TheSamba.com :: View topic - Who is currently using JB Weld, and for what?

Mon Jun 08, 2015 10:07 pm

The thread on "Know these guys?" had a mention of this most honorable epoxy - JB Weld. I use it once in a while and am always impressed. It has quite literally never let me down - whatever I have attempted to fix with it has worked out perfectly.

When my buddy and I clipped pedals on a turn and went down on our road bicycles, one of my water bottle bosses pulled out of my fancy new carbon fiber frame. In despair I called the maker and they said "Use JB Weld - that's what we use." Sure enough when I prepped the area the epoxy was a familiar grey. 20,000 miles later - still holding up.

Then I got this $250 Mitsubishi Van a few months ago and was prepping it for daily use. The trans pan had been hit by road debris or similar and had a weep. Pulled it off, found I could not find one (when's the last time you saw a rear wheel drive Mitsubishi in the USA?), I opted to pound the dent out and use JB Weld. 2000 miles and not a drop.

Then I was in the final week with the same Van before lending it out to some relatives from Europe to drive through BC this summer and the radiator started seeping where an errant tool had hit it long ago. Boom - JB Weld.

My LandCruiser has a plastic gizmo in the power mirrors such that the 300th time you bash a tree offroading, the glass starts wobbling in the housing. I took the broken part (about the size of 3 BB's) and carefully wrapped a small piece of aluminum foil around it. I then pulled the broken part out with tweezers, slightly tweaked my "mold" from the stress of pulling on it and filled it with JB Weld. I final shaped it by hand in about 10 minutes the next day and installed it. That was about 120,000 miles ago.

Last summer, my wife and I were up on a mountain trip in the Vanagon when the coolant level sensor crumbled and blew out of the tank. While we ate dinner, I poured JB Weld into the remains and propped it against the salt shaker. It spent the night curing and the next day went into my spares box to help another Vanagon owner some day.

I used it on my Syncro to fill a couple small dings before painting it, and when I had the heads redone there were a few dozen small divots in the sealing surface I filled and smoothed out - ran like a champ. I've used it for countless projects for my kids school projects - awesome strong for making volcanos, dioramas, and physics class popsicle stick bridges. Anybody else use this pretty remarkable stuff?

Mon Jun 08, 2015 10:34 pm

I have a kit in my tool box, tool bag and have used it for trail repairs countless times in the off road world. Ive so been known to grind a cracked block and jb weld it for many years of reliable use. With a prepped, dry surface and an overnight cure, the stuff really is amazing.

Mon Jun 08, 2015 11:26 pm

I filled the cracks on the plastic vent Y's on the front vents.

I rebuilt a major missing chunk on the bauklite piece under the rear seat. I took the can after eating the beans to make a nice solid base and used the JB weld to approximate the missing plastic.

I have filled the large cracks in the steering wheel and sanded and painted it so you can't tell.

On a old dodge colt I smoothed the big divots in the head. Got about 5 years out of that fix.

Mon Jun 08, 2015 11:29 pm

i just filled a flimsy laptop case with it. no more cracked hinges.

Tue Jun 09, 2015 12:01 am

I use it all the time.

25 years ago I busted the threaded boss that the speedo cable attaches to on my BMW R100GS speedo. 25 years and 100k miles later it's still working fine after being repaired with JB weld. Valve covers on the same bike ground through. Yep, JB weld fixed it just fine.

Dinged fork leg on a different bike causing fork oil to leak as it passed the seal? Fill it with JB weld, sand lightly and problem solved.

Yesterday, I busted the casting on a Weber grill I was refurbishing. I put it back together with JB weld (although I added a strap and 6 screws 'cause I think it would've been a bit to much to ask epoxy to withstand the lid being raised repeatedly).

Ah, on my old van I carelessly poked through a push rod tube. I'll bet that van is still sporting the same JB weld repair.

There are so many more. It's an essential supply.

It seems if you're gonna be hamfisted, you should have JB weld handy.

Tue Jun 09, 2015 12:14 am

Aside from being a true believer in the head pit repair method, as far as Vanagons go, it bailed me out significantly on a road trip.

Atlanta traffic, 5pm on a Friday, family moving from FL to MI, and I blow out the plastic coolant tower that combines all of the hoses. Not much chance of finding one to redeem the trip, so I improvised. Luckily, I was able to limp to a tire and muffler shop that was nice enough to stay open and let me use the lift. A lot of brake cleaner, a couple of cut up soda cans, numerous hose clamps, and a lot of JB weld made it all play well together. Actually didn't get around to changing it out for a couple of months. Wouldn't leave home without it.

