Will this welder work for now

admin

I am starting my shop where I will flip cars needing "minor" repairs, and the thing that is slowing me down the most is stripped bolts.  I want a welder that I can use to weld, a cheap allen socket to a stripped torx bolt, or a fresh nut onto a rounded off bolt.  I've a few bolts I need to do, but I have to do it as cheap as possible since I spent SO much on things to get these bolts out without them working.I am looking at a 79.99 stick welder from northern tool, or I can rent a flux wirefeed without gas for four hours for 39.99.That said for now I don't have any experience actually welding, but I will buy a nice MIG for building a race car, in a few months.  I just can't afford it till I sell a car or two.  Here is the link for the cheap NT welder, will it do what I need.  Weld stuff onto bolts so I can get them out?  Thats all I need a welder for right now.http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...age-_-ProductsOr would a product like this alumiweld be better for me.  http://www.alumiweld.com/h2uaw.html  I find it hard to believe aluminum would stay hard enough, in as many places as I get stripped bolts to work though.Thank you, I am ready to pull the trigger TODAY, cause I need that Mercedes GONE.
Reply:Sometimes you can grind the heads off and that will relieve enough pressure to turn out the remaining bolt with vise grips.  I prefer TIG or mig for welding nuts onto stripped bolts.My name's not Jim....
Reply:How bout a gassless "mig" (flux wire), the harbor freight over here sell those pretty cheap fairly often.  I see how wire inherently should work better due to its thickness.  Unless there is another benefit to mig/tig, other than the shielding gas making things run smoother.  This will pretty much be the only thing I use this welder on, since I don't have any heavy welding planned till after I buy a much nicer $700+ Mig.I cant get in there to cut the head off either of the two that are holding me back.  I'm kinda hoping that after a few times, this will be my new goto tool for these things, they slow me down so much, I find it hard to believe anyone else is getting work done.
Reply:A carbide burr and die grinder will go anywhere a welder will...My name's not Jim....
Reply:I can't get to the base of the bolt head.  Its a female torx with the teeth torn out.  I can put an allen socket in there and weld it to the inside of the head.
Reply:Dont get a cheap flux welder... i am not a HF fan but this is actually a nice little machine (i have one) http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=91110 a 2 year 90 day warranty is only 20 bucks when you buy one too... i have had mine for about 2 months and have welded with it alot with out a single problem.
Reply:no answer huh?  I guess I'll check the wire feeds at HF before I pay for the NT.  I can see how a wirefeed would be better for need at the moment.
Reply:It sounds to me like you already made up your mind.... I personally wouldn't even attempt what you want to do with good flux core wire in a good welder, let alone a junk one.  I wouldn't touch a bolt less than a 1/2" in diameter with a stick welder either.My name's not Jim....
Reply:Sorry silverado, you must've put that in at the same time I did.  I'm seriously in trouble with these bolts though.  After spending 49 dollars on a carbide bit it better work but I honestly don't see how it could work because I don't have room for a die grinder.  I barely have room for a 90 degree  drill adapter, and the drill bits keep snaping off without even scratching the bolt.  I'm out of option unless I want to pay 200 to have this car towed to and from a machine shop.  For the love of god
Reply:Are you talking about a cap screw like this?If so have you tried a stripped bolt remover?http://www.sears.com/shc/s/search_10...Name=&x=11&y=6.No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:THANK YOU GOD!!Someone here is kinda listening to me. Yeah thats the one, and  Yeah I have removers, I only have room for a 90 degree adapter and the removers themselves aren't doing anything.  I have used the kind where you drill a hole and then install the remover with success before, so I know how they looking when they are working.  That said I can't drill a hole into this bolt.  I bought a new "more powerful" drill and every thing just for this job.  The bits are snapping.the bolt looks yellow so I'm getting scared its some kind of toughened bolt, but then how did I break the teeth out so easy? With this bolt even if I could cut some of the base away some how (I can't) I would still need a good amount of torque, that I can't get with the teeth stripped.  I was able to hammer an SAE allen in there but it just camed out.
