Customer Reviews for Bernzomatic 12 in. Aluminum Brazing and Welding Rods

I needed to braze two aluminum 2x2 inch extrusion elbow joints together for solidity. I tried another brand which did not melt until the aluminum did. I bought the Bernzomatic AL3 rods and they worked properly. I used an infrared thermometer during heating of the aluminum with a MAP gas torch to monitor the heating process. It took longer than I expected for the aluminum to get up to 730F but when it was finally there, the application of the rod went smoothly like soldering. The result is a rock solid weld so I'm good with this.

I used these to repair a broken boat prop and they work extremely well. Much cheaper than a new prop. I highly recommend these.. extremely easy to use.

Very useful for aluminum boat repair. Did what I needed it to. Best to get an extra pack or two because it takes practice to get it right.

If you use these rods by themselves, they will work, but they will not adhere to the aluminum very well. I did several tests and although the joint held without stress, I was able to break the test joint apart fairly easily with some pliers. The 'solder' produced by the rods just doesn't adhere well to the aluminum, no matter how well I brushed or cleaned the surface. After watching a YouTube video by a company that sells aluminum brazing flux and rods, I tried some powdered brazing flux with these rods to see if the flux helped. Massive improvement. The flux turned to liquid when the aluminum was hot enough, and when the brazing rod melted on the joint, the flux pulled it into the joint with capillary action. The resulting brazed joint had a smooth surface, like a smooth weld, and the solder flowed on both sides. The resulting joint using powdered flux was so strong that I was unable to tear it apart. The aluminum tore around the joint while the brazing held strong. So when used with flux, these rods produce a very strong joint. If you need to braze aluminum in a pinch and can't wait to for flux and more economical rods to arrive in the mail, these rods will work, but not very well. I highly recommend getting some aluminum brazing flux, as it makes a huge difference. While these only costs $4, $2 per brazing rod is quite expensive, so if you are going to the effort of getting some brazing flux, you can also get a pack of a few dozen rods from the same source for just a few dollars more.

The pricing of these Brazing Rods is absolutely ridiculous. They do as they are supposed to but at that price you’d expect them to create fairy dust

It. Was. Great. Woking. We the. Aluminum fast to weld

Waaay too expensive just for 2 rods but I needed to finish a job. Won't buy again. For a couple dollars more, could've bought a 12 pak of Hobart's but none available locally.

Didn’t work as expected.

It did not melt with MAP gas.

Worked fine for the need which they were purchased.

You need to carry higher quality aluminum rods to truly fix AC coils. They are cheap….

Used for brazing and silver soldering, works as expected

Purchased for two different situations. One was to fill a hole and build up a wear area on a vertical surface, the other was to adhere to pieces of aluminum on an inside corner. thoroughly cleaned all surfaces with a band new stainless steel brush and acetone. I found it marginally successful to build up material on the vertical surface; it would just flow down and fall off. Some material did stick to the aluminum but I wasn't able to fill the hole after multiple attempts. I had even less success attempting to braze the inside corner. I initially thought it worked well, but as soon as I put any pressure on the joint, it became apparent that there was no adhesion to the aluminum stock. Even though the instructions say no flux is required, I wonder if that would have made a difference.

The MAP torch and this aluminum welding rod work very well together, and once you get used to the amount of heat you need on to melt both surfaces. When you practice a couple times , make sure the surfaces are cllean . you have a super strong weld. It isn't perfect and will take some cleanup filing or sanding to look professional..

Very easy to use and worked well on 80 psi tube.

Used up a whole bottle of propane and still failed making it work. The rod became soft and broke into 1/4” pieces unevenly and was far from melting and didn’t show up any sign of getting bonded to the surface of a 1/2” aluminum pipe. The performance is no way as the demo video exhibits. The only way it might work is that we would have to use it to solder an empty soda can as video demos which would be a joke in the real world. The homedepot still sells it, the misleading video still exists. Less experienced average people still pay the tuitions of buying and trying many fringe products in the shelves in the Home Depots with the believe that Home Depot would not trick customers by offering unqualified products and not telling you how to make it work. However, the Home Depot benefits from this, doesn’t it? I am exhausted and mentally hurt by running into the experience here。

There are only 2 rods in here. I could not get them to melt with aluminum. The tent poles fell apart before these rods started to melt. Total waste of time and Money. I found another way to fix the poles. Aluminum is tough and the metal was thin, but these have zero value.

Looks like a professional did the job and this is a great product

Rating provided by a verified purchaser

Works great for light duty repairs on smaller aluminum parts (doesn't work on pot metal, zinc alloy). Melts and flows very nice at around 750 F. Very strong bond, but not as strong as aluminum welding, so don't recommend for structural or mission-critical repairs. Larger workpieces need extensive pre heating for proper application though. Recommend MAPP has or large propane torch for larger pieces.

Worked okay. I found a better product online.