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Valve cover painting

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Since you're talking about doing lead work, visit this Jag restoration site and browse around first.
https://www.mckennasgarage.com/xke/
This guy has done some very nice lead work and could certainly answer your questions when they arise.

I've done small bits of lead work. Yes lead is toxic but not in the sense of arsenic or cyanide. Exposure to lead isn't immediately lethal, its a long term exposure thing typically resulting in elevated levels in the blood and subsequent brain damage. Always wear dust protection, sand outside, and wear disposable (a.k.a. Tyvek) jumpsuits when sanding.

I'm not sure how Keoke has gotten anything to stick to steel without tinning butter or acid flux. I've been soldering steel since I was a kid and always tin using a stainless scratch brush or steel wool along with the soft flame and acid flux. Eastwood is a great source for materials.
 
That is one incredible website! That kind of work would be fantastic to see on a TV show instead of people throwing tools and yelling at each other.

And it looks like the guy is an amateur. We talked about this on another thread. I would say if he is an amateur he is as good as most professionals.

Bruce

Bruce
 
What about using JB weld for valve covers, engine panels, radiator tops, etc? It's rated to 500 degrees F and is easy to apply, sand and paint.

Cheers,
John
 
Hi John, thats what I suggested rather than the low temperature filler type materials he was considering for the Valve cover. However, there may be too much flex in the radiator tanks and it is a much slower process.---Keoke
 
Well Bruce I have to agree this guy is an amateur whether he does it as a profession or not.The only difference between him and a Bondo Bandit is in the choice of their materials.---Keoke /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yesnod.gif
 
Your bicuspids are sculpted from layers of material ending with a top coat of enamel. When your dentist makes you a gold crown that doesn't make him an amateur, he's just not the creator. You work with what you've got to obtain the best results you can.
 
Check out a product called Lab Metal, it's sold by Eastwood. Its simular to JB WEld only better (I think). It's rated to 350 degrees. I've used it to patch some rust holes in floor and boot areas. If you google Lab Metal, you will come up with Alvin Industries site, who make a lot of interesting stuff. They even have a high temperature version, which they say is good for muffler and exaust applications as well as radiators and temps up to 1000 degrees.
 
At a previous employer we used Lab Metal to patch/fill blow holes in castings prior to powder painting. It is very suitable for high-temperatures.
 
Yep I agree, thats what most amateurs do DK.---Keoke- /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
HI Richard, I will check out the Lab Metal product you suggested and thanks for the tip. I know john has already been over there sniffing around.---Keoke- /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
yes doug, there are alot of different products that will work on the valve cover. Even the body filler, but I think that would be my last choice.
John Loftus, I think JB Weld would work quite well. I once used it to fill a casting pin hole on the mateing surface of a cylinder head for an MG Midget. I cleaned the area well, filled it and filed it flat by hand using a straight edge to check my work. The only other choice would have been to strip the head of the valve gear and weld it, with the attendant machine work to finish the surface. the lad I was working for had no money. That engine is still running, its probably been almost 10 years ago.
 
Well, I tried my hand at leading the dents last night, with quite mixed results. I think that skill is best learned in person, from one who knows the process. My research on Lab Metal indicates that it is good to 360 degrees constant temperature, and the mfg specifically recommends it for engine blocks. So I'll go there next. There's actually a distributor in my town, so I'll let you know how it goes. But it may be a year or so, since the chassis is just now getting the seam sealer treatment.
 
Cutlass, what were you using to lead with?--Keoke
 
Keoke: I was using a stick of auto body lead borrowed from the body shop that has my chassis now (in the final stages of seam sealing). From the limited success I did have, I can see how that would be the method of choice for a lot of applications. Truth be known, I didn't spend a whole lot of time with it, and could probably pick it up for this simple application, but the Lab Metal has a great appeal when time is at a bit of a premium.
 
Cutlass, Clean the metal good and use "Solder" and a Soldering Iron. Not body lead.---Keoke
 
If you didn't use acid flux or tinning butter your results will be spotty if successful at all. You may want to check your local (not big box) hardware store for soldering iron acid flux or soldering iron tinning compound. Radio Shack sells tip cleaner/tinner compound (#64-020) that may prove helpful if you can't find acid flux (which is getting much harder to find). If you use regular solder as Keoke suggests... make sure it is NOT resin core. The resin will flow out over the surface and contaminate it making further soldering next to impossible until you re-clean the surface.

Lab Metal may say that it is rated for 350 degree continuous use. I know in my previous job we subjected it to higher temperatures during the powder painting process. Of course, we only held parts at those elevated temperatures for about an hour. Regardless, it will be a good solution if you don't want to spend any more time working with lead.
 
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