So, last week I placed an online order with Cycledesign for a 10 troy oz bag of Filletpro and a 10 troy oz bag of 56, and a can each of LFB flux and of Stainless light. I got a reply a couple days later saying that they are out of stock on everything I ordered. I’ve sent a reply asking is they have 5toz or 1toz in stock but have received no reply to date. Anyone else having issues with them at the moment?
I’m kinda miffed too, because the process charging my credit card and refunding my credit card cost me 42 CA in the exchange rate differentials….
Lots of sources for 56 and 45 silver out there - but I love working with FilletPro - what alloy have others used that has similar characteristics? Interested to hear from folks.
I’ve never used FilletPro, but BAg-20 (30%) silver has the same composition as the Castoline 38230 alloy Columbus recommends for brazing their tubing. If you’re in the US Gasflux will sell it to you in relatively low quantities.
It’s also available from industrial suppliers relatively affordably, but with larger minimum orders required. About a year ago I reached out to Aufhauser and I think 50 troy ounces of BAg-20 was around $800. It would be cool if one of the tubing suppliers stocked this alloy along with the common bronze and higher % silver alloys, I bet there would be plenty of people interested in buying it. @Carl_Snarl@BikeFabSupply@ChrisBlandford
I know @Arregui has also used a number of different silver alloys for fillet brazing applications and might be able to make some better composition/supplier recommendations.
Reynolds recommends Meta-Braze 140. I have used it and it seems to work well, I purchased through Torch and File (one stop shopping!). @ChrisBlandford may have plans to stock it at Firsthand, I don’t know. Meta-Braze is a UK company, I don’t know what that means for availability in Canada. The AWS designation for it is BAg-28 which would make it equivalent to Harris 40T for example.
Not sure, but I believe that Fillet Pro is BAg 36 - not BAg 20.
AKA 38T - it isn’t very common, but it is really nice.
Standard 45 no cad is garbage IMHO.
I used both Fillet Pro and 38T and they seem identical.
Super easy to build and sculpt and mighty strong.
I once brazed some cantilever bosses onto some .035 scrap 4130. When they cooled I started to have some fun with large hammers and it took a lot of impacts to make any of them fail. Broke the steel on a few.
I inherited a small amount of the Meta-Braze stuff from Torch & File, but haven’t had a chance to try it yet. (I got the same message/refund from CycleDesign a few months ago, so it’s been on my radar.) I’ll bring some of the Meta-Braze over next month (Reynolds distributes it, so it’s reasonable for me to get through them) and report back. If there are builders who like it, I’d be happy to stock it alongside some of the more typical braze supplies.
When you do try it, could you post your impressions? Also, I’m curious about their flux. I just used it with black paste I had on hand, although I can’t remember if it was from Gasflux or Harris. It worked great, easy to make nice fillets.
@markbeaver let us know what you wind up doing and how you like it if you would!
Hi Mark, Magtool in Edmonton carries all the gasflux stuff and are very easy to work with. If you email orders @ magtool (.com) they can likely help you out. They usually have 56, 45 silver in stock and from what I understand the gasflux 38 is very similar to filletpro (unofficial conclusion from many previous forums). They also carry all the fluxes but usually require a case order for them. Fillers afaik have no minimums.
Also, canadaweldingsupply . ca usually has Harris 56/45 in stock which I’ve used a lot of and works quite nicely.
Cycle Design cancelled my whole order last month as well.
I would love to find an alternative for Fillet Pro. Gasflux BAg 34 (38% silver) is the same as fillet pro?
I just sent an email to Wade inviting him to comment on this forum. If you know the gent personally, maybe a bit of encouragement might help get him here to comment.
@e-RICHIE I seem to remember a post from the 2010s on V-Salon from either Freddy or Wade covering their materials. IIRC they found a supplier that made the stuff and re-branded it. But hey . . .
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I had it in my mind that the fluxes were proprietary, produced by Superior, but the rods/coils were all off-the-shelf AWS alloys.
In any case… I’m going to do some digging/testing in the new year and find a suitable replacement to stock at Firsthand, be it the Meta-Braze offering or a Superior flux/Aufhauser alloy combo. Should be mostly a matter of meeting minimum order quantity, which is no problem. If anyone has current contact info for Dave/Wade/Fred, shoot it over to me… Perhaps they’d be interested in selling/passing along the business.
I don’t use Fillet Pro but I really like the LFB and Stainless Light fluxes and would be sad to see them go or have to source alternatives. I used to buy direct from Wade and he was always super helpful. Laterally as my volume has dropped, I’ve been buying from Peter at Ceeway and had no idea there was an issue. Maybe time to stock up.
Ordering from Cycle Design USA has been spotty for the last few years. Fortunately, I’ve always (so far anyway!) been able to source FilletPro, etc from Peter at Ceeway when Cycle Design was unable to fill orders.
Does anyone have a source for ordering the above mentioned substitutes for Fillet Pro without having to order 50oz ? I make like 2 frames a year… That’s a lifetime of silver for me.
? I make like 2 frames a year… That’s a lifetime of silver for me.