracks. One of my Imber Research (badge-engineered Bialaddin) bowlfires has exactly the same defect as yours. Given it gets absolutely no use at all, I haven't attempted to repair it but I guess that POR 15 fuel tank sealant would do the job...
Thanks, David. That is always a safe option although I would regard that as a last resort, as it cannot be undone. Perhaps I could first try to silver solder the crack and then if necessary, touch up/reflow the solder joint/seal at the base plate? It should also be possible to reinforce the lip of the rim invisibly with stout wire soldered in place. Any thoughts or pointers anyone?
Yes, quite common , hope this helps, various options discussed and a good repair from Christer explained in detail Look here Phil Cheers
G'day Phil, If the crack is only in the skirt below where the base is soldered on you could try soldering the crack with soft solder as shown on this Aladdin repair [url=http://0flo.com/index.php?threads/9196 . It could also work if the crack has extended further (causing a leak) but you may have to dent the tank along the crack a little and fill the dent with solder to get enough strength in the joint (classic lead wiping technique).
...Hi Phil, That tank seal from Mr. Christer is a well documented repair and good way to go and might be worth doing after/if you attempt a heat type repair anyway??? Soft solder or low temp silver solder will both flow into a crack "Providing It Is Clean" !!!... .....Baker's fluid is probably best for cleaning/ fluxing but it is very corrosive if you leave it on! ...If you are going to Silver Solder you will need Oxy/Acetylene otherwise your Base Plate seal will 'Flop'?.... ...Whatever you decide to do make sure it's positioned so the air can't exit thru the crack or you'll get porosity in the joint (as the hot air rises). It's quite do-able and plenty of folks here to give advice or pointers.... ...And if you decide to go for it, have a bash on some thin brass first to get the feel? Best wishes, PB
Very good pointers and greatly appreciated. I think I'm going to go the silver solder route. I've had very good results with other small repairs with it. I think that reinforcing the rolled rim with a two inches of stout wire soft soldered in place should provide enough strength for peace of mind. I'll keep you posted on the result.
With both of mine, there were more stress cracks which I only found after soldering one crack up... POR15 is the best route in that instance as soon as one crack was soldered, another unsoldered!
Yes, I agree on the danger to the soft solder sealing the circumference of the fount base. I think if I can first repair the crack with silver solder to give the side wall strength, I should be able to repair any damage to the soft solder close to the crack. I'll put enough water in the fount to make sure the heat is localized to as small an area as possible. A side effect of the heating will hopefully be to make the brass less brittle in that area and stop the crack from running further. If there is a second separate crack, it will be time for POR15.
Update: I discovered two more cracks in the rim, and there are probably more. If I want to use the fount, a liner/sealer like POR would seem to be the only option. I think I'll first ask around for another fount. They are not all that rare...
