Non Metal Material Brazing

[Lachlan]

Greetings, I am a student in high school I started taking metal 2 this year and in this class we each get to make our own project. My project is a mineral oil computer. Mineral oil is non-conductive so some people will buy a fish tank put their computer inside and then fill it with oil, it's a little more involved then that but that the idea. I aim to build a metal case though so mine will be really legit (not just some random fish tank). Obviously the case will need to be waterproof I'll bend what I can and tig the rest that's all no biggie but I plan to put a glass panel in the front so everyone can look into the case and go what the heck. I assumed that since the melting temperature of glass exceeded that of brass filler I could braze the glass panel to the rest of the case instead of using silicone, cualk, epoxy etc(these materials over time start to crack, shrink, and deteriorates as many of us have no doubt noticed and I wanted a bond that should last for a very long time something I can without a doubt trust). Glass starts to melt at about 1800 degrees double that of the brass filler so logically I see no reason you couldn't braze the two together. Does anyone see any reason this wouldn't work? My teacher won't let me or i would attempt this myself, I appreciate anyone's feedback though. thank you!

[psacustomcreations]

Greetings, I am a student in high school I started taking metal 2 this year and in this class we each get to make our own project. My project is a mineral oil computer. Mineral oil is non-conductive so some people will buy a fish tank put their computer inside and then fill it with oil, it's a little more involved then that but that the idea. I aim to build a metal case though so mine will be really legit (not just some random fish tank). Obviously the case will need to be waterproof I'll bend what I can and tig the rest that's all no biggie but I plan to put a glass panel in the front so everyone can look into the case and go what the heck. I assumed that since the melting temperature of glass exceeded that of brass filler I could braze the glass panel to the rest of the case instead of using silicone, cualk, epoxy etc(these materials over time start to crack, shrink, and deteriorates as many of us have no doubt noticed and I wanted a bond that should last for a very long time something I can without a doubt trust). Glass starts to melt at about 1800 degrees double that of the brass filler so logically I see no reason you couldn't braze the two together. Does anyone see any reason this wouldn't work? My teacher won't let me or i would attempt this myself, I appreciate anyone's feedback though. thank you!

Have you thought about lead glazing? Contact or look up the people who do stained glass windows. Just make sure you use a respirator.

Edit: Windows are rain or weatherproof so I would think it would work in this application.

[rexcormack]

I don't know of any way to weld directly to glass.
There are ways of soldering to glass but they are not easy, simple or cheap!

https://www.sciencedirect.com/scienc...24013614002295

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass-to-metal_seal

https://www.sciencedirect.com/scienc...24013616301492

I would strongly suggest using a high quality 2 part epoxy, not what you can buy at the hardware store, not JB Weld!

Good luck.

[danielplace]

Glass will crack as soon as you hit it with any heat to speak of. Unless you have a sheet of Pyrex then what fill you going to use.

Epoxy is your friend or urethane used for setting windshields.

[Lachlan]

Sorry guys I was off for a little bit,
Thanks for all the reply's I wondered about soldering it but I don't know much about that stuff other then setting up leds a few times. I'll be reading about that tonight.
and Rexcormack about the two part epoxy I think we were thinking the same thing I was thinking maybe about making a sleeve with scrap to put around the glass and sealing the glass on each side of the sleeve so if the first seal aged to the point of a tragic leaking crack the oil would enter into a sort of air lock in the middle so I would see if the oil had leaked through and enter panic mode to fix it. It'll be a while before I finish building this thing we're just in the planning design portion now but I'll reply back to the thread later and let you guys know what I've decided to do, and I'll have pictures for you guys no doubt.

[tapwelder]

You may also need to check compatibility of mineral oil and any material to contact it for prolonged exposure.

Are you on on a budget? Do fish aquariums fail? Why frame it in metal? Form then Glue the metal frame to a fish tank for aesthetics or added.structure?

I have built several shower enclosures and window, always used caulk on the showers.

Good luck.

[robert-r]

Glass expands and contracts in accordance with ambient temps. You will need to account for that.

[Kelvin]

Cool idea. I would try to find some adhesive that would be oil-proof (RTV maybe, or 3M 5200? Call mfgrs and ask) and then use a lap joint, possibly with a metal frame around the glass on the inside of the case that would allow the glass to expand/contract the small amount that it would. (If you put the glass on the inside of the case, this would "hide" the adhesive on the lap joint from view.) If you used aluminum for the metal case, aluminum is super thermally conductive, so it would quickly rise in temperature to match the oil temperature, and dump heat to the room air.

I would also research using something clear other than glass (Lexan polycarbonate or acrylic maybe?) just to lessen the possibility of the glass breaking.

If you build this, please be sure to let us know how you made out, and attach pics!

[tapwelder]

With plastic type material welding and solvent welding become available.