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Plug Welding Tool

CalgaryPT

CalgaryPT

Ultra Member
Vendor
Premium Member
I always used plug pliers, a copper paddle and welding magnets, or in some cases duct tape to hold things in place when plug welding hard to reach areas. You can't always reach around with 10 foot arms or bribe your wife into standing next to a MIG gun.

I never thought this tool would be as useful as all my MacGyver hacks, but I was wrong. I think it has become my new favourite shop tool. It attaches with a magnet to the sheet/plate and has a thumbscrew adjustment to hold it tight against the hole. Works like a charm.

For the record, I've never plug weld a 1" hold like in the pic...this was more to show how it works.

plug1.jpg
plug.jpg
plug2.jpg
 
Yup, $45. I thought one of the tool stores would have them but nope, maybe not enough turnover for them.
 
YotaBota said:
Yup, $45. I thought one of the tool stores would have them but nope, maybe not enough turnover for them.
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Yeah, I looked elsewhere as well because I knew I had a bunch of plug welding coming up. I did find a cheaper one somewhere in the USA, but the reviews of it were bad. They all said the metal was thin gauge and bent with just a little pressure on the thumbscrew. This one is pretty robust and heavy. Sometimes these unique tools are just plain pricey and you either pay for it or not. It's a luxury no doubt, but I've used it a bunch already and glad I spent the money. The magnet is quiet strong on it, so that made me feel like i didn't get ripped off too much.
 
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I know some people just spray anti-splatter on to a steel backer plate, but that sometimes leaks on to the steel you are trying to weld. Then the plug won't be secure.

Nice thing about copper paddles/plug weld tools is that you can just weld in a circle from outside to inside and get a beautiful plug that just needs minimal sanding to blend in perfectly. Great technique for doing body panels/firewalls in cars. Easy to learn with just a few tries and look like a pro.
 
Dad had a big copper bar, 1"x3"x12",that he would use as a backstop when replacing grousers on cat tracks. It would get a little warm after a while but that's what gloves and water are for.
 
YotaBota said:
Dad had a big copper bar, 1"x3"x12",that he would use as a backstop when replacing grousers on cat tracks. It would get a little warm after a while but that's what gloves and water are for.
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Yup...same principle, just super-sized compared to the stuff this tool will do. What your dad did was also a great heat sink for big jobs and hard facing I understand.
 
Thanks calgaryPT! Just ordered same one... 47.00 delivered tomorrow from amazon, got some holes in firewall to do and my “juryriggin” taking way too long!
 
Bfb123 said:
Thanks calgaryPT! Just ordered same one... 47.00 delivered tomorrow from amazon, got some holes in firewall to do and my “juryriggin” taking way too long!
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Good for you. You know how sometimes you think you're so smart with your MacGyver moves and then you find someone who invented the perfect tool for the job? That's how I felt when I found this thing.

Happy plug welding :)
 
Tom Kitta said:
Good to know weld does not stick to copper! Thanks!
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Interesting eh? Your comment got me thinking....you can actually weld copper sheet with copper wire though. Twenty years ago when Jesse James hadn't reached the level of arrogance and stupidity that tanked his career, he did a special in between filming Motorcycle Mania and Monster Garage episodes. He went to Fay Butler's garage/barn and Fay taught him how to TIG a copper gas tank for a chopper. Fay is a famous fabricator with a fondness for old power hammers like Yoders.

I've never tried to TIG copper. But it was sure fun to watch. I've got the DVD of it buried somewhere with all my Monster Garage DVDs. But I did find the pic:

copper.jpg
 
CalgaryPT said:
Interesting eh? Your comment got me thinking....you can actually weld copper sheet with copper wire though. Twenty years ago when Jesse James hadn't reached the level of arrogance and stupidity that tanked his career, he did a special in between filming Motorcycle Mania and Monster Garage episodes. He went to Fay Butler's garage/barn and Fay taught him how to TIG a copper gas tank for a chopper. Fay is a famous fabricator with a fondness for old power hammers like Yoders.

I've never tried to TIG copper. But it was sure fun to watch. I've got the DVD of it buried somewhere with all my Monster Garage DVDs. But I did find the pic:

View attachment 7996
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I wonder how close aluminum and copper are to TIG? I didn’t know you could TIG copper
 
I tig welded an old brass lock back together 20 years ago for a tug boat door lock - still works fine :) Used a brazing rod with the flux knocked off -

The Aluminium you need the AC for tig... the brass thing was DC and I just worked at flowing the metals together
 
I TIG welded brass few times.

