Best way to bond granite to aluminum
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nooshinjohn
Posts: 25,135
The time has come to consider the best way to securely attach the granite deck of my amplifiers to the aluminum shell of the chassis. Anyone have recommendations as to the best method for bonding the two together? Once I have assembled the two pieces, taking them apart again will not be needed, even if I have to service the amps in the future.
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“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
Post edited by nooshinjohn on
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A high grade marine epoxy such as West Systems will do it, but epoxy doesn't flex and with the heat/cooling cycles those amps will go through I would look for something other than an epoxy. This product seems better suited, http://www.ct1ltd.com/how-to-stick-metal-to-stone.htmlPolitical Correctness'.........defined
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Stainless steel bolts~TNRabbit
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My first thought was some type of construction adhesive as Jesse'd linked to. You'll have to account for a noticeable thickness of it during assembly, of course. I'd figure in it adding 1/16" under each panel. If the design allows that, I think it's a real sly way to add a degree of constrained layer damping to the chassis.Wristwatch--->Crisco
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Stainless steel bolts~
This is how I'd go.
I'd go one step further though and get sheets of neoprene gasket material from an auto parts store to sammich between the metal and stone. Stop vibrations and resonances as well as squeaks. Use carriage bolts so you don't get unfinished bolt heads sticking out of the bottom of the stone. Flat washer, lock washer, loctite and nut on the inside placed strategically. You say you'll never have to take it apart again but what happens when you actually do have to take it apart again?Expert Moron Extraordinaire
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I know Wurthusa.com makes a panal bond rated for aluminum , construction adhesive may work but I would write Loctite and ask them .
But my major concern is heat transfer from the amps (is this safe) .
But I think the bolts going through the granite than the center of the feet with a air gap is best , maybe remove the amp from the alum cage than bolt down the cage and reinstall the amp on it ..
In the granite I would drill than step bore a spot so the bolt heads dont protrude down .
1) we dont want vibration going through the bolts .
2) nice rubber bumpers over the stepbore holes would be a nice clean setup . -
This is how I'd go.
I'd go one step further though and get sheets of neoprene gasket material from an auto parts store to sammich between the metal and stone. Stop vibrations and resonances as well as squeaks. Use carriage bolts so you don't get unfinished bolt heads sticking out of the bottom of the stone. Flat washer, lock washer, loctite and nut on the inside placed strategically. You say you'll never have to take it apart again but what happens when you actually do have to take it apart again?
The more I look at this, the more your idea makes sense John. I think what I will do is make a bed for the granite to rest on out of Armacell, and then run a bead of black sealer around the edge, just under the lip of the granite. I have through-holes already in place for the transformers, so I will use these to secure the granite in place. I am making cradles for the transformers to sit on so they do not contact the granite directly in any way.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
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Dow 799 silicon sealant. Make sure you wipe down the aluminum surface well with denatured alcohol before applying the sealant. gun the sealant in a serpentine pattern on the aluminum and set the granite on it. Clamping probably won't be necessary if the granite is heavy enough. Let the sealant cure for 24 hours, then cut any that squeezed out flush with a razor blade. It will be a permanant bond that is flexable enough to allow some expansion and contraction. If you want vibration damping too, put a couple of 1/4" spacers between the stone and aluminum and lots more sealant to form a 1/4" bed of sealant.
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. Been waiting to see your other thread re-appear with pics of the new electronics 
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steel and aluminum will corrode each other normally so i take it the chromium content of stainless steel negates this?
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dont know about stainless but I figure indoors it should last forever , how about titanium bolts ?
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GE clear silicone. That is what is used to attach granite countertops in kitchens, and you will have the added bonus of resilience. The up side is that if you ever need to remove the granite the silicone can be easily cut with a utility knife!Sources: Technics SL1200MKII | SME3009 Tonearm | Monster Alpha 1 MC cartridge | Oppo UDP203 disk player | Nikko NT-790 analog tuner | Musical Fidelity Trivista 21 DAC | Preamp: Threshold SL-10 | Amplifier: Threshold Stasis 2 | Speakers: Snell Acoustics C/V | Kimber 12-TC bi wire speakers | Analysis plus Oval 1 preamp to amp | Wireworld Eclipse 7 DAC to Preamp | Wireworld eclipse digital IC Oppo to DAC | Audioquest Quartz tuner to preamp |
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I really doubt corrosion will be a problem. If the worry is that much, neoprene washers under the stainless steel washers and make the holes in the aluminum larger than the bolts. If they aren't touching, it won't matter.
Another option is to get aluminum bolts. They are out there, they use them for marine applications and such. They are more expensive and not as nicely finished as stainless steel though. Might have to get them online.
http://www.aluminumfastener.com/Expert Moron Extraordinaire
You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you!
