Hi all,
am considering buying a stud welder, mostly to repair a hard-to-find oil pan with a built-in windage tray, but I figure it'll come in handy in the future.
I've never used one, nor known anyone that had one, so please don't laugh at the dumb questions...
1) are they typically self-contained, or do you need to already have an arc welder to use one?2) can someone recommend a good brand for an occasional hobbyist user, hopefully at an "occasional hobbyist" price point?
thanks
nate
Stud welder, or spot welder? I may be way off, but I can't think of what you'd need a stud welder for in that repair.
Stud welder - Welds little puller pins to sheet metal for pulling dents
Spot welder - has tongs that clamp on either side of two pieces of sheet metal and melts a spot together
Both are typically self contained.
For a low use homeowner the HF units would probably be OK. One of the guys in the dept has one of the clamp units. Seems to work OK BUT they have limited tong shapes. Haven't looked to see if they are the same as my antique one yet.... The larger HF stud gun works as well as the unit I have that came from Blackhawk a LONG time ago. It's actually quite a bit lighter as well. That can make a big difference if your pulling a long crease.
I see they have also started to carry the spot gun and solenoid stick attachments that Eastwood has had for a long time. That spot gun is the same one that I first bought to do some quarter panel work back in the lats 70's. Does a pretty nice job for as simple as it is.
Don't know anyone who owns the sheet metal solenoid gadget.
I was thinking stud welder; bottom of pan is inaccessable from inside. According to seller, the pan is dented on the bottom. I figured I could repair it one of two ways:
1) use stud welder to pull the dents out from outside. 2) cut out the windage tray, repair conventionally, then weld windage tray back in.Since I don't have a welder at all (well, I do have a MIG but it is 4+ hours away from me) I was thinking the stud welder might be the way to go, plus then I'd have it for future bodywork needs.
nate
Harbor Freight, of all people, used to sell small stud welder made by JSC Kars in Armenia. They've discontinued the whole line, but if you can find one, they were very cheap, built pretty solidly, and worked quite well. Hopefully someone else is reselling them now.
--scott
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.