Tried a stud welder on a rusted panel and it actually worked

I spent years thinking stud welders were a gimmick for dent pullers. Last month I had a 2005 Camry door with dime-sized rust holes and nothing was holding. Broke down and borrowed a Mac Tools stud welder from a buddy at the shop. Pulled those holes right out and filled them with no warping. Anyone else sleep on these things for way too long?

2 comments

2 Comments

blair_green861mo ago

The heat sink thing nobody talks about is how stud welders keep the backside paint intact. With a drill you're burning through the back side of the panel every time. I welded up a hatch on a Subaru without disturbing the interior carpet once. Plus no tiny metal shavings getting into the door frame to rust later.

kevin_hernandez831mo ago

Man I was the exact same way. Called them overpriced pop rivet guns for years. Now I feel like a dummy for all the time I spent drilling out spot welds.