Rust spots after drilling/cutting bodywork

mistericeman said:
Yup a jigsaw will produce swarf hot enough to damage paint (I regularly have to cut 300/400mm holes through steel painted panels for ductwork work wise)

Even using a jigsaw with fresh blade ....

I cover the actual cut area (and outside) with good quality masking tape ...to prevent damage from swarf and the jigsaws action

And below it with paper and masking tape to prevent marking from hot swarf ...

Once the hot swarf has damaged the panel it's too late IMHO ...and easily preventable with some simple prep work .
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part off-topic, part on-topic .... A handy thing to do when cutting or drilling holes in van metalwork is to have a magnet where you are cutting. Fillings will attach to the magnet and the cleanup operation becomes less of a chore.
Also, if you put a bit of clingfilm around the magnet then it becomes very easy to clean the fillings off the magnet itself by just removing the clingfilm.
 
mistericeman said:
Yup a jigsaw will produce swarf hot enough to damage paint (I regularly have to cut 300/400mm holes through steel painted panels for ductwork work wise)

Even using a jigsaw with fresh blade ....

I cover the actual cut area (and outside) with good quality masking tape ...to prevent damage from swarf and the jigsaws action

And below it with paper and masking tape to prevent marking from hot swarf ...

Once the hot swarf has damaged the panel it's too late IMHO ...and easily preventable with some simple prep work .
Click to expand...
Why not use a hole saw?

I imagine if you're cutting on a roof etc that might be the case, but my jigsaw didn't seem to create any swarf hot enough to harm vehicle paintwork and it had some sort of blower in it that made sure you didn't run over the swarf too, and of course on the window cut outside there was no swarf inside and the swarf fell onto the floor.

It would never have occurred to me to take off the sole plate, but I had the back door windows fitted professionally as the cost was £3 more than doing it myself, no brainer and that is how they did it.

1728835945681.jpeg
 
Pudsey Bear said:
Why not use a hole saw?

I imagine if you're cutting on a roof etc that might be the case, but my jigsaw didn't seem to create any swarf hot enough to harm vehicle paintwork and it had some sort of blower in it that made sure you didn't run over the swarf too, and of course on the window cut outside there was no swarf inside and the swarf fell onto the floor.

It would never have occurred to me to take off the sole plate, but I had the back door windows fitted professionally as the cost was £3 more than doing it myself, no brainer and that is how they did it.

View attachment 136405
Click to expand...
I take it you've not bought or used 200mm hole saws ....

A starret brand one would make your eyes weep and through metal that I cannot spray with coolant would have a very short life ....
They also have a tendency to 'skip' at that size ...
Resulting in a 8x4 double skinned panel needing replacement at my company's cost .

Trust me Jig saw chips WILL be hot enough to melt into particularly vehicle paint ....
And deff cause damage IF they get under the sole plate unprotected ...

I don't like removing the sole plate especially on composite panels (2 thin metal/alloy skins with filler between )
As it can lead to 'tearing' as the thin skin is moved by the blade .

I've done it on a frequent basis over the years both work wise AND vehicle wise ....
And what's turned out best for ME is a bit of prep with masking up paper bolow and covering my actual cut area with decent quality masking tape ....

New blade in jig saw and careful measuring/cutting .
 
Pudsey Bear said:
Why not use a hole saw?

I imagine if you're cutting on a roof etc that might be the case, but my jigsaw didn't seem to create any swarf hot enough to harm vehicle paintwork and it had some sort of blower in it that made sure you didn't run over the swarf too, and of course on the window cut outside there was no swarf inside and the swarf fell onto the floor.

It would never have occurred to me to take off the sole plate, but I had the back door windows fitted professionally as the cost was £3 more than doing it myself, no brainer and that is how they did it.

View attachment 136405
Click to expand...
Using a hole saw in the corners is definatel a clean way to do it and what I do, then use the jigsaw to "connect the dots". I have a nibbler that I bought over 10 years ago but I never actually got round to using it. Meant to be a clean swarf-free way to cut a hole?
I've never had the issue of paint burn either. Maybe we have both been going slowly and taking more time? I can imagine if you are making loads of holes in stuff as part of a job you get a "time is money" mindset on and go much faster?

I am guessing when you typed "It would never have occurred to me to take off the sole plate", you meant TAPE off, and not TAKE off? Taping off the plate is always something I do... definately would recommend doing that.

Paying a company £3 extra and farming out the job? 100% do that :) When I had my first van and the windows were cut TOO LARGE (by a national conversion company, no less) on the Motability conversion, I decided to pay another conversion company a few hundred pounds to fix the problem. As the holes were already too large, had very little margin for error when cutting the holes bigger to fit new windows!
 
wildebus said:
I can imagine if you are making loads of holes in stuff as part of a job you get a "time is money" mindset on and go much faster?
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If that's aimed at me ....

MY mindset is
"don't make a mess of a panel that costs an arm and leg to replace " if you can avoid it .

(Even when it's got harder paint than you will find on most vehicles ....)

Granted ....jigsawing carefully, especially outside ...
You would be unlucky to get swarf damaging the paint ....

However I'd personally prefer to reduce the risk as much as I can with some careful prep .
 
mistericeman said:
If that's aimed at me ....
Click to expand...
It is a reply to a post, with a comment agreeing with Pudsey that I have also never managed to burn paintwork with a jigsaw but take it fairly slowly usually as time is not money when I am cutting a hole :)
mistericeman said:
MY mindset is
"don't make a mess of a panel that costs an arm and leg to replace " if you can avoid it .

