[badjones]

The sand trick may very well save your life if you are out in the scrub, and is only a method used when there is no other choice. It's an old outback survival trick. The sand is only a small percentage of the sand/soap putty and is held in the mixture. Try it on an old heap and see the result. As for welding, its safe and necassary if new parts are unavailable or too expensive. We pay a fair bit more for our second hand parts over in Australia I think.