I need to glue a piece of metal trim to the aluminum side of my bus. Is there anything I can buy at Home Depot or Menards that will work? Some stuff I tried from Menards did not work at all.
Personally I think there is a lot of stuff that you can use pretty effectively from HD. If you just want some adhesives they have Sika, Loctite, and Liquid Nails that all offer metal bonding solutions. You also have JB Weld which is a two part epoxy (there are other two part epoxies too). JB has three or so different strengths and is considered a "cold" weld. It is strong stuff but takes a while to set. The PowerGrab options from Sika and Loctite are supposed to do just as the name says and hold on from the moment you join the materials. I would go down to HD and read the backs of the cartons and see which you think is best for your application.
Reading labels is how I picked the stuff I already tried which didn't work. I figured 12 hours was enough time, but when I removed the clamp the adhesive didn't hold at all. One problem is the trim piece is curved out (supposed to be flat) and is kinda acting like a spring so there is some tension.
JB Weld sounds like a great idea. I have several sets of the JB Weld at home. The trick is can I find a set so I don't have to buy another?
I usually end up going to the the internet for the mfg's data sheet for whichever "glue" I'm planing on using. This is in part because the print on the glue tubes seems to get smaller every year but mainly because I can't remember which is for what between uses! Jack
Often siding has silicone waxes applied which is pretty hard to remove, plus metals may need adhesion primers to achieve a good bond.
Can't you bend the trim to suit the contour of the bus so there is no force on the adhesive.
I've used various polyurethane adhesives (not fillers) similar to sikaflex and there is no way they will come apart without lots of struggling.
One trap is having the adhesive bed very thin as urethane adhesives are meant to have minimum thicknesses of at least 1 millimetre
The trim was originally straight and flat. What was holding it down broke several years ago. Over the past few years various things pulled on the metal until now it is like a spring. I cannot remove the entire piece of metal to straighten it.
3M 90 spray contact cement. Good Luck, TomC
Definitely prep as best as possible with a little sand paper. 3M VHB double sided tape would definitely do the trick, you can pick up small rolls or even individual pieces online. If applied correctly it is stronger then rivets. I used it to hang 4x10, 110 pound galvanized steel sheets. May give it a shot.
5200 by 3M. Use can even use under water.
I needed to glue a bay door handle cover .No one up here stocked Sicaflex but the home depot did stock Locktite Power Grab in the red container . I think it was Scott Bennet that had used it and was very happy with the results.I bought a tube of it ,and it worked great .The only drawback I could find was the color (WHITE) .But if you are careful it should not make a difference.
Prep with a little acetone - both surfaces. Then JB it, just not the "quick" JB, at least I never had any luck with it. Or take a trip to you local body shop, seems they have great 3M products that are industrial strength.