filling body trim holes

[nvlandshark]

Can you use silver solder to fill in body trim holes? If not, it there a good metal filler to accomplish this without welding? Thanks

[raygreenwood]

Look at Eastwoods site. Their body solder is a good alternative. Lead free so you can sand it and lower temperature usage than silver solder.


http://www.eastwood.com/ew-basic-lead-f ... h-dvd.html
Ray

[fusername]

here ya go

[crvc]

If you live where temperature extremes occur, the expanding and contracting metal could eventually cause the patches to fall out. Patching the holes with a magnet, a copper penny and a mig is pretty easy.

[nvlandshark]

crvc,
can you explain a little more please. I'm not familiar with this method of patching holes.
Thanks.

[Chris V]

A "MIG" is a welder - and the important part of the equation is the copper...you place it behind the hole because the filler-wire will not stick to it while you weld...the magnet holds the copper to the panel.

[crvc]

I've got the cheapest mig welder they make. Probably cost $100 from Harbor Freight, uses flux-wire which doesn't require gas. I use a strong magnet to hold a penny against the backside of the hole, then slowly fill the hole by tapping the penny with the mig tip til I've built up a solid mound of weld, then grind level with a hand grinder. If the grinding exposes any gaps I fill them with more weld then re-grind. It's a slow process but a permanent fix. Works for any holes that penny can cover.

kevin

[nvlandshark]

I have the same welder as you do. That seems like a trick way to plug the holes. I'm guessing that the penny becoms part of the patch and remains? Do you have any pictures of the process. What setting do you use on the welder? Thanks!!

[david58]

I have the same welder as you do. That seems like a trick way to plug the holes. I'm guessing that the penny becoms part of the patch and remains? Do you have any pictures of the process. What setting do you use on the welder? Thanks!!

Let's see a video. PLEASE.

[sideshow]

Another low-dollar trick is to use nails, pull one through the hole and weld the shank to the body. The head helps to keep heat and fills the hole.

[crvc]

I have the same welder as you do. That seems like a trick way to plug the holes. I'm guessing that the penny becoms part of the patch and remains? Do you have any pictures of the process. What setting do you use on the welder? Thanks!!

No, the reason for the penny is that weld doesn't stick to it. Once the weld has cooled, pull the magnet and the penny falls off. At that point you can add weld to the inside, if needed. Sorry, I didn't take any photos. I bought the magnet at Ace Hardware for $3. I used the lowest setting on the welder. I tapped the tip onto the penny over-and over leaving tiny individual droplets of weld. You can do this vertically because the magnet is holding the weld in place while it cools on the penny. Eventually there's enough droplets that they begin to coalesce into a pool. Like I said, it's a slow process. Because the welder uses flux wire instead of inert gas, it's harder to control the heat and easier to burn through and end up with an even bigger hole. Like most things, it gets easier with practice so you might wanna try it on scrap metal at first. I found it much easier to do in winter in my unheated garage; I live in Wyoming. In summer I tended to make bigger holes.

kevin

[raygreenwood]

If you live where temperature extremes occur, the expanding and contracting metal could eventually cause the patches to fall out. Patching the holes with a magnet, a copper penny and a mig is pretty easy.

Thats true of basic solder...but I have used the Eastwood body solder. If its kept properly thin...menaing being used properly, it has no expansion and contraction issues.

But you are 100% correct that mig with a copper backing is the very best.

So other than the difficulty handling the lack of shield gas....how do you like that welder? Does it seem like its worth the money? Its a decent price. Ray

[crvc]

If you live where temperature extremes occur, the expanding and contracting metal could eventually cause the patches to fall out. Patching the holes with a magnet, a copper penny and a mig is pretty easy.

Thats true of basic solder...but I have used the Eastwood body solder. If its kept properly thin...menaing being used properly, it has no expansion and contraction issues.

But you are 100% correct that mig with a copper backing is the very best.

So other than the difficulty handling the lack of shield gas....how do you like that welder? Does it seem like its worth the money? Its a decent price. Ray

Beggars can't be choosers. It's the cheapest model Harbor Freight sells. In fact it was on a table at the back of the store with the other clearance items. So I didn't need gas tanks. The tradeoff is flux wire costs ten times as much as regular mig wire. I live at 7000ft above sea level so I assume there's less oxygen to cause burn-throughs. I don't know whether that's significant compared with sea level. For every new spool I lose several yards of wire because it won't stay tight on the spool. It springs off and coils on itself. So I found it works best to remove the outer inch of wire from the spool. It's messy and wasteful but an example of just how cheap the model is. Also it only accepts one particular width of wire. Anything thicker or thinner doesn't feed into the gun.

I'm probably done with rebuilding bugs. But if I wanted to take on another project I'd spend the money on a better model.

kevin

[DannyK]

A "MIG" is a welder - and the important part of the equation is the copper...you place it behind the hole because the filler-wire will not stick to it while you weld...the magnet holds the copper to the panel.

Dang, why didn't I think of that ? Thanks guys !

[doc]

Couple of comments:

- If you can find some copper tubing (available at all plumbing supplies or pretty easily scavenged in the small pieces you're looking for - 3/8" - 1"), You can cut off a small piece and pound it flat with a hammer. Use it as a backer to fill holes just like the penny. Has the advantage of being bigger and thicker and bendable to conform to curves.

- I have used the gasless HF welder and it will do the job, but is enormously inferior to any gas welder. Hard to beat the price, though. If there is any possibility of saving for a better welder, do it.

- I have the HF MIG 151 gas welder. It is about the only HF purchase I have ever regretted. It does the job but the feed mechanism stinks causing frequent wire jams and the heat control has only four positions which is very inferior to welders with the infinitely variable controls. My HF welder, after all the necessary add-ons, cost about $450. A comparable Lincoln or Miller would cost $700-$800 dollars. I have many times regretted not going for the quality unit. This is definitely one of those life time buys that it pays to go for the quality brand.

doc