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Oct 18, 2012 22:18:24 GMT
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I'm going to have a go at welding!! Ive got a car that needs a few little patches/holes that need sorting, whats the best cheap welder to get (second hand)??
I'm only going to do a little now and then and someone has said about a getting gas less one?
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Oct 18, 2012 22:56:07 GMT
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Gas is good. Gasless works in windy conditions outdoors, but you'll get a lot more spatter everywhere. The wire's pricey too. Avoid SIP. From what I've heard, Sealey and Cebora seem to be ok in the hobby MIG world, and Clarke (machine mart) don't do badly either. However, if you do buy a budget one avoid the temptation to use a good one (be it at a friend's or whatever) for as long as possible - you'll find it hard to resist upgrading once you know what a good welder's like. If you find yourself looking for something better, Portamig make excellent welders.
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sonus
Europe
Posts: 1,391
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Oct 19, 2012 10:21:13 GMT
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I chanced upon and bought my EASB Caddymig 160I brand new from the US for US$460. Including Norwegian VAT and shipping it came in at less than half the retail in Norway (UK£1000).
Haven't done much welding with it yet, but it looks and feels like a good quality machine.
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Current 1968 TVR VIXEN S1 V8 Prototype 2004 TVR T350C 2017 BMW 340i
Previous BMW 325d E91LCI - sold Alfa Romeo GTV - sold Citroen AX GT - at the breakers Ford Puma 1.7 - sold Volvo V50 2.0d - sold MGB GT - wrecked by fire MG ZT 1.8T - sold VW E-golf Electric - sold Mini Countryman 1.6D -sold Land Rover Discovery TD5 - sold
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Oct 19, 2012 10:39:04 GMT
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I'm going to have a go at welding!! Ive got a car that needs a few little patches/holes that need sorting, whats the best cheap welder to get (second hand)?? I'm only going to do a little now and then and someone has said about a getting gas less one? get a clarke 130EN, then you can use it gas or gasless, but gasless is more difficult to weld with, avoid buying anything under 100a, or with a starting amp of more than 30a, cheapest way of using gas is proper regulator and CO2, possibly pub supplied, or fire extinguisher company, but it's not as good as Argon mix, avoid the throwaway bottles, the clarke one is pretty good, not a patch on a professional one, or even a good hobby one, but theres lots of cheap dross out there, even clarke supply some chinese pos, so the 130en and models like it, could be the last decent machines from clarke!
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Oct 19, 2012 17:37:14 GMT
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Gasless is ok if you've never welded with gas .....I got a Clarke welder, was on 'gasless' for a few yrs ...(never used it enough to change to gas) then i decided to go for gassed .... difference was VERY noticeable. I run Argshield, purely cos i 'obtained' a bottle of it from work.
Now i have to point out my welds run from total chicked poo, to reasonable ...... you can tell my first batch of welding from when i've been doing it an hour or so ...... and although i can join bits of steel together, i won't class myself as a 'Welder' ..... ;D
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Oct 19, 2012 17:55:55 GMT
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I have a Clarke 130 something or other, I've never use anything else but I'm happy with it. As a complete beginner I've found it easy to get on with on gas, never tried gasless.
As mentioned, it's important to get one with a minimum current of 30 amps or less. Thin sheets like car panels need low power. I can't think what I'd use the 130 amp setting for though...
There's a fantastic mig welding forum with loads of info and tutorials, I'm on m phone so can't link it but it'll be the first thing in google.
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I've got Rovers.
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Oct 19, 2012 18:04:23 GMT
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However, if you do buy a budget one avoid the temptation to use a good one (be it at a friend's or whatever) for as long as possible - you'll find it hard to resist upgrading once you know what a good welder's like. If you find yourself looking for something better, Portamig make excellent welders. I laughed out loud at this. Bruce has a lot to answer for. I forgot INSTANTLY that my Portamig cost £600 I couldn't afford when I first used it though. My vote for lower budget has to go to to Clarke. I've had poor experiences with SIP and Sealey's budget brand 'Siegen'
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...proper medallion man chest wig motoring.
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Oct 19, 2012 18:25:31 GMT
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I have a Clarke 130 something or other, I've never use anything else but I'm happy with it. As a complete beginner I've found it easy to get on with on gas, never tried gasless. As mentioned, it's important to get one with a minimum current of 30 amps or less. Thin sheets like car panels need low power. I can't think what I'd use the 130 amp setting for though... There's a fantastic mig welding forum with loads of info and tutorials, I'm on m phone so can't link it but it'll be the first thing in google. 130 amp is not that high, it will weld about 4mm, despite what is claimed, which is just good enough for chassis plates, it's also about the maximum you can go using a standard 13 amp plug, but it's not just about the maximum that you need, the higher the maximum, then the higher the duty cycle, so a 130 amp machine will only do 130amp for 10mins in every hour, I have a 250 amp Clarke, and a 215 portamig, both perform pretty good!
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Oct 19, 2012 18:36:35 GMT
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I heard gasless wire was carcinogenic due to the flux, not sure if thats right, but if it is i would steer clear.
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1993 Fiat Panda Selecta 2003 Vauxhall Combo 1.7DI van 2006 Mercedes Kompressor Evolution-S AMG SportCoupé
"You think you hate it now, wait til you drive it"
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Oct 19, 2012 18:48:03 GMT
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