My first welder

Mig is your best bet. Try and get something around 130 amp preferably fan cooled. If its second hand see if you can try it first. Look in your local free ad mag as there are often some bargains in there.

Yeh you want a MIG, If your serious about it then invest in a good one. I have a sealy supermig 180 and its perfect. In my experiance the full sized welders are well worth the extra money.Ive never been able to make one of those diddy hobby ones work for me and i wouldent want you to get put off by a crappy machine.

I bought my mig from Machine Mart about 10 years ago now. It's a Clarke one of around 130 amps and has done everything I've wanted it to so far. It will pay itself back the first time you use it when compared to what you'd be charged labour for someone else to do the job.

There are often discussions about what gas to use and where to get it. This is what I've done.... I initially used the small throw away bottles you can buy in Halfords but they really don't last very long and work out expensive in the long run. I converted mine to take a big bottle that I hire from BOC (its Argoshield Light) using parts supplied in a kit from House of Hastings who advertise in Practical Classics I think. The big bottle is great - and with a gauge on I can tell if it's getting low. I've only needed one re-fill now in about 6 years and after quite a lot of welding.

Its a great bit of kit to invest in as you'll instantly find loads of little jobs that you suddenly find you can do with it - eg I welded up a support frame for the bench in my shed.

I just learnt through reading magazine articles and practice. You must be prepared to make mistakes though!

Forget to say ( specifically anyway) that you must buy one that takes gas. Don't buy one of the "gasless" Migs that use a special flux cored wire. The wire is much more expensive and doesn;t work as well as proper gas shielding.

I have a Clarke 151e Turbo that my Uncle gave me. He used it for everything and it has put V8s in Landrovers, brought 3 Granada's back to life and is currently building my Locost. The higher the amps, the easier it is to setup for what you want to weld in general.

As with most tools, you pay for quality, spend as much as you can! Don't think 'I'll buy a small one to learn on', as it will be much more difficult than a larger one.

One tip, if you are welding right, you should enjoy it. If it's annoying you then you don't have the settings right.

I always .6 on bodywork .8 for heavy stuff.
I find .6 makes for neater welds.

That might just be a me thing though ;D

I learned on a sip 105 which to be fair was all i needed at the time as i was doing sheet metal no thicker than 2mm but if you can stretch to something bigger like the clarke 151 turbo just mentioned(just wait for a vat free day at machine mart)it seems a very capable unit from the spec sheet.
I love welding, its awesome and i don't hesitate to use it whenever i can

I have a brand new SIP migmate 150 turbo (fan cooled) gas welder with all the bits, brand new and still sealed in the box, its not needed as due to an error by SIP I ended up with this as well as the welder I originaly ordered, if you are interested I might be willing to sell it for £170.

ive got a nice beefy mig that i got for free its the best thing. i suck with it, but its good.

i also have a 3phase arc welder but no 3phase supply, anyone interested btw?

someone who can weld good to point you in the right direction makes a huge difference, and practicing a lot. i have neither and i suck