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Jul 10, 2006 12:00:05 GMT
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Going to stop throwing cash at garages and learn to weld.... "How hard can it be?" (famous last words) Picked up a Haynes bodywork repair manual which seems to cover the basics but I'm unsure of how up to date it is - the text speaks of Audi A4's and New Beetles but the pictures show 1972 Triumphs.... anyone nifty at welding care to run through a list of basics for me? Gonna rent a MIG welder to start with until I know I can do it... 130 or 140amp be enough for bodywork? HSS do a starter pack which includes a bottle of CO2, but then quotes as using Gasless wire - whaaa? So i've got on my list so far - Welder, CO2 (how much for load of test welds on scrap, then two complete outer sills on an astra?), wire, face mask and gloves? Do i need to prepare the car in anyway? Someone mentioned disconnecting battery and alternator.... |
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Never trust a man
Who names himself Trevor.
Or one day you might find
He's not a real drug dealer.
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Jul 10, 2006 12:12:36 GMT
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First I'd go for the Clarke 150A turbo, at under £200 it's a steal and probably the best welder you can get for the money. It'll do meaty stuff easily, takes the full sized reels of wire and is a dream to weld with. I bought it on recommendation and it's excellent.
Next up is I recommend you spend £60 out on an auto-dimming shield. You won't believe how much easier it makes things. Welding gloves are about a fiver.
The small reel of wire that comes with the welder will do enough for the sills and practice and I estimate from mine that you will need one disposable bottle for practice and one for the sills maximum. Reality is you'll probably only use the one. They are sold in threes anyway so you'll have plenty.
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Jul 10, 2006 12:13:14 GMT
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[glow=red,2,300]FIRE EXTINGUISHER[/glow]
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Old Fords never die they just go sideways
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Jul 10, 2006 12:21:19 GMT
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hehe yeah thought of the fire extinguisher already.... much as the missus would love to have to call the brigade out!
I'm gonna hire first and then buy if it seems like it's gonna save me money, but i think most places hire Clarke stuff anyway....
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Never trust a man
Who names himself Trevor.
Or one day you might find
He's not a real drug dealer.
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Seth
South East
MorrisOxford TriumphMirald HillmanMinx BorgwardIsabellaCombi
Posts: 15,538
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Jul 10, 2006 12:25:10 GMT
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Personally I don't think you should bother hiring one to try. I can guarantee that the first time you have a go it will all go wrong, you'll get pee'd off and take it back to the hire shop sure that you'll never be able to weld. At 40 odd quid to rent one for a weekend you might as well buy a new one (assuming you can stretch to the £200 or so) and then if you REALLY don't get on with it after numerous goes over a period of a few weeks then sell it on and I doubt you'll loose much more.
As was recomende in a thread last week I think, something around 130-150amp and avoid "gassless" machines at all costs. Machine Mart are pretty good when it comes to prices and throw in a starter kit comprisig of a bottle of gas, mini reel of wire and a basic mask - good enough for you to try it all out anyway.
To prepare the car you do need to disconnect the battery to avoid frying the electronics and make sure you've got some good clean metal nearish to where you're welding to clip on the earth clamp
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Follow your dreams or you might as well be a vegetable. |
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Jul 10, 2006 13:37:57 GMT
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First I'd go for the Clarke 150A turbo, at under £200 it's a steal and probably the best welder you can get for the money. It'll do meaty stuff easily, takes the full sized reels of wire and is a dream to weld with. I bought it on recommendation and it's excellent. Agreed! I have a clarke 150 Turbo (turbo just means fan assisited, to keep it cool) which I bought from Ray at Rayvern Hydraulics about 5 years ago. He built hundreds of cars with it, and I give it hell as often as possible. Not broken it yet... As for learning to weld, I went on a £60 evening course at my local education establishment (although, that was about 10 years ago) - they also teach you all manner of bodywork skills - all good fun. If you fancy a trip down to the sunny Norfolk/Suffolk boarder one weekend, I would be happy to show you the fundamentals. Like most skills, after learning the technique it's just a case of plenty of practice. |
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There is nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes
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Jul 10, 2006 13:47:27 GMT
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I would recommend getting someone who knows their way round a welder to show you how to set a welder up properly.
Anyone can weld two pieces of metal together with a MIG, but to do a good penetrating weld requires correct setup of the welder and practice.
As you practice, you will get the feel of 'good' welds and be able to set up a welder yourself according to the job in hand.
I have seen far too many welds done by home 'experts' who have got a welder for Christmas, and then discover they can get two pieces of metal to stick together with a non-penetrating bead of weld.. and then restore their own car. The results are shocking to say the least. Last year, I ripped an entire front cab sill off a split bus with my bare hands that had been 'restored' by someone who didn't have the first clue how to get a good penetrating weld.
I would say practice and practice, and then practice some more until you get good enough welds out of the box, then have a go on a car. A 150A is more than enough for bodywork. If you intend to do beams or solid stuff, I'd say 180A or higher.
I prefer Argoshield Light gas over CO2.. I find it gives a neater weld.
Make sure the surface you are about to weld is 100% clean bare metal. This reduces spatter and gives a much nicer weld. On car body thickness steel, it warps easily, so join the metal a bit at a time and return to do between the gaps gradually which minimises distortion.
Good luck!
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Last Edit: Jul 10, 2006 13:47:51 GMT by dafandango
Dig it up, slam it and drive it.
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Jul 10, 2006 14:02:50 GMT
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I'll second the college course. I did one years ago and it was great. You get a lot of confidence when yur instructor then pronounces your weld sound. You get plenty of instruction, full use of their kit and materials and someone who knows their stuff on hand for you to ask.
As for kit, I use a SIP TurboMig 150 (or is it a 170?). I bought it because it was on special - down from like £300 to £150! and because I used a 90A non-fan cooled one before and I was fedup with the machine clicking in the thermal trip. Its more about being able to weld uninterupted than it is about the maximum thickness of the metal IMO. That Migmate 90 used to get on my nerves something wicked when I'd just got a nice rhythm up stitching a sill in ir something and then "click" and you had to leave it 20 mins to cool off.
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1941 Wolseley Not Rod - 1956 Humber Hawk - 1957 Daimler Conquest - 1966 Buick LeSabre - 1968 Plymouth Sport Fury - 1968 Ford Galaxie - 1969 Ford Country Squire - 1969 Mercury Marquis - 1970 Morris Minor - 1970 Buick Skylark - 1970 Ford Galaxie - 1971 Ford Galaxie - 1976 Continental Mark IV - 1976 Ford Capri - 1994 Ford Fiesta
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Smiler
Posted a lot
I no longer own anything FWD! Or with less than 6 cylinders, or 2.5ltrs! :)
Posts: 2,492
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Jul 10, 2006 16:31:36 GMT
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Ooh, glad I found this thread. I too am looking to buy my first welder. Will the welders mentioned do chassis work? (I'm thinking VW Camper chassis and possibly in the future a Reliant Scimitar chassis)
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www.Auto-tat.co.uk'96 Range Rover P38 DSE (daily driver) '71 Reliant Scimitar SE5 GTE 3.0ltr Jag V6 Conversion '79 Reliant Scimitar SE6A 3.0ltr 24valve Omega Conversion '85 Escort Cabrio 2.0 Zetec - Sold '91 BMW 525i - Sold '82 Cortina 2.9i Ghia Cosworth - Sold '72 VW Campervan - Sold '65 LandRover 88" - Sold
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