Spot welder attachment for an Arc welder

[stevec2004]

Hello all,I just joined as I've got hold of a MIG welder and I am trying to teach myself to weld before having a go on my Mustang.Whilst looking on ebay for a spot welder I came across this and wondered if anyone has used one or similar and are they any good for spot welding car panels?
Thanks Steve

 

[themininut]

I have one and just can't get on with it, i prefer putting a hold in one panel and doing a plug weld with the mig.

The spot gun just seems to blow holes whenever i use it, might be just me though. I've had the odd decent weld from it but they are few and far between!

M.

 

[stevec2004]

Thanks,I've asked in a few places and this is the first reply.So not worth wasting the £30 then.I thought I might have found an easy way out but it looks like I'll have to practise my MIG welding a bit more

 

[pidgeon chit welder]

Hello all,I just joined as I've got hold of a MIG welder and I am trying to teach myself to weld before having a go on my Mustang.Whilst looking on ebay for a spot welder I came across this and wondered if anyone has used one or similar and are they any good for spot welding car panels?
Thanks Steve

Wow .... they have gone from £ 3.60 ? ( Halfords ...name of Kelarc ? in 1979 up to £27.00. in 2010 ( price has done the average inflation to get to £27 ).

I have used one on many occasions on thin mild steel . If you cannot afford a proper spot weld they will do at a push . Old zinc electrolyte U2 torch batteries had a carbon electrode that fitted if you needed a spare electrode .. don't know if they are available now adays .

Play on some scrap first , use " G " clamps to close the metals near an edge or make up a big wooden 2x2 timber washing /sugar tong principle clamp for deep inside places and use the " G " clamp to close it tight .

The more you practice the easier it gets start low current and build up slowly till you get it right.

I did how ever find most times that for difficult places it was easier to hollow pop rivet on every other 2 to 3 inches and weld or braze the intermediate holes , then drill out the rivets and weld/braze them

 

[stevec2004]

Thanks for the reply,it looks like I'll splash out the £30 and have a practise then You can get five of the rods for £5.25 so it looks like I won't have to go around stripping down batteries as well

 

[Toscane]

Maybe this is going to be a little off topic but...

Are those bumpy welds made by a spot welder on this truck?

 

[Robotstar5]

Are you sure they aren't rivets?

 

[Toscane]

Actually, I am not sure at all but sometimes I see these old Land Rovers and their panels are held together with these kind of bumpy, round welds on all the joining lines. A couple of weeks ago, I saw one parked at the mall, it was restored pretty successfully and it looked like a round tack welds, under the paint. I used the truck photo above as a reference.

 

[pidgeon chit welder]

Without looking at a picture you appear to be describing :-

That is where they have used a parallel arm spot welder , closed & welded the metals from both sides at manufacture you get a slight depression of metal at the weld point where it has melted whilst under pressure.

I would say that to try and spot weld old material made of aluminium would see you go barmy trying to get it clean enough for the spot
weld to be successful.

Blind end pop rivets were what we used when repairing /replacing such damaged panels , then a wee bit of filler was used to fill the open end of the rivet where the nail had been pulled out.

www.series2rebuild.net/pictures/main.php?g2_itemId=1944


The left lower side of the picture shows some spot welds in the aluminium

 

[Robotstar5]

I see these old Land Rovers and their panels are held together with these kind of bumpy, round welds on all the joining lines.

Those are rivets, that's what made me ask

 

[Dragonetti]

spot weld attachments for an arc welder

To get back to the original thread....
Am I right in thinking you have a mig welder? If so, how about buying a spot welding shroud, I have one of these and have had good results with it, and it won't break the bank.
Ron