Anyone have experience with JB Weld?  Is it strong enough for motorcycle work?

Thanks in advance.

I used it to fix a broken plastic gas tank on a B&S lawn mower that fell off a pickup, and it was and still is like new.

You can fill a hole, and drill it, and tap it, but anymore than a snug wrenching, it will pull out.

Like was said, depends.

I've got it in several places on my bike. I'm also the goofy bastard that used it in the head.   I had grooves in the camshaft bearing surfaces, I used it to smooth out the surfaces. I got 1000 miles on it, but the combination of friction and oil pretty much wiped it out. I'd say it had more to do with the friction part. Use it to patch holes, repair threads (fill, drill and tap, or smooth out dents and dings, but I wouldn't recommend it for any friction points. Leave that for professional welding rods.

It does handle heat well, but does not conduct electricity so don't use it to repair any electrical connections. Found that out the hard way on a ground connection.. as my wife says, should have read the directions!!

JB Weld epoxy has temperature limitations and can be easily removed with a propane soldering torch.  It just turns into a chunky dust after a minute or so.  Also, repeated heating and cooling eventually cause it to lose its bond and come apart. Never use it on anything your life depends on.  The rule of thumb for any over the counter epoxy is don't trust the bond for more than a year.  It may well last longer than that, but often doesn't for a whole variety of reasons from incorrect mixing of proportions, to variances in temperatures and vibrations the epoxy repair may be subjected to.

Tiefighterpilot wrote on 05/24/10 at 17:30:49:


Curious, what did you want to fix with it?

When I was a mechanic at Western Company I repaired a seal surface in a frac pump. We needed one more pump on a job & that seal had leaked on the last job & that high pressure water washed the steel out enough that a new seal wouldnt hold water at zero pressure. I told the boss I could make it seal, but had no idea if it would last rfor the job, but it did it, pumping at pressures suficient to pump sand & crap into a formation & fracture it to allow the oil to migrate to the wellbore more quickly. Naturally, they pulled the fluid end & shipped it off for repair after the job, so how long it would have lasted wasnt ever known.
Some places tho, JB weld is a total bust.