Chose a stud welder over a glue-on tab system for a dent pull

Had to fix a long crease on a Chevy Silverado door last week. I went with the stud welder since the glue tabs kept popping off on test pulls. The welder left tiny marks but the crease came out clean in about 20 minutes. Anyone else deal with that tradeoff?

2 comments

2 Comments

briancampbell1mo ago

My buddy Mike tried those glue tabs on a faded Honda Civic and lost like half an hour just fighting them to hold. He finally borrowed my stud welder and had that dent out in 15 minutes flat. The welder punches were way smaller than the glue spots he was leaving, so it was an easy choice for him after that.

shanel131mo ago

Wait, are you saying the welder punches were way smaller than the glue spots he was leaving? That doesn't match my experience at all, man. I've done both methods and the glue tabs leave a mark about the size of a quarter, maybe a little bigger if you use too much hot glue. But a stud welder (especially a cheap one, like the one I borrowed from my buddy) leaves a little burn mark from the weld that's actually pretty similar in size, sometimes even bigger if you're not careful. Plus those welds leave a tiny bump you gotta grind or sand off, so it's not exactly invisible either. I'm not saying glue tabs are perfect (they definitely suck on faded paint, your buddy got that right), but let's not pretend stud welders are some magic tiny dent fix. They both have their tradeoffs, you know?