How to fill holes?

admin

I am planning on getting a welder soon, but what to make sure I have the right tools for the job. I ripped some brackets off my 94 camaro that held the seats, seat belts, t-tops, etc. in place.  They were spot welded on, and in some cases, when I pried them off, they left holes in the sheet metal below.  The holes are about 1/4" in diameter.  Would I need to cut out little tiny pieces of metal to fill these holes, or would I be able to build up enough material to fill them in with a mig?Thanks!
Reply:Make sure you get a real MIG.  Using C-25 (or similar mix), .023" (even .030" would be okay) solid wire, and some copper backing plates, you can patiently fill in the holes.
Reply:Similar to this?http://cgi.ebay.com/COPPER-BACKING-P...QQcmdZViewItem
Reply:Sure, or just grab any piece of copper.  You can get a 1/2" copper pipe coupling, smash it in a vise, and save $30.
Reply:Hole filling like you describe with mig is pretty dang easy, you should have no problems after a bit of learning.If this is your first mig, and I suppose it must be since you asked the question (no offense intended), definitely do some practice pieces first with sheetmetal of the same gauge as what you'll be working with. It takes a little while for the whole process to 'click' in your brain.After that you can fill holes w/o even having a backing thingy, without *too* much trouble. You'll like it.- John
Reply:you can use aluminum too.  Not as clean as brass but it works, leaves a little aluminum at the bottom of the plugged hole.DewayneDixieland WeldingMM350PLincoln 100Some torchesOther misc. tools
Reply:Real MIG?  Flux core works just fine filling holes on sheet metal.
Reply:Once you get the hang of it, you can "make" metal with it.  Just run a short bead, let it cool, run another one........DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:It just makes sense to do these types of things the easy way if you have the resources available. Gmaw and a backup plate allow you to spend your energy on doing a nice tidy little job of filling the hole. If I had flux core on the machine I wouldn't necessarily change for a couple of holes but given a choice-----------.
Reply:I run C02 on my MIG. With .023 wire, there's nothing easier than filling holes in sheet metal. I use a light touch and enter the hole with the wire and rotate the gun to touch the sides here and there while tapping the switch. It will fill in quite quickly. A little grinding when finished and you're good to go. A copper plate will help also.Miller Millermatic 252Miller Syncrowave 200Liincoln AC-DC 225Victor O-A Set
Reply:Originally Posted by David ROnce you get the hang of it, you can "make" metal with it.  Just run a short bead, let it cool, run another one........David
Reply:All the above except stick with the gas mig welding. You should do great.Miller DVI2Lincoln Precision Tig 225Thermodynamics Cutmaster 38Everything else needed.