Solder in a stripped zerk???

[Sebculb]

Hola,

So here's the latest big idea, if I've got a stripped hole for a zerk on the end of one of the pins that holds my rear bucket on, is there any reason I can't solder it in there? I stick weld okay but have no soldering or brazing experience, except for that time an electronics thing didn't really work right.

Anyone have any experience with this? What would I do, heat it up with a torch and slather solder on the joint? Don't want to worry about taps and dies, expensive and hard to find around here. Same with helocoils and "special" zerks.

Thanks!

 

[LouNY]

you couldn't get the pin hot enough for solder flow and it doesn't have much tensile strength, brazing might hold.

 

[fried1765]

Hola,

So here's the latest big idea, if I've got a stripped hole for a zerk on the end of one of the pins that holds my rear bucket on, is there any reason I can't solder it in there? I stick weld okay but have no soldering or brazing experience, except for that time an electronics thing didn't really work right.

Anyone have any experience with this? What would I do, heat it up with a torch and slather solder on the joint? Don't want to worry about taps and dies, expensive and hard to find around here. Same with helocoils and "special" zerks.

Thanks!

I doubt that solder will work for your required application.
When you push grease through the soldered in zerk, the grease pressure will likely back the zerk out.
Can you take the tractor to some local shop? I do think that brazing could work.
3rd world countries tend to have have many talented people who can fix something with nothing.

 

[Sebculb]

Thanks, Lou and Fried!

Can brazing be done with a regular propane torch? I prefer to learn how whenever possible.

 

[Sebculb]

Also considering an idea I saw somewhere else, weld a nut that the zerk fits into over the stripped hole. That's actually how problems are usually solved in this world where a tap and dies are scarce and considered specialty tools.

 

[RNeumann]

Zerks come in different thread sizes. Most would simply retap the hole one size up and put a new zerk in.

 

[flingwing1969]

Zerks come in different thread sizes. Most would simply retap the hole one size up and put a new zerk in.

I'm with you RNeumann.

 

[airbiscuit]

Find a zerk (SAE or Metric) that is slightly larger. Use a file or hacksaw blade to cut a longitudinal groove in the threads and you have a self threading zerk!

 

[Big Barn]

Yes you could braze it successfully but the heat would probably destroy the spring in the zerk. Drill and retap like others have suggested.

 

[Sebculb]

Air biscuit, I'm liking it! But Zerks around here come in three sizes, small big and huge. Wouldn't really fit.

RNeuman, Flingwing, and Big Barn, yes, you're absolutely right. But drilling and Tapping involves finding someone that has the right tap and disassembling and paying money and blah blah. I was hoping to just put a chewing gum on it and keep moving.