The Steinel Auto Body Welding Kit, No. 34874, has everything technicians need to professionally repair bumpers and other body parts. This kit helps repair cracks, fractures, deep scratches in plastic and detached holders. The easy welding rod works well with all plastics. One job takes about 30-60 minutes to complete. The kit includes the following: HG 2310 LCD Programmable IntelliTemp Heat Gun, a welding iron, a 9mm reduction nozzle, a 20mm reduction nozzle, ThermoFlex welding rods, wire mesh, a temperature guard and instructional DVD, all in a heavy duty carrying case.
The review
About the Steinel Heat Gun, Lou Fort, lead technician of K.A.R.S. Inc. in Huntingburg, IN, says "With this kit we can now do a stronger repair at a lower cost."
Lou says there was a bit of a learning curve with the heat gun.
"It took me longer to patch a bumper skin, due to my lack of skill, then it did our top body tech," says Lou. "The setup is straight-forward enough yet the talent of the user makes a difference."
Once he mastered using the heat gun, Lou appreciated the versatility of different repairs he could complete. "Having the ability to go from welding a body part back together to shrinking heat shrink tubing, or softening a hard seal for easier installation in one tool is real nice," says Lou. He also advised having the ability to set the working temperature and the fan speed made the heat gun even easier to use.
Lou says the kit could be improved by including a set of cutters "for cutting and shaping the stainless steel mesh wire used in making repairs." He says, "The tin snips we used felt like overkill, (and) the scissors we tried didn’t cut well, nor did regular side cuts. I did bring in a pair of heavy-duty cutting scissors, like the ones seen in the video the kit comes with, and they worked very well."
Overall, Lou was satisfied with the heat gun.
"Steinel’s HG 2310 is also a well-built tool that has a nice feel when in use, it’s rugged design should ensure years of reliable use."