Welding Equipment

[W+T]

You have put me off buying that SIG made one. Can anyone recommend a good branded MIG or ARC welder? Probably looking to spend around the £300 mark.

 

 

I think for tat price you can either get an old stick as in an oxford, or it will be a cheap china mig. even the clarke are good for what they are but still china things.

 

a good quality are going to cost really, but for what you need there is nothing wrong with the cheap ones, parts are available for them,

[W+T]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cebora-180-Mig-Welder-/121193128146?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item1c37ac60d2

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MIG-WELDER-240V-CEMONTARC-WELDER-MILLER-TORCH-EARTH-CLAMP-PICKUP-WELDING-/231071603118?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item35ccf0d9ae

 

a few mig second hand

 

you defo best with mig from what see kida, These above will do you fine, parts i dont know, if you want new, as said Clark or good look on machine mart website fro specs etc, they can sorts parts, i had the 151 for 7 years before i upgraded to my Thermal arc 181i, i welded many a trailer and built many winch bumper in that time. all on 13amp socket and co2 pub gas.

 

 

 

quick

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CLARKE-WELD-MIG180-TURBO-GAS-NO-GAS-DUAL-PURPOSE-WELDER-/251353289773?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3a85d2d42d

 

and

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/clarke-turbo-weld-200-t-mig-welder-just-had-full-service-and-new-board-px-swap-/321221980159?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4aca526fff

Edited October 13, 2013 by W+T

[Biggles]

£300 is going to get you a reasonable new bit of kit. However its not going to be pro use. You don't need that and a lot of what is being said is very true but for heavier applications. £300 should get you a good enough DIY set.

 

I would seriously look for an older set of quality branding.

 

My set cost me £1200.00 +vat 30 years ago. It has probably done 10's of thousands of hours work. In that time I have replaced 1 diode, 1 wire feed motor, 1 power selector switch, and several very cheap trigger relays. All told probably less than a couple of hundred quid.

 

Now you have to ask why my set which is rated at 180amps and 100% duty and later in the fad of upping the amps re-marketed at 225amps 60% weighs so much it takes 2 people to lift it, when a cheepo 180 amp has a handle?

 

The transformer on mine is massive and must weigh 50kg at least.

 

When I paid £1200 I could have got others for a 1/3 of the price. It has proved a worthwhile investment.

 

I digress from your requirements. Mine was for industrial use.

 

TBH if you just want to weld a few bits here and there no more than say 5mm just but a very cheap stick set and throw it away when its broke. I have a £30 stick set from Macro which has a crap duty cycle which is 140amp. It does really well on odd quick jobs.

 

If you find you need more in the future (unlikely) then go for something better. What will get to you is the duty cycle not the welding ability. If you can live with, or stay out of the duty cycle limitations you will be fine.

 

Also if you learn to weld with a cheap basic set, a better set will make you a pro.

[RLWP]

 

Also if you learn to weld with a cheap basic set, a better set will make you a pro.

 

As long as the basic set actually works OK. One of the things my SIP didn't do from new was feed wire consistently - that can throw a new welder

 

Likewise, as a novice, you eat little bottles of gas because you have the flow too great, or forget to disconnect them. As the gas is invisible, if you are learning it's easy to try to weld with no gas. Or just when you are getting the feel for it, run out of gas

 

My vote would also be for a good, second hand set

 

Richard

[Biggles]

By cheap £30 set i was thinking a stick set. I did have a cheap S/H mig for small jobs. It was a Clarke or Sip, cant remember, it was crap and chewed through the little bottles like mad. The only good thing about it was I sold it for more than I paid for it.

 

This is the exact one I got from somewhere like Macro for £30 + vat

 

eBay Linky

[bizzard]

The main trouble with the smaller cheap mig welders is the wire transport and short duty cycle. They usually have a nylon wire transport tube from the machine to the torch which the wire can frequently jamb in if you don't keep the trunking reasonable straight whilst welding. After a while the wire will wear a vee grove in this nylon inner tube and will continually jamb. Also some of the little wire transport wheels are also plastic. More expensive machines have flexible coiled wire transport tubing and largely metal wire transport wheels and work much more smoothly and reliably. Having said that the smaller cheapo mig welders will work fine for for the occasional small welding jobs. Quite often the plastic wire transport tube is worn much more quickly if the machine with wire installed is stored in damp conditions. The wire starts to get rusty and this when the machine is used quickly saws through the nylon tubing and wears the groove rendering it pretty useless.

