Patching holes on aluminum July 08, 2019, 09:45:05 pm I have decided to remove damaged ladder from my LD and patch the holes from ladder mounts that occurred when ladder mounts punctured outer skin after a backing incident. I'll just use it like that until I get time to do a real fix and I don't want to spend the $1500.00 the body shop estimates for what will be a temporary fix. Holes are approximately 2 inches in diameter and so far I'm not finding anything online except how to fix holes in aluminum boats and the results are a bit unsightly for what I want to achieve. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks
Re: Patching holes on aluminum Reply #1 – July 08, 2019, 10:02:55 pm How about two 4"X4" aluminum sheet metal squares, glued and screwed over the holes and then painted with matching paint.What other real choices do you have? Eternabond tape maybe.No reason to go overboard if you intend do properly repair it in the near future.Larry 1 Likes
Re: Patching holes on aluminum Reply #2 – July 08, 2019, 10:18:00 pm That may well be my only choice. I was hoping for something a bit more refined and cosmetically pleasing but it may not exist. The rig is otherwise so nice I hate to have any glaring defect in it. I'm thinking something like drywall repair kits that sanding and painting blend right in but such a product or procedure may just be a pipe dream.
Re: Patching holes on aluminum Reply #3 – July 08, 2019, 10:24:19 pm I suppose I could just patch the holes with eternabond and then slap some big national park type bumper sticker over the whole works. I may be on to something here.😀 1 Likes
Re: Patching holes on aluminum Reply #4 – July 10, 2019, 05:34:12 am Sawyer, I got info from Scott. He says:Big trick in the aerospace is to use JB Weld for metal - then sand and fair (make it smooth) the area. This is used like bondo on a car or putty on wood, but a better quality material for metal. Fill the space with the JB Weld to just above level with the siding. The JB Weld will shrink so don't skimp on this and pack it in good. You can then sand it down to level with the aluminum siding. Detailed process (I added in the part for if you have wood damage)...Note, pictures would help a lot to give possible choices of what to do.First: Any wood that was damaged needs to be repaired. This can be done a number of ways.... --If the wood was just dented, you could just use wood putty, fill it, and sand it down (make sure you get one that will harden and I believe there are ones now that are waterproof, but make sure it can be sanded smooth). If it is a small wood dent/damage, you could skip this step and just use the JB Weld for metal to fill it up to the aluminum siding area.--If you have rot, you will need to get to it from inside the RV (you don't want to make the hole any bigger on the outside aluminum outer layer). You of course need to fix the leak so rot won't continue, then either replace the wood, use sister joists, or use a product like PC-Rot Terminator which is an epoxy that creates the same strength as the original wood. Most people try to get as much of the rotten wood out as they can and replace that, using something like PC-Rot Terminator for wood that can't easily be taken out.For the outside aluminum repair - note you can skip the steps that say for rust if you don't have any rust, all the other steps need to be done no matter the situation:1) If there is any rust, you need to completely remove it - sanding etc., and then clean the with warm water and let it dry. 2) For all situations, sand it with 400 grit sand paper, including the painted areas, you want a good abraded surface so the next items will stick. 3) If there was any rust, paint the area with an alodine pen (this creates a yellowish brown color).4) For all situations, use JB Weld for metal to fill the hole to just above level - it shrinks so don't skimp on this and pack it in good. After it drys sand it down to level with the aluminum siding.5) Now you are ready to paint and / or put the ladder back on and seal around the ladder legs like you do all protrusions in the roof and side of your RV (e.g. 5200 or your choice of sealers).Ask any questions as you go.... and I am sure we would all love to see pics of your repair (after each step of course )Jane 2 Likes
Re: Patching holes on aluminum Reply #5 – July 10, 2019, 05:36:01 am Sawyer - lol, that eternabond does wonders - but you would still have to prep the area well so the etrnabond will stick and you have a nice smooth area for your bumper sticker.