Reply:I think I know the type you are speaking of, but thats not the type I was refering to. I was thinking about these or posibly the wrench type that are similar or even the special wrenches.If you can weld a nut to the bolt, one of these should work also most likely. I've used the 1st set frequently. I've never tried the dedicated wrenches. I'd try penetrating oil and heat/cold to see if you can get it to loosen a bit as well (not all at once or in that order).No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:I don't have room for a wrench, even if I knew how those wrenches would work on an allen like this.  That said I think there might be a chance of there being enough room to get one of those first, sockets on one the stripped bolts, but definitely not on the other.  It is way too recessed for any socket to go around it.  Which is why it is allen in the first place.
Reply:Sorry, Out of ideas at this point. Without seeing it I can't make any other suggestions. If you want to try and weld you're going to need more room than it sounds like you've got. I'd start taking more parts off to get more room or start cutting replaceable brackets.As far as saving money on a tow, Have you looked at what say a Uhaul car dolly might cost? Rent it, tow the car to the place and wait for them to finish and tow it back..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:This sucks so much ***, I don't have a truck. I feel like I could easily get a mig nozzle in there and pull the trigger welding an allen socket on there.  but who the hell knows.  I just tried to cut the assembly and blew up a cutting disc.would it even weld if i had room.  with what, stick, flux wire? or would it HAVE to be the fancy rental unit.would a hardened bolt weld to a cheap (steel i guess) allen socket?  I went to buy the 99 dollar welder, and couldn't do it after how every one acted on here.  Like crazy or something.  using a welder to make two pieces of metal be attached to each other.  thats witchcraft, i don't even give a damn any more
Reply:I've only been working on this bolt for two weeks
Reply:If you added your location to the user CP we'd all know where you were at. Perhaps someone's nearby and can help you out..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:sorry to snap. I'm in a dallas suburb, hurst.
Reply:The red is the bolt, the allen socket goes inside the bolt.  The black is the "block" I cannot get between the bolt and the block to do anything.  Even a regular socket has a wall that is too think to fit in there.  which is why the bolt is an allen bolt
Reply:1.  Is it possible to post a picture of the offending fastener?  This is a very disjointed set of posts.  2.  From your drawing it is countersunk in possibly cast iron of maybe the engine block or the head?3.  Is it counter sunk where you cannot get a grip on it with a very good pair of visegrips?4.. Have you rapped on the head of the bolt to shock the threads?5.  Have you heated the head to try to remove the temper of hardened bolt head to enable you to drill?6.  Are you using drill bits the are larger than the head or smaller ones that are fitting inside the broken teeth and causing them to catch on the teeth and break your bit?Last edited by 59halfstep; 11-04-2009 at 08:37 PM.Charlie
Reply:OK rapid fire,1.  Not tonight2.  I think it is 98% probably a cast iron block, but it is a 1997 3.  I pounded a larger allen into the hole, but it stripped out too4.  No, but I will, does that actually work?5.  Smaller, no room for anything longer, there are NO teeth at this point I have stripped it out like three times now metric allen, torx, sae allen.
Reply:Now does heating the bolt remove the hardness permanently or just while it is hot?  Cause I was thinking, what if I hit it with a torch, let it cool, then the bolt remover you showed, all the while torching the area around the bolt.
Reply:I've been drilling out bolts and screws for 30 years including 220,000psi+ tensile aerospace hardware. I have yet to find a bolt that can't be drilled with a sharp high quality cobalt drill and proper drill technique. And there are better alloys than that as far as drills go. Chicago Latrobe is a favourite brand of drill but there are many other fine brands.Tough as nails and damn near as smart
Reply:If you have room from the top, I'd set a larger nut over the torx (sp) head and plug weld the nut to the torx. You get your heat affect that way too. Walk off and let it finish expanding and contracting , or heat it even further with your torch then let the thing cool before trying to back it out.