At my garage I had a 2oo amp 3 phase Seally Mig and a 1 phase 150amp Kempi, both thoroughly reliable machines. I used Argoshield 5 gas for both.

[RLWP]

The main trouble with the smaller cheap mig welders is the wire transport and short duty cycle. They usually have a nylon wire transport tube from the machine to the torch which the wire can frequently jamb in if you don't keep the trunking reasonable straight whilst welding. After a while the wire will wear a vee grove in this nylon inner tube and will continually jamb. Also some of the little wire transport wheels are also plastic. More expensive machines have flexible coiled wire transport tubing and largely metal wire transport wheels and work much more smoothly and reliably.

 

This is an example of where my SIP has become a development project. It does, in fact, have a steel transport tube and steel wheels - but a plastic frame for the transport mechanism. So the first job was to fit a steel sideplate to stiffen the grip on the wire. The first of many mods

 

Richard

[bizzard]

 

This is an example of where my SIP has become a development project. It does, in fact, have a steel transport tube and steel wheels - but a plastic frame for the transport mechanism. So the first job was to fit a steel sideplate to stiffen the grip on the wire. The first of many mods

 

Richard

Aha. The ones with the plastic wheels and nylon tube are usually the small cheap 100-105amp max machines.

[onionbargee]

iv'e got a pile of gas welding / brazing bits and bobs to sell, it's all cheap as chips, virtually impossible to ebay, anyone interested ?

I have never used fluxed wire but have seen it at a local boilermakers where the weld double chamfered 1" plate in one pass. Pretty impressive to see. The weld swirl is about the size of a 50p

 

My welder will happily spray weld given the right conditions. This was nearly but not quiet. But still didn't take to long to dress down.

 

not sure why you have spent hours grinding and polishing off a bottom plate weld, was it that bad ?

[Biggles]

iv'e got a pile of gas welding / brazing bits and bobs to sell, it's all cheap as chips, virtually impossible to ebay, anyone interested ?

not sure why you have spent hours grinding and polishing off a bottom plate weld, was it that bad ?

 

Yeh really bad. Really Really bad. Its called attention to detail, and it well worth it. Its something you get or you don't. SOme just don't or don't care.

[Captain Fizz]

Crows Nest, if you are in Bristol, go and see the guys at Rtech in Gloucester. They will give you sound advice and also let you have a go.

Most of their Migs are set up for mma as well.

They also do the hobby gas cylinders which are fairly economic and you buy the cylinder so you do not need a rental agreement.

I use a generator welder for boat work simply because I then don't have to worry about an electrical supply and can also run the essentials such as angle grinders.

Edited October 16, 2013 by Captain Fizz

[Biggles]

OK OP...............

 

Aldi are at it again

 

https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/specialbuys/thursday-24th-october/product-detail/ps/p/arc-welder/

 

This will not earn you a living as a welder but it will cope with light DIY jobs.

 

Its £40, thats all you have to lose. If nothing else it will initiate you into welding

[system 4-50]

Anyone care to offer some pros & cons for gas welding?

[RLWP]

Anyone care to offer some pros & cons for gas welding?

 

Oh dear....

 

I have gas welded for years, I like welding with gas. I'm learning to MIG weld and I'm a rubbish stick welder

 

I can't see gas as being the best way of welding boats these days. Having to heat big bits of it to bright red heat causes distortion and damage to paintwork that you just don't get with electric welding. Hence learning to MIG weld

 

I'm quite a curiosity at our local BOC depot

 

Richard

[bizzard]

I too was brought up on gas welding and have a set but only really use it now for heating stubborn joints, brazing and soldering.

[RLWP]

I too was brought up on gas welding and have a set but only really use it now for heating stubborn joints, brazing and soldering.

 

Likewise, except for the brazing and soldering where I use a propane torch

 

Richard

[Timleech]

TIG is the method often used now where gas welding would have been used in the past - often the more delicate jobs. I've never totally mastered TIG myself, though, while I reckon I'm reasonably OK with gas. I do very little gas welding these days, but the same kit is invaluable (as others have said) for brazing/silver soldering, localised heating and also of course for cutting.