Mark

Tue Jun 09, 2015 4:07 am

I own a tube for "emergencies" but really? I've never needed it.
I've actually used JB Weld once in my decades of repairs and that was for some goofy school model project for one of my kids.

JB Weld in my mind belongs in the same classification as Duct Tape. One of those horrid fix all products that people slather onto problems like they do Jelly on top of Peanut Butter!

Often the mess from the attempted fix is far harder to remove and then make repairs.
Horrid stuff! Like an ABC fire extinguisher, it makes a mess when used, but really? What was the other option? (Besides a big dollar Halon specialty unit)

Dave

Tue Jun 09, 2015 4:10 am

Anything that doesn't have stress on joints or hi heat. Works great to refurb vw bug steering wheels earlier than 62, got my 58 to do later this yr.

Tue Jun 09, 2015 4:29 am

Very proud to say that I don't use it or stock any of it at the shop.

I have MIGs, TIGs and plastic welders.

Tue Jun 09, 2015 4:31 am

It got my windshield wipers working. The shaft was slipping on the arm on both sides,

Tue Jun 09, 2015 5:23 am

insyncro wrote: Very proud to say that I don't use it or stock any of it at the shop.

I have MIGs, TIGs and plastic welders.

Yes!! ^^^^ 👍

Tue Jun 09, 2015 5:24 am

remroc wrote: It got my windshield wipers working. The shaft was slipping on the arm on both sides,

Ok..... That's good...... Now..... Go take it apart! :shock:

Dave

Tue Jun 09, 2015 5:39 am

I think that JB weld is a good " Limp Home " or " in a pinch" product, and should be used as such and should not be considered a permanent fix.

Heat, oils, fluids and high stress areas , are not good places to be using the stuff in, and if it is in a weldable area, the best repair should be used---A Weld.

The stuff fatigues easy, and should be used to get you where you gotta go, then get the area in question fixed properly.

Tue Jun 09, 2015 7:55 am

I use the stuff as an epoxy to fill pits/fissures in metal fab work that's been welded/grinded, and needs a cosmetic bridge prior to painting. I also use it for proof of concept work prior to settling on a final design. It lacks the shear strength for most actual repair work, so I don't often use it for that stuff, unless in a pinch. I also use the putty version that comes in a rolled log that you kneed into a doughball. Add a little water to the ball and your hands, and it flows almost as good as JB Weld. If I were to include an emergency epoxy in a travel tool kit, Quik Steel would be my choice

Tue Jun 09, 2015 7:58 am

PC7 is the actual epoxy that I'm using, but I think it is very similar to JB Weld, AFAIK.

I used PC7 along with fiberglass to fill and repair my composite bumpers and cladding, based on a thread I read here on the Samba. I think it was PilotDog (C130 as his avatar???) who gave some instructions on how to use it.

I also have it holding a small square brass tube for the speedo cable on the left front hub bearing cap. The cap/cable had worn over the miles. The hole in the cap was too big and there was a notch in the cable.

Tue Jun 09, 2015 8:11 am

Toothpaste, hair gel, laxative, burn ointment, food additive.... Oh so many uses around my house

Tue Jun 09, 2015 10:17 am

When I was a wee lad, my dad and I built a go kart from a riding mower that was donated to us. It was donated, because it had thrown a rod. Through the case and across the lawn. We got new parts, but reused the case and sealed the hole with a mound of - JB Weld. Worked forever. Probably still working.

On my Honda Hawk GT, when I was going through a complete teardown and rebuild/upgrade phase, I ported the heads. They are interesting heads - Hemi chambers, dual plug, two intake valves and one exhaust valve.

The intake ports start out too big, and then choke down too small. I had larger intake valves and seats put in, then put JB Weld into the floor of the intake, using tape damns, and after thorough cleaning of the metal, and cutting some grooves in the floor to help the JB Weld grip.

Worked a treat. Bike is still running well.

Tue Jun 09, 2015 11:43 am

The splines on the 1932 cold water shower stem were worn and a clamp type knob for a square stem wouldn't stay on for more than a week. Vise grips were getting rusty in the shower. JB weld on the splines and with the clamp tightened down while it set, no shower for two days to let it cure. No more spinning knob.

Aloha
tp

Tue Jun 09, 2015 12:49 pm

I used it to retrieve a short stud I'd mistakenly left in place. Not wanting to disassemble, I had to scratch my head for a while for the obvious solution ..

Tue Jun 09, 2015 1:06 pm

mwistrom wrote: ... I think it was PilotDog (C130 as his avatar???) who gave some instructions on how to use it. ...

Dogpilot and a C-7
He's gone flying somewhere.

Aloha
tp