Reply:that sounds easy enough, but it seems like everyone else just finished telling me NOT to do that.  could it be done with a cheapo stick welder? or even a gassless hobart 140 I can rentThis is what Sandy is talking about.  Place nut over bolt head and plug weld.This wasn't a Torx head bolt but the concept is the same.  Done with MIG (solid wire and gas).MM200 w/Spoolmatic 1Syncrowave 180SDBobcat 225G Plus - LP/NGMUTT Suitcase WirefeederWC-1S/Spoolmatic 1HF-251D-1PakMaster 100XL '68 Red Face Code #6633 projectStar Jet 21-110Save Second Base!
Reply:Originally Posted by SandyIf you have room from the top, I'd set a larger nut over the torx (sp) head and plug weld the nut to the torx. You get your heat affect that way too. Walk off and let it finish expanding and contracting , or heat it even further with your torch then let the thing cool before trying to back it out.
Reply:looks like Duanne was posting at the same time I was posting.I am what I am, Deal with it!If necessity is the Mother of Invention, I must be the Father of Desperation!
Reply:Originally Posted by dabar39looks like Duanne was posting at the same time I was posting.
Reply:i have had pretty good luck by plug welding a washer first onto the stud and then weld a nut to the washer. you can do this with a small MiG or small stick, depending on your capabilities.millermatic 200 millermatic 150miller bluestar 2Epurox / oxweld O/A
Reply:Well I've never welded before, but I am hella good soldering electronics.  Thats a totally different world though, I just bring it up cause I might be a natural, then again maybe not.  Dude where were you guys last night?  This is exactly what I was talking about, the washer and all.  What are my chances of pulling this off with flux wire, in a hobart 140?  Unless I can rent a small bottle of shielding gas for a day too.
Reply:What are my chances of pulling this off with flux wire, in a hobart 140?
Reply:Now that you have your answer regarding the welding technique (great photos and annotations Dabar39), you might want to look back at the post from "tresi" who gave you some great advice that was never commented on.  You earlier complained that the carbide drills weren't working and were breaking, but you apparently didn't try a COBALT bit.  They are the way to go when drilling out stuck bolts, not carbide which, as you commented, are prone to breakage.  You can resharpen the cobalt bits if they dull.  I have tried drilling many broken head and crankcase bolts out of engines and manifolds and, although I often try carbides, they seldom work as well as the cobalts. Just my personal (and apparently tresi's) opinion and experience.DougMiller Syncrowave 350Millermatic 252/ 30A spoolgunMiller Bobcat 225g w/ 3545 spoolgunLincoln PowerArc4000Lincoln 175 Mig  Lincoln 135 Mig Everlast 250EX TigCentury ac/dc 230 amp stickVictor O/AHypertherm 1000 plasma
Reply:You must be running way to fast rpm with the drill for it to break like that. Either that or its hardened steel. How fast were you running it at? I cant see why you shouldn't be able to drill the head out. You might be doing something wrong.Pictures would help.
Reply:I have confirmed it is a metric 10.8 hardened bolt.  Big post coming in a minute.  Pics tomorrow I hope.
