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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Oct 18, 2006 21:23:35 GMT
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Hello folks,
I am finaly set to take the plunge and get a welder. Thing is, I don't know which one to get. I want a Mig welder with gas shield and I expect it will be seeing a lot of use. Does anyone have any recomendations?
Is there a preferable make to go for?
What size will I realisticaly need?
It'll be used for car repairs but the VW Campervan has some fairly thick sections in it's chassis.
I beleive a fan cooled welder is very much necessary to avoid sitting around waiting for the thing to cool down again when in regular use. Is this true?
Thanks for any advice.
Regards,
Smiler.
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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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phatphord
Part of things
Scorpilow
Posts: 674
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Oct 18, 2006 21:29:07 GMT
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take note of the duty cycle. I use a clarke 165TE and it copes well with what i need it for. I can weld 1/4" plate with it
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1994 Ford Scorpio Lowrider
um...and some bikes...
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bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member
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Welder Recomendationsbstardchild
@bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member 71
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Oct 18, 2006 21:30:08 GMT
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Fan cooled
Min 150 Amps
And buy a decent branded item so at least you can get spares for it
Don't leave the wire in the machine keep it indoors in the warm and dry when not in use
oh and buy a light sensitive mask - sooo much easier!!!
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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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Oct 18, 2006 21:37:48 GMT
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Thanks for the replies, there was a cheap welder in Halfrauds for £100 taht the missus spotted. It was only 105amp but claimed to weld up to 4mm thick steel. I was very dubious of it (ignoring the fact it was Halfrauds, I was only in there for some engine flush, honest!)
I'll deffinately be after one of those masks, and thanks for the tip of bringing the wire indoors. Rusty wire will go some way to explaining all those jammed wire moments my mate suffers from.
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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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Oct 18, 2006 21:38:26 GMT
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Look at 130 amp fan cooled as an absolute minimum. Its more than enough for bodywork but at its limit on thicker chassis rails.
Secondhand is sometimes a good option, I have bought a couple like that for cheap ran them for 6 month to a year and then punted them on for at least the same as what I paid.
I run a Clarke 220TE professional range one now with a copper wound transformer and it will weld pretty much anything I could ever want it to.
Budget is the key when it comes to a mig welder, you can get a decent 130 to 150 amp mig for £150 to 200 brand new.
I got a 180 amp mig for £140 2nd hand.
Murex, miller and Lincoln are good welders but really more for professional use and priced accordingly.
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tux
Part of things
Fat Bloke
Posts: 417
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Oct 18, 2006 21:41:52 GMT
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bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,961
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Welder Recomendationsbstardchild
@bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member 71
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Oct 18, 2006 21:42:10 GMT
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I use a 175 fan cooled and it's never struggled with anything I've asked it to do....
however I struggled like crazy with a conventional mask/sheild and TBH I tried to avoid welding anything as a result (arc eye is not nice)
But with a "self switching" mask it's soo much bloody easier
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bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,961
Club RR Member Number: 71
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Welder Recomendationsbstardchild
@bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member 71
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Oct 18, 2006 21:42:57 GMT
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Well done for posting that - I'd just toddled off to find that link stored in my favorites - beaten to it ;D |
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Oct 18, 2006 21:44:30 GMT
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Thanks for the replies, there was a cheap welder in Halfrauds for £100 taht the missus spotted. It was only 105amp but claimed to weld up to 4mm thick steel. I was very dubious of it (ignoring the fact it was Halfrauds, I was only in there for some engine flush, honest!) I'll deffinately be after one of those masks, and thanks for the tip of bringing the wire indoors. Rusty wire will go some way to explaining all those jammed wire moments my mate suffers from. I started with a clarke 90 and really bodywork is about as much as it could cope with, I did do some chassis welding with it but it was pretty p1ss poor. Trying to weld with something that is not up to the job is really frustrating and is one reason a lot of people pack it in. A decent sized decent quality mig is so much easier. And BC is right you need a light sensitive mask when working on cars otherwise it gets to be a nightmare when working on chassis`s especially. Before I got mine I normally had a torch on the area I was welding just so I could see where I was going when my mask was on ;D |
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tux
Part of things
Fat Bloke
Posts: 417
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Oct 18, 2006 21:51:09 GMT
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Well done for posting that - I'd just toddled off to find that link stored in my favorites - beaten to it ;D Glad to be of service! ;D |
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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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Oct 18, 2006 21:52:21 GMT
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Cheers guys, you've given me a lot to go on. I know have a much clearer picture in my head of what I need and that's within just half an hour of initialy posting my question. No wonder this is my favourite discussion forum!
