Auto Shot Stud Welder

[gzig5]

I picked up a used H&S Auto Shot stud welder and slide hammer and am looking for input on which studs/pins to buy. There are the standard 2.2 mm and heavy 2.6 mm. Apparently aftermarket ones are in 2.0 and 2.5mm. The thicker ones are supposed to take more force and that's what I would typically go with, because more is better, right? Before I jump in, I thought I'd pose the question though. The obviously make two different ones for a reason. Are there jobs that one will do and the other won't? Not the end of the world to spend $20/500 for each size but if one does 90% what the other does, I probably could squeek by. Initial use will be on a big crease in a door skin and fender nose around the headlight.

Representative product
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002FZJ806/?tag=fabo03-20

 

[CFD244]

I use the heavy ones. They work good for everything I have used them for.

Consider buying, or making a "Pogo". I rarely use my slide hammer and made myself a pogo, and use it all the time. It allows you to apply gentle upward pressure along the crease, while massaging the high spots around the crease downward.



Make sure that the stud holder and copper ring are clean as that is the circuit. And..........Practice on a similar gauge metal prior to your project to get the feel as to how long to pull the trigger. It doesn't take much. Good luck.

Oh yea.........If you are going to apply several in a row, make sure you cool the metal with compressed air as you go. The metal will do all sorts of weird and wonderful things if you don't.

 

[6PakBee]

Maybe I don't know what I am doing but when I've tried the heavy pins on later sheet metal they just pull a hole out. So I've been using the heavy pins on earlier cars with thicker skins and the light pins on later models stamped out of steel foil. But again, I might not know what I'm doing.

 

[gzig5]

That was a concern too. Doubt I’ll be working on anything newer than 1975 though. Got some 2.6 but will probably snag some 2.2 at some point