Customer Reviews

J-B Weld 8265-S Cold Weld

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

and this is great stuff. some pointers
Epoxy glues have a limited shelf life. Buy yours at a small store where the merchandise doesn't move quickly, or keep it 5 years on the shelf and it won't work well. Don't apply it at temperatures below 60 degrees. Spend at least 2 or 3 minutes mixing it. I use a timer to be sure. Surface preparation is the key. It must be completely grease free. I use naptha (lighter fluid) alcohol, and acetone in that order. The surface MUST be rough. I use a file,very rough (#40 or #60) sandpaper or a sharp Exacto blade to make multiple cross hatch cuts- this will even work on most steels. Apply the mix carefully, put the pieces together so they don't move for at least 8 hours.
Do all that and the bond is very strong.

I gave this to my husband, Timothy, for Christmas (among other things). Yes, call me strange and I'll answer. He thought it was an odd gift, but he thanked me later when inevitable occasions to use it came up! He used it on our aluminum hull boat and on his fishing poles. Recently we had a contractor working at our house. When his air compressor cracked, he asked my hubby if he had any J-B Weld. "Well,yes, I do!" was my husband's answer. J-B Weld saved the day!

I used JB Weld on my car's side mirror since it broke off, and that mirror is rock solid now. I barely used any as well and have a lot left. I wish I would have known about this before trying to use Gorilla tape (which wore off and left white residue on my mirror...maroon car), because it would never have even been noticeable that my side mirror broke. Why go to an autoshop and spend over $100 when you can get this stuff for less than $7. The fix itself considering how much of the product I used probably amounts to 50 cents. Now that's a steal in my opinion.

Six months ago, an incompetent metal thief almost cut through the pipe leading to the cat converter on my truck. The cut was big enough to release smelly fumes and make an annoying sound. So, I headed to Home Depot, looking for a cheap patch.

An older employee recommended J-B Weld. I bought some copper wire and some J-B- Weld. I covered the cut with a few wraps of the wire, and then sealed it with J-B Weld. That did the trick.

THIS PRODUCT HAS BY FAR BEEN THE BEST STUFF TO WORK WITH! IT IS EASY TO USE AND EASY TO CLEAN UP AFTER. THIS PRODUCT DOES WHAT IT SAYS IT WILL DO AND FOR THE THINGS I NEEDED IT FOR, IT WORKED GREAT.

I've been using regular epoxy for years, and I can't believe I haven't tried JB Weld sooner. The addition of iron filings greatly increase it's toughness over regular epoxy. I broke the plastic keychain loop on my USB memory stick. I repaired it by JB Welding a metal loop fashioned from piano wire in it's place. I rebuilt cracked plastic standoffs in various portable electronics like a laptop and some bike lights using plastic drinking straws to serve as molds - drill and tap for screw holes after it cures. I glued aluminum wires to a small LED heatsink to make the LED run cooler (see my review of Planet Bike Super Spot). The iron filings are not as thermally conductive as silver or copper filings, but better than ceramics like alumina or zinc oxide. They could sell the stuff as "Arctic Iron", but that might be a trademark infringement :).

Several reviewers had JB Weld fail on them. JB Weld may be really good epoxy, but it's still just an epoxy. The key to a permanent repair is preparation and correct application. All surfaces must be sanded to roughen them up and remove any shinyness. Then they must be cleaned with a solvent like acetone to remove any oil or water which will interfere with the bond. Parts which experience extreme pressure and temperature may require additional reinforcement, for example if you repair a crack in a radiator, it's a good idea to also use fiberglass cloth, and build up a patch in several layers (at least two layers of fiberglass).

Use it on your car, your house or anything that you want permanently fixed. I had a statue that was broken during shipping and I attempted to fix it with Loctite. Needless to say, after it hardened I barely touched it and it separated. So I went to my toolbox and busted out the JB Weld. I thought it might be overkill like killing a housefly with a flamethrower, but if my statue breaks again, it won't be in the same place. I'm a construction auto-mechanic and I use JB Weld like kindergartners use crayons. If you daunt me, ask any auto-mechanic about JB Weld. It is indispensable.

I think little elaboration is necessary after seeing other good reviews.
I have used this stuff over 20 years, probably gone through a half dozen of the industrial size packs. Saved many things from the dumpster by fixing them instead. Love the water cleanup and non toxic thing, I usually end up wearing stuff like liquid nails and PL construction adhesive which removes skin, I can be a big happy mess with JB weld and wash it right off me and my tools. In short, no credible home handyman OR professional should be without this around.
Like another user I fixed a radiator with it, a neighbor's nissan 240sx. He rear ended some guy and broke the top, about a 3" long fissure along the base of the fill spout (the plastic part) 2 years later when he moved to ohio and drove it the 1500 miles there it still hadn't leaked a drop.
I remember the packages in the old days used to have these outrageous testimonials like "I fixed the axle of my 10 ton farm tractor" and at first I'm all "get outta here, how is that possible?" but with proper prep,(roughing up to give it something to latch onto) cleaning, thorough and accurate mixture (if you err it's probably better to be light in the hardener not heavy) and good long cure time (I give it twice the max if possible and never play with it while it's drying) I don't think those claims were at all absurd any more.
If you don't have JB weld you aren't fixing things as good as those of us that do. Can I say that?

Fun tip: if JB weld is running away from where you want it to be in warm weather after applying, you can use a strong (like rare earth) magnet to draw it back toward where you like. Or take your magnet and hold it under a piece of aluminum plate and move it around just for giggles. It's steel!

I've used JB Weld to repair countless numbers of things over the years... My car's alternator (as pictured), my car's door handle, the broken cover of a USB flash drive, a friend's earring post, broken toys, and various other things around the house & garage... The list goes on and on. I find the two keys to a solid bond to be: (1) roughing up the surface with emery cloth or a wire brush and then (2) cleaning the surface with isopropyl alcohol to remove any remaining dirt or oil left by your hands... Make sure the alcohol will not attack whatever you are trying to clean before using it and make sure the surfaces are completely dry before applying the JB Weld. A trick I learned from a user group forum is that, by using a hair dryer from a slight distance to warm it when applying, the JB Weld will flow for a smooth surface and even coverage. (Just don't melt, burn, overheat, or ignite whatever you're trying to repair by getting it too hot with the hair dryer!) In my experience, heating it slightly has not resulted in any loss of strength once cured. JB Weld may run after applying so I recommend checking it after several minutes or an hour to make sure that it has not run onto a surface where you don't want it. Additionally, it's a good idea to brace, tape, clamp, or otherwise immobilize whatever you are bonding together and leave it that way for the full 24 hours until it is completely cured. This is a great product!... Just be patient and don't apply stress to a joint until 24 hours have passed.

05/06/2010 Edit: Although I haven't had problems in the past using isopropyl alcohol to clean my bonding surfaces, prior to applying J-B Weld products, it is worth noting that the J-B Weld FAQ recommends NOT using alcohol because of it leaving a "petroleum residue". They recommend cleaning with acetone or lacquer thinner instead.

I bought this because a glue line on my granite counter top gave way and dropped a chunk on the floor. I mixed the two components directly on the surface to be glued. It got tacky immediately but didn't set up until after I fiddled with the placement and set up my clamp (a truck tie down). I took the clamp off 24 hours later and it seems to have stuck rock solid. Also nice was that I was able to clean up the ooze round the join with a damp paper towel. The glue dries black so for something like this you need to make sure the parts fit with little seam and the cleanup is thorough and prompt. Did the job well for not much money and you can get it in most hardware stores.