 

Tim

[Captain Fizz]

I reckon Tig is the most difficult to master but is the most controllable once you get the hang of it.

OK OP...............

 

Aldi are at it again

 

https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/specialbuys/thursday-24th-october/product-detail/ps/p/arc-welder/

 

This will not earn you a living as a welder but it will cope with light DIY jobs.

 

Its £40, thats all you have to lose. If nothing else it will initiate you into welding

It would make a good mud weight but as for welding??

[W+T]

OK OP...............

 

Aldi are at it again

 

https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/specialbuys/thursday-24th-october/product-detail/ps/p/arc-welder/

 

This will not earn you a living as a welder but it will cope with light DIY jobs.

 

Its £40, thats all you have to lose. If nothing else it will initiate you into welding

 

 

I have to agree with this myself, cheap and it will get you learning how to weld stick, i used to have a similar welder, i made a lot of gear with it from a trailer chassis to a large lifting gantry, steel was from 2mm to 6mm thick.

 

Get what you pay for so dont expect it to last a few years of good use.

 

wolly

[Captain Fizz]

Far from teaching you to stick weld, it will raise your blood pressure, frustrate you as you spend hours waiting for the thermal overload to reset and give you crap welds as the welding current floats all over the place.

But apart from that, a great bit of kit!

[Timleech]

The Aldi unit must have quite a low maximum output, as it's only claimed to be able to run rods up to 2.5mm (70A?)

 

Tim

[W+T]

Far from teaching you to stick weld, it will raise your blood pressure, frustrate you as you spend hours waiting for the thermal overload to reset and give you crap welds as the welding current floats all over the place.

But apart from that, a great bit of kit!

 

 

Why will it not help to learn to stick weld?

 

He doesnt want to weld any big plates. so it more than likely not even trip out.

 

Crap welds, if he can learn to weld one he will be top notch with a more exepensive rig,

 

I can stick weld and as said above , i used similar for a lot of work.

 

Nothing wrong with starting cheap and going from there, i knw a lot of lads that have had the actual cheapo rigs and still use them for a lot of work, including welding winch bumpers on 4x4`s, so they cant be that bad.

 

 

wolly

[onionbargee]

that welder will cut out before you even get one electrode burnt, forget it.

 

having said that i have a pile of 80w mini 240 v fan units that work wonders on buzz boxes. ( my tat shop is always open )

 

Having the tools is easy, practice needs hours of work and a lot of metal, order bright mild strip say 3 x 20, and 5 x 30 in bulk and chop saw it to 6 inch peices, say a hundred of each, then get on a college course and learn the right ways from the start, save you hours of wasted effort, and metal.

[Biggles]

I reckon Tig is the most difficult to master but is the most controllable once you get the hang of it.

 

It would make a good mud weight but as for welding??

 

Listen I am a welder by trade. For a bit of DIY this will do just fine. I have a similar cheap set like this and its served me really well. Better in fact than I expected.

that welder will cut out before you even get one electrode burnt, forget it.

 

having said that i have a pile of 80w mini 240 v fan units that work wonders on buzz boxes. ( my tat shop is always open )

 

Having the tools is easy, practice needs hours of work and a lot of metal, order bright mild strip say 3 x 20, and 5 x 30 in bulk and chop saw it to 6 inch peices, say a hundred of each, then get on a college course and learn the right ways from the start, save you hours of wasted effort, and metal.

 

 

Wrong, they will burn quite a few before they cut out.

 

As for welding bright mild bar as practice 2 things 1, the cost, 2 when will you ever be welding any quantity of bright bar on a boat project? Most welding is done on rolled steel sections and drawn hollow sections,

[Captain Fizz]

It always makes me grin when people start a reply with "Listen". But, it did peek my interest enough to make me take a look at your blog Kev.

Love the motor home conversion, terrific standard. But you state that you were unable to make the tow bar because your welding set was at the boat and required a mini digger to lift it out!

Where was your cheap set? Or did you just want to get a decent weld.

I bet you use an auto welding helmet and that your chipping hammer is not made of plastic.

 

Come on, an inexperienced welder will struggle like mad to get a decent weld out of such a cheap set.