I also TIG welded copper at least once - I think I was plugging some hole & used copper electrical wire.

You just need practice with it and figure out proper power level due to metal wicking heat at a huge rate.
 
Brent H said:
I tig welded an old brass lock back together 20 years ago
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Nice...good job. I bet it looks good too.

PA actually sells Silicon Bronze MIG wire (https://www.princessauto.com/en/det...4rbFL-O5R7WREybcOiNYzWeaomGKjCEsaAslpEALw_wcB). I think the name is a bit misleading, because I think you are technically brazing, not welding. Either way, it is great on chromoly 41xx. I used it once to build a recumbent bike for a friend. At first I thought he would be upset because of the dissimilar metal colour as he said he wasn't going to paint it. But it looked so cool he loved it. I should really try some of these other metals though, especially copper. It's pretty easy with MIG, but more fun with TIG. I used to just cut off the wire from the spool and use it that way.

I have a big hunk of 3/16 plate left over that's maybe 30" x 20"—I always wanted to make a swing out table that's hinged to my welding bench, but lower. I'm off to CalFast this AM to get some of those weldable hinges. When I hurt my back years ago I found that using the TIG on the welding bench was a pain (literally). It was too awkward to stand at, and too tall to sit at. With a swing out bench I can use my TIG again and maybe try some of these techniques when sitting down. Silicon Bronze lets you "weld" dissimilar metals together nicely. A really cool artistic technique using plug welds (since we are on this thread) is to make a series of punched or drilled holes on a strip of metal (say 1" wide) and overlap it around a bent corner of a box. You then silicon bronze the plugs, sand and buff them, and you get a beautiful boxed corner with these silicon bronze plugs. Looks very industrial, but artistic.

Great video on silicon bronze TIG brazing here:

 
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I have lots of bronze rods and copper rods that are whopping 5 or 6mm thick - like more then 10lbs worth - got it from old shop that used them for gas brazing. Part of a lot. I also have lots of silicone bronze now. Probably lifetime worth.

I found TIG brazing a bit hard - I always seem to set the heat a bit too high.
 
Tom Kitta said:
I have lots of bronze rods and copper rods that are whopping 5 or 6mm thick - like more then 10lbs worth - got it from old shop that used them for gas brazing. Part of a lot. I also have lots of silicone bronze now. Probably lifetime worth.

I found TIG brazing a bit hard - I always seem to set the heat a bit too high.
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I used to too. Then someone told me to focus on melting the rod, not the base metal. That helped me a lot. Also, don't push the rod in and out of the puddle like you do with steel. It's more of a pulling motion within your gas bubble.

I must have the same amount of old steel rods that thick too. Too heavy for what I do, so I use them for painting. I have a chain strung across my garage. I bend the rod at both ends and hang painted parts from it to dry. They work great for linkages too.
 
CalgaryPT said:
Nice...good job. I bet it looks good too.

PA actually sells Silicon Bronze MIG wire (https://www.princessauto.com/en/det...4rbFL-O5R7WREybcOiNYzWeaomGKjCEsaAslpEALw_wcB). I think the name is a bit misleading, because I think you are technically brazing, not welding. Either way, it is great on chromoly 41xx. I used it once to build a recumbent bike for a friend. At first I thought he would be upset because of the dissimilar metal colour as he said he wasn't going to paint it. But it looked so cool he loved it. I should really try some of these other metals though, especially copper. It's pretty easy with MIG, but more fun with TIG. I used to just cut off the wire from the spool and use it that way.

I have a big hunk of 3/16 plate left over that's maybe 30" x 20"—I always wanted to make a swing out table that's hinged to my welding bench, but lower. I'm off to CalFast this AM to get some of those weldable hinges. When I hurt my back years ago I found that using the TIG on the welding bench was a pain (literally). It was too awkward to stand at, and too tall to sit at. With a swing out bench I can use my TIG again and maybe try some of these techniques when sitting down. Silicon Bronze lets you "weld" dissimilar metals together nicely. A really cool artistic technique using plug welds (since we are on this thread) is to make a series of punched or drilled holes on a strip of metal (say 1" wide) and overlap it around a bent corner of a box. You then silicon bronze the plugs, sand and buff them, and you get a beautiful boxed corner with these silicon bronze plugs. Looks very industrial, but artistic.

Great video on silicon bronze TIG brazing here:

Click to expand...
Very instructive Thank you for the video
 
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