Re: Patching holes on aluminum Reply #6 – July 10, 2019, 08:43:58 am Quote from: Jane and Scott - July 10, 2019, 05:34:12 amSawyer, I got info from Scott. He says:Big trick in the aerospace is to use JB Weld for metal - then sand and fair (make it smooth) the area. This is used like bondo on a car or putty on wood, but a better quality material for metal. Fill the space with the JB Weld to just above level with the siding. The JB Weld will shrink so don't skimp on this and pack it in good. You can then sand it down to level with the aluminum siding. Detailed process (I added in the part for if you have wood damage)...Note, pictures would help a lot to give possible choices of what to do.First: Any wood that was damaged needs to be repaired. This can be done a number of ways.... --If the wood was just dented, you could just use wood putty, fill it, and sand it down (make sure you get one that will harden and I believe there are ones now that are waterproof, but make sure it can be sanded smooth). If it is a small wood dent/damage, you could skip this step and just use the JB Weld for metal to fill it up to the aluminum siding area.--If you have rot, you will need to get to it from inside the RV (you don't want to make the hole any bigger on the outside aluminum outer layer). You of course need to fix the leak so rot won't continue, then either replace the wood, use sister joists, or use a product like PC-Rot Terminator which is an epoxy that creates the same strength as the original wood. Most people try to get as much of the rotten wood out as they can and replace that, using something like PC-Rot Terminator for wood that can't easily be taken out.For the outside aluminum repair - note you can skip the steps that say for rust if you don't have any rust, all the other steps need to be done no matter the situation:1) If there is any rust, you need to completely remove it - sanding etc., and then clean the with warm water and let it dry. 2) For all situations, sand it with 400 grit sand paper, including the painted areas, you want a good abraded surface so the next items will stick. 3) If there was any rust, paint the area with an alodine pen (this creates a yellowish brown color).4) For all situations, use JB Weld for metal to fill the hole to just above level - it shrinks so don't skimp on this and pack it in good. After it drys sand it down to level with the aluminum siding.5) Now you are ready to paint and / or put the ladder back on and seal around the ladder legs like you do all protrusions in the roof and side of your RV (e.g. 5200 or your choice of sealers).Ask any questions as you go.... and I am sure we would all love to see pics of your repair (after each step of course )JaneGreat info Jane and thank you. That's the kind of patch I have been looking for. There are definitely holes poked through the plywood and no way from the inside to access that wood without removing the shower so that's out. I'm wondering if I can find some way to slip something through the hole that would bond in place and serve as backing for the J-B weld. Have to put my thinking cap on for a while. I'm considering an expanding foam product bring sprayed in and left to cure then sanded flush but I doubt J-B weld would stick to that so I'd need to once again insert something between the foam or apply some product over the foam the weld would stick to for the bonding process. The foam would put me halfway there though as initial backing.
Re: Patching holes on aluminum Reply #7 – July 10, 2019, 08:47:03 am If i go the bumper sticker route I have two picked out. One for each hole.
Re: Patching holes on aluminum Reply #8 – July 10, 2019, 11:53:06 am JB weld has a great website with lots of other products to facilitate the use of the weld itself. I may be able to use something here to fix my holes and then use the weld over that.Rotted Wood | J-B WeldActually the more I research this stuff the more I think it might just stick to foam which would solve my problem. Think I'll give it a test in a mock-up application.
Re: Patching holes on aluminum Reply #9 – July 10, 2019, 09:16:38 pm Sawyer, let me ask Scott. I agree with your concerns of what the JB Weld would adhere to (he said wood was ok).You checked the edges of the plywood hole and confirmed no rot, correct? If you find any you can try to get a small brush in there and paint the PC-Rot Terminator as best as you can onto the plywood from the inside. Also check for leak sources (e.g. shower caulked well?). I would check what the PC-Rot Terminator might drop onto to make sure no issues - a scope would be great for this but it may be difficult to tell. I don't know how concerned I might be if I dripped PC-Rot Terminator onto pipes or electrical wiring or the back of light fixtures or how hard it would be to get back off, to really know calls would need to be made to the manufacturers - first the PC-Rot people then the pipe and electrical wiring people. I am hoping you are not finding rot as that would be a best situation.OH (light bulb went off)... do the same as a drywall patch but with wood/metal. (I have to wait for my brain to translate from my house experience to RVs sometimes, slight delay like with languages - lol).I attached a picture (rough, but I think it will help with the description below).If the hole is larger, I would do some dry-fitting (without screws) to check stability and fit before putting the screws in, to make sure you get a rigid enough surface especially if you take the metal choice. If the metal is real flexible you might want two horizontal 1x2s to hold it in place (depends on the hole size).1) Take a 1x2 that is several inches longer than your hole and put it behind the hole - put in one side then the other or it can go vertical, depending how much room you have with your studs in the walls. Put the wide side facing you so you have plenty of surface for screws. Then screw it down about an inch or more outside the hole (you don't want it so close that it will rip out the plywood edge inside the LD over time).2) Cut a piece of plywood to fit into the hole. You will likely have a small gap between the edges of the current plywood and the patch piece - you don't want that gap to be too big but 1/16" should be fine, 1/8" might get iffy and need multiple fillings, 1/4" will be difficult to fill and still have the original strength even with multiple fillings. A small gap the filler will attach to each side and make a solid patch, a larger gap and it needs support behind it.NOTE: You could use sheet metal for that patch piece also, make sure to get galvanized or something that will not rust - rated for outdoor exposure, in case their is a future leak/moisture.3) Put the patch piece into the hole and screw it onto the 1x2. 4) Fill that small gap with like product (for wood - wood putty - the kind that hardens, for metal the JB Weld metal product) and sand as needed.You should now have a nice surface to prep for the JB Weld.JaneYou might want to call JB Weld to confirm their metal product will bond to plywood and the putty - Scott believed it would but I like to check with manufacturers to be sure. Sometimes how some people in the industry do things are not the best practice.Again I would love to see pictures as you go and how well it works for you.
Re: Patching holes on aluminum Reply #10 – July 10, 2019, 09:26:03 pm Sawyers, I find manufacturers are great to tell you how their stuff works. You have to get to the technical support person, but they will give you a thumbs up or down on if the JB Weld metal product would stick to foam.
Re: Patching holes on aluminum Reply #11 – July 10, 2019, 11:40:44 pm Great info Jane and Scott. Thank you so much for your time and effort.
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