(Even when it's got harder paint than you will find on most vehicles ....)

Granted ....jigsawing carefully, especially outside ...
You would be unlucky to get swarf damaging the paint ....

However I'd personally prefer to reduce the risk as much as I can with some careful prep .
Click to expand...
well, I could reply to that last line with a "Doh!". I am sure we all prefer to reduce the risk with careful prep, but it seems YOU suggest that is an unusual thing to do?
 
I use a 25mm hole saw and a jigsaw for windows yes tape on the sole and last time Julie ran the hoover pipe behind the blade for me. I'm more concerned about the swarf rusting and staining rather than burning the paint.
 
mistericeman said:
I take it you've not bought or used 200mm hole saws ....

A starret brand one would make your eyes weep and through metal that I cannot spray with coolant would have a very short life ....
They also have a tendency to 'skip' at that size ...
Resulting in a 8x4 double skinned panel needing replacement at my company's cost .

Trust me Jig saw chips WILL be hot enough to melt into particularly vehicle paint ....
And deff cause damage IF they get under the sole plate unprotected ...

I don't like removing the sole plate especially on composite panels (2 thin metal/alloy skins with filler between )
As it can lead to 'tearing' as the thin skin is moved by the blade .

I've done it on a frequent basis over the years both work wise AND vehicle wise ....
And what's turned out best for ME is a bit of prep with masking up paper bolow and covering my actual cut area with decent quality masking tape ....

New blade in jig saw and careful measuring/cutting .
Click to expand...
Oh the wonders of modern tech I read 30/40mm on my phone hence my comment, so I got that wrong but my comments was correct enough for what I'd read.

200mm is a fair sized hole though, do they not do a hole 'cutter' that size?

1728887820606.png
 
You need to be quite careful with the hole punch/Q-Max devices I found.
On the plus side, they made a really clean hole, but because of how they put pressure on, they can cause a potential problem with anything brittle - so avoid punching plastics and also some paint which is not really well adhered (looking at you, Mr Ducato!) can flake on the edge of the hole, which doesn't tend to happen with a hole saw I have found.

Great idea, but can't remember the last time I used any of my Q-Max punches.
 
some of these windows have such a small corner radius that cutting the hole square still leaves plenty of surface for sealant . 4 straight cuts with a disc cutter- job done
also i mask up at least 60mm all round a cut
i mark out with permanent marker on the metal panel , then mask up . the marker can be seen easily through the tape , and acetone [test first ! ] remaves the marker
i have often removed the soleplate for cuts in tight corners , but glue on a bit of flat plastic as a temporary soleplate to protect the paintwork .
sounds obvious but hold the panel with gaffer tape before the final cut to prevent having your tootsies chopped off
 
wildebus said:
You need to be quite careful with the hole punch/Q-Max devices I found.
On the plus side, they made a really clean hole, but because of how they put pressure on, they can cause a potential problem with anything brittle - so avoid punching plastics and also some paint which is not really well adhered (looking at you, Mr Ducato!) can flake on the edge of the hole, which doesn't tend to happen with a hole saw I have found.

Great idea, but can't remember the last time I used any of my Q-Max punches.
Click to expand...
AND you obviously STILL have to drill a pilot hole so you still have to be wary of swarf and it going rusty.
 
n brown said:
some of these windows have such a small corner radius that cutting the hole square still leaves plenty of surface for sealant . 4 straight cuts with a disc cutter- job done
also i mask up at least 60mm all round a cut
i mark out with permanent marker on the metal panel , then mask up . the marker can be seen easily through the tape , and acetone [test first ! ] remaves the marker
i have often removed the soleplate for cuts in tight corners , but glue on a bit of flat plastic as a temporary soleplate to protect the paintwork .
sounds obvious but hold the panel with gaffer tape before the final cut to prevent having your tootsies chopped off
Click to expand...
Note shortened SLD middle rails so the door could never hit the window.

1728898931937.jpeg
 
Pudsey Bear said:
Note shortened SLD middle rails so the door could never hit the window.

View attachment 136420
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I fitted a couple of new windows recently Kev. One in the rear door and one above the galley. I ordered a smaller one for the latter because of the rail and I also made it a slider to stop the door slicing it off if we forgot to close the window!

All the rest are openers.

1728899765159.jpeg
 
Robmac said:
I fitted a couple of new windows recently Kev. One in the rear door and one above the galley. I ordered a smaller one for the latter because of the rail and I also made it a slider to stop the door slicing it off if we forgot to close the window!

All the rest are openers.

View attachment 136422
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It's surprising how many major motorhome manufacturers fit standard (ie. not slider) opening windows adjacent to hab doors which is a recipe for an expensive fail :(
 
Pudsey Bear said:
Not on mine David

View attachment 136423
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Nor My Autotrail (I have a slider in that position) :) But have you seen the Motorhomes that have ended up with a stay on the Hab Doors that prevents you opening them more than 90 degrees to avoid smashing into the window. Combine that with the usual bin on the door inside and leaves a silly small opening to use. Poor.
 
Yes we didn't buy one for that reason, no joined up thinking.

This is the bit I cut off, and I used the end bit to fashion a stop for the bottom track of the door but I never took pictures.

1728904273514.png
 
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