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I would really suggest evaluating how important having correct looking spotwelds are before I would spend the money and time to try to duplicate them. From someone that has literally performed millions of spotwelds and performed destructive testing on them in a manufacturing environment, I can tell you it isn't as simple as holding a couple tips together on a couple pieces of sheet metal. I've probably cut apart 20 full bodies to test spotweld integrity, so I kind of know a little about them. You can't tell a good spotweld by it's looks, so you are left to using a proper, repeatable process to make strong welds, which is almost impossible in a shop setting.

A good spotweld takes the correct current for the proper length of time, proper tip diameter (to heat the metal without burning it) and alignment, proper clamping pressure, and clean materials CONSISTANTLY to perform. While you can have decent results from the stationary machines with the footpedal - it takes a lot of trial and error to get REPEATABLE results, and they are limited to panels that you can fit between the arms.

Many times in the You Tube videos I see people performing spotwelds with the two handheld contacts, and I see that a lot of the time they have spatter coming from between the panels, which indicates they don't have enough clamping pressure between the tips. Those welds typically WILL FAIL TESTING, due to the panels didn't melt together fully. I don't see how anyone can CONSISTANTLY apply the correct pressure required, which can be 100+ lbs in certain circumstances, with handheld contacts in a shop environment.

I also see people "test" their welds by putting several welds into the ends of two pieces of sheetmetal, and try to pull them apart - LOL. The CORRECT test is 1 weld, and trying to twist the 2 apart - if the weld is good, you will tear a hole out of one of the sheets of metal - a bad one the weld fails. Or a chisel between the sheets to see if the weld pops before the metal tears. Point is, you have to make it fail to test the weld - many good looking spotwelds will fail testing. While they can produce acceptable results under controlled conditions, I don't see how someone could produce consistant spotwelds in a shop environment, especially with the handheld contacts.




X2 Lenco's not recommended for body repair these days as per ASE, I-car, and OEM repair procedures for what's that's worth. There are resistance welders out there that are used, but they produce somewhere close to 300 psi clamping pressure, example Pro-Spot, but due to required clamping presures the available arms aren't but so long, 18" I believe and not everybody is going to shell the 10k, so your back to the eraser trick anyway. As per I-Car, supposed to put 30% more welds on a replacement panel than what was there. Realistically, not every weld is a home run on the thinner metals. Another thing that hasn't been mentioned, and always a source for argument is when you grind a plug weld totally flat you get into the base metal surrounding the weld and you be surprised how thin you've left the metal and how little is holding it together. Technically every piece on a unibody is considered structure. better to err on the safety side. I had to have welds pass for I-car Cert, and most are really surprised the first go around with what looks good and doesn't pass. I'd never use a Lenco, they're just not consistent enough. Sometimes strength needs to win over easy and/or pretty.