Filling metal holes

[morgynm]

Hi,

Quick question... is there a brand of easy to use metal filler that's best for filling in screw holes in aluminum metal window frames?

After three years, the screw holes the previous owners left in the side interior window frames are finally driving me batty!

Morgyn

[Casita Greg]

Buy some JB Weld. It's a two-part epoxy contained in two squeeze tubes which are combined together and mixed when you need to make a repair. This stuff will set up as hard as metal. It can be drilled, sanded, painted, etc. Big Box stores or auto parts retailers should all have it on the shelf.

[morgynm]

Perfect! Thanks, Greg!

[Kai in Seattle]

You can also fiberglass (with epoxy resin) those holes...Paul repaired our rusted-through lawnmower deck with fiberglass (in his early, trial days of fiberglassing last winter...) -- it worked great! (Epoxy resin sticks to everything...including your sanity!)

JB Weld is also awesome. We repaired a range oven handle (totally broken off) with it once. Twelve years later it was still perfectly attached. We sold the range with the house when we moved.

[David B.]

If you want the similar shiny metal look of the aluminum, you could solder the holes closed.
Dave & Paula

[Thom Rowland]

Originally Posted by David B.

If you want the similar shiny metal look of the aluminum, you could solder the holes closet.
Dave & Paula

Where can I find aluminum solder? I need to buy some of that for my shop, All the solder I've ever used is made of lead and will not stick to aluminum. You could weld them closed but would have to remove the window frame to do that without burning down your trailer.

[Backwater Bill]

Another option is Bondo autobody filler. It's cheap, has a long shelf life, sets quickly and is easy to finish. I use it for lots of off label things like rebuilding brick molding and wooden boat repair.

[David B.]

Thom, I did not know that it would not stick to aluminum, as I have not tried it before. Live & learn.
Dave & Paula

[Steve Outlaw]

Tighten a screw in the hole, cut it off and grind it down flush.

[Darwin Maring]

Look for a tube of liquid aluminum. Should be able to find it at places like Home Depot or Advance Auto. It hardens and looks like aluminum.

http://stuccu.com/s/Aluminum+Repair+...=%7Bmscklid%7D

[k corbin]

It does not matter what color the filler is since you can touch it up with some aluminum paint to blend in the patch.

[Casita Greg]

It never ceases to amaze me why some people feel compelled to complicate what should be simple fixes by offering up their opinions and suggestions on all manner of exotic "how-tos" to fix things, which if you really look at them, are somewhat "out there". The OP just wanted a quick fix without a lot of hassles. Do you really think that she would want to perform such tasks as fiber-glassing, soldering, welding, grinding, etc, just to fix a few small holes in a window frame? Come on folks, lets try to be a bit more focused on the simple methods rather than trying to overly complicate correcting problems. Rant over.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Casita Greg

It never ceases to amaze me why some people feel compelled to complicate what should be simple fixes by offering up their opinions and suggestions on all manner of exotic "how-tos" to fix things, which if you really look at them, are somewhat "out there". The OP just wanted a quick fix without a lot of hassles. Do you really think that she would want to perform such tasks as fiber-glassing, soldering, welding, grinding, etc, just to fix a few small holes in a window frame? Come on folks, lets try to be a bit more focused on the simple methods rather than trying to overly complicate correcting problems. Rant over.

Some folks are perfectly happy with just a solution no matter what it looks like. Others want a solution that fixes the problem where it turns the fix invisible. It's about choice and that's what we're here for. The OP wasn't looking for a "quick fix" as you mentioned, but "best for filling in screw holes." I consider it different strokes for different folks Greg.

[morgynm]

I'm going to try the JB weld first. Since I have many screw holes to fill, if I don't like the results, I'll try something else.

I like hearing about all the options. It might help someone in the future as searching these forums is how I've found out about most of my repair options for my Boler. I'm slowly repairing her by my lonesome (my father is too ill now to help much) and have learned that, despite my enthusiasm, I'm not the most imaginative when it comes to repairs! If it requires more than basic skills, honestly, I'm probably not going to try it. Soldering, not my forte; grinding with a Dremel or filling in with a malleable product, I can do!

[Kai in Seattle]

Best of luck with it!


Every day we work on ours, we find out something new.

Will we succeed?
I still expect we will. It's the only way--forward. We have far too much invested in it (right from the beginning) to give up.

Wishing you fun and daily successes to keep your spirits up!

[Paul O.]

JB Weld lists all kinds of different grades of epoxy resin, some metal filled. Two part epoxy is a good idea, but I think the OP would be happy with something that does not flow or sag. For those jobs I like to use Plumber's Epoxy Putty, or similar. Just cut a piece off, knead it to mix it, push in place. Hardens in abut one hour. Before curing completely, it can be trimmed. Quite versatile.

[k corbin]

Or you could stick some smiley face dots over the holes.

[morgynm]

Originally Posted by k corbin

Or you could stick some smiley face dots over the holes.

LOL! I should post a picture of my bright polka dot duct tape screen repair job! Smiley face stickers would go perfectly with it!