Reply:forgive this being hard to read, I'm trying to give as much info as I can so it is really wordy.So where to begin?  The story is:  I have to remove the front timing cover to get to the variable valve timing mechanism, so I can mark and adjust its position before pulling the head.  So I have to take the fan and the belt off.  The belt was easy, the bearing(sp?) for the fan is mounted on the front timing cover with the bolts blocked by the pulley.  After spending 70 bucks on the flat wrench to do this, the bolt that holds the pulley on, that no less than 3 "certified" Mercedes mechanics told me was allen strips out cause its TORX.  Insult to injury, along with the allen SOCKET set I used, I HAVE TORX sockets.  Thats bolt one. WAY WAY WAY recessed.SO I pull the radiator and condenser.  Buy a drill to replace my stolen one, and 90 degree kit, and I still only have room for this tiny bit because mercedes routes the power steering lines in front of the condenser in a way that takes all the space, to cool the fluid.  This can't be removed without pulling the fender.  The bit is snapping. Next I figured that if pulled ALL the other brackets at the same time it would make just enough space to back the bolts out a little bit at a time.  This goes well and I get all the bolts out but one TORX bolt which I thought would be allen (entirely my own fault) and it stripped too.  Its on the front of the engine and I have the same amount of room to drill, and it IS recessed but I have a little room to get to the face.  I think I could mig this if I had one.At this point I decided to call the race "team" and call in all my favors to get the mig welder we were going to use, early.  I got about 500 to drop on this thing.  So I am looking at a hobart 140 for $470 which is under the 150 amp recommendation, but is the highest power 120volt I can get easily.  Or a hobart 187 for 450, but the only 220 I have in the garage where the car is (temp) right now is the drier plug in the garage with a twist lock.  My actual shop if the landlord will quit screwing me and either get his stuff out or give me my deposit back, has 220, so thats not a problem except it doesn't really help me RIGHT NOW!
Reply:Originally Posted by comrade904forgive this being hard to read, I'm trying to give as much info as I can so it is really wordy.So where to begin?  The story is:  I have to remove the front timing cover to get to the variable valve timing mechanism, so I can mark and adjust its position before pulling the head.  So I have to take the fan and the belt off.  The belt was easy, the bearing(sp?) for the fan is mounted on the front timing cover with the bolts blocked by the pulley.  After spending 70 bucks on the flat wrench to do this, the bolt that holds the pulley on, that no less than 3 "certified" Mercedes mechanics told me was allen strips out cause its TORX.  Insult to injury, along with the allen SOCKET set I used, I HAVE TORX sockets.  Thats bolt one. WAY WAY WAY recessed.SO I pull the radiator and condenser.  Buy a drill to replace my stolen one, and 90 degree kit, and I still only have room for this tiny bit because mercedes routes the power steering lines in front of the condenser in a way that takes all the space, to cool the fluid.  This can't be removed without pulling the fender.  The bit is snapping. Next I figured that if pulled ALL the other brackets at the same time it would make just enough space to back the bolts out a little bit at a time.  This goes well and I get all the bolts out but one TORX bolt which I thought would be allen (entirely my own fault) and it stripped too.  Its on the front of the engine and I have the same amount of room to drill, and it IS recessed but I have a little room to get to the face.  I think I could mig this if I had one.At this point I decided to call the race "team" and call in all my favors to get the mig welder we were going to use, early.  I got about 500 to drop on this thing.  So I am looking at a hobart 140 for $470 which is under the 150 amp recommendation, but is the highest power 120volt I can get easily.  Or a hobart 187 for 450, but the only 220 I have in the garage where the car is (temp) right now is the drier plug in the garage with a twist lock.  My actual shop if the landlord will quit screwing me and either get his stuff out or give me my deposit back, has 220, so thats not a problem except it doesn't really help me RIGHT NOW!
Reply:Actually as far as I can tell untill I actually get to that.  I believe that is what I'm going to do.  except that supposedly the intake cam pulley on the dual cam I-6 can be spun on the cam freely once its loosened, and installed in any position.  So I have to set the tensioned right before I mark the pulley
Reply:i have a small nt welder and it works good for small projects but i have a problem with the rod sticking all good things in time i like my little nt welder
Reply:Or a hobart 187 for 450, but the only 220 I have in the garage where the car is (temp) right now is the drier plug in the garage with a twist lock.
Reply:Yeah, you know thats kinda what I was thinking, theoretically the that should happen is that I might blow a breaker.  and I should easily be able to make it for less than 50 bucks from stuff at the lowes.
Reply:904, please do remember to connect the ground clamp as close to the bolt as you can and disconnect the battery to protect the electronic module that runs the engine. If not, you’ll have another expensive problem to deal with.I like the plug weld nut fix, flux core will run hotter and no gas to fiddle with. Good luck.