Cheers for the link too, much appreciated.
Smiler.
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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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bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member
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Welder Recomendationsbstardchild
@bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member 71
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Oct 18, 2006 21:59:18 GMT
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You'd better post some car pics up - thread looks a bit thin ;D
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Oct 18, 2006 22:01:01 GMT
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All i have to add is do anything you can to avoid arc eye, it horrid!
J
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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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Oct 18, 2006 22:09:45 GMT
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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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B-8-D
Posted a lot
down to one car!!
Posts: 4,038
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Oct 18, 2006 22:49:38 GMT
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miller, cebora, etc
get a good one with at least 150 amps as they have a better wire feed and are more stable and better for the tinwork. anything lower can be a nightmare on the thin stuff buy the best u can get.
clark, sealy, draper etc and such like are very unpredictable. some weld really well and others hopeless and thets new!!
an old migatronic 160 etc would be a great first choice! and s/h for around 120 to 180 quid!!
just my tuppence.
si
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DutyFreeSaviour
Europe
Back For More heartbreak and disappointment.....
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Guys - I've been borrowing a mates - but he's in demand by another friend to repair his van..... so I'm looking. A garage friend told me to go straight to a TIG - would it make any major difference as I'm not that skilled yet? I'm reading up on the differences at the mo'. If I stay mig - waht's your opinions on gas or gasless........  ?? Going in circles at the minute - all my old car friends have different opinions of course!  |
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Back from the dead..... kind of
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phatphord
Part of things
Scorpilow
Posts: 674
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make sure also you run 0.8mm wire, 0.6 will bundle up and be a nightmare.
TiG is good,but a good TiG plant will rush you a big stack of cash, avoid scratch-start and go for HF, and if you want to be welding Aluminium you will need a plant that does AC as well as DC. MiG is quick and easy, Oxy-Acetylene is lovely but you need licence and accounts for the gases. I would never bother with gasless MiG.
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1994 Ford Scorpio Lowrider
um...and some bikes...
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DutyFreeSaviour
Europe
Back For More heartbreak and disappointment.....
Posts: 2,944
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Oct 19, 2006 10:06:33 GMT
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I was warned about the cost of TiG - but was told it'll do almost anything...... so ali, stainless etc..... are future possibilites.
Over here the prices are horrendous for anything! Looks liks good old e-gay........
Is the TiG that versatile? Worth the investment? Who's got one and used it in anger?
Thanks guys
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Back from the dead..... kind of
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Oct 19, 2006 10:17:48 GMT
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ive got a DC scratch start TIG machine, it takes a long time to be able to use one well, I'm sure a HF start one is a little easier. Cant you oxy-acetylene weld? If you can then TIG is the next step, very similar but the proximity of the torch to the work is much more critical. If you cant oxy-acetylene weld then i would learn this first before getting a tig, as its much more forgiving. I wouldent go gasless as the wire is mega expensive and the welds are not as nice as gassed mig. TIG welding is very rewarding though -   I think a new AC/DC macgine is on my list of tools to get now, the DC is soooo useful i think that having AC aswell will pay for itself in no time at all. J |
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Last Edit: Oct 19, 2006 10:18:18 GMT by Blown_Imp
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slater
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 6,390
Club RR Member Number: 78
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Welder Recomendationsslater
@slater
Club Retro Rides Member 78
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Oct 19, 2006 12:00:11 GMT
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Tig's good but you wouldent want to do rust repairs with one. Its not easy, I allways think you should start on gas before you go for TIG as gas welding uses the same techniques but its more forgiving. What you need is a proper professional MIG welder. The important thing here is that the wire feed is good, people get hung up on what ampage they are but its not relly that important. I use a Sealey Supermig 185 and its spot on perfect for anything from bodywork to 10mm plate. The cheaper hobby migs such as a mighty mig are bloody useless in my oppinion and not worth wasting your money on. A decent mig welder will set you back about £400 new but if you cant afford that get a 2nd hand one!  Yes you need gas, aleast CO2 in a pub bottle but if your serious its worth renting a argon mix bottle from Air Products or BOC. |
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