After many years of blowing holes in various classic cars with an arc welder, I've finally decided to invest in a MIG, I've narrowed the choice down to two, expert comment invited!
tinyurl.com/7mtwu
and
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The usage would be minimal, primarily at MOT time.
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I'm only an amateur, but I wouldn't go with a gassless mig after trying both. True, outdoor wind can be a problem. Try to get a demo of each if possible.
Keep you eyes open in the free papers - I got a www.machinemart.co.uk/product.asp?p=010114040&r=20...5 for £25 quid last year.
Martin
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I use a small gas mig welder occasionally and I'm lucky to get 20 mins of gas from the small ( about 2 litre sized ) bottle.
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As a VERY amateur welder i bought a gas/gasless 140; a lot of these seem to be the same machines with different badges; the gas bottles don't last long although rechargeable CO2 ones are available from motor factors; have successfully welded mild and s/s steel and aluminium (need argon for these); for small mild steel jobs i find the gasless more convenient and seems to produce better results.
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Can you please elaborate as I am a beginner in welding? I am also planning to buy a new welder. It would be great if you could suggest me one which is a complete value for money.
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Look at the date of posts.. over 10 years ago!
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I have a Sealey 185 Turbo Mig, RRP £470. DO NOT go gasless, after all M.I.G. does mean Metal Inert Gas. The gas is used to shield the work piece from oxidisation. I do 98% of my welding outside, you just need some small wooden boards to protect your work from the wind. Have you checked out Ebay? Hope I've been of some help.
When The Going Gets Tough,
The Tough Get Going!
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I would agree with the not gasless opinion.The cost of the wire is prohibitive,also it is a bit thick for body panels.I have used Clarke welders for many years,I would go for about 150 amps,then you have a bit in reserve if you want to weld something a bit thicker.Most have cooling fans these days,an essential,otherwise the duty cycle is reduced(it will cut out on long runs).The small gas bottles are useless for any serious welding,I have a big bottle of Argoshield,from BOC,but you need to be doing a fair bit of welding to make this viable.There may be smaller bottles available,you will need a regulator so budget for that as well,also budget for a decent mask,the one that comes with the welder will not last long and,being handheld,is hardly convenient.
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I have a Sealey 185 Turbo Mig, RRP £470. DO NOT go gasless, after all M.I.G. does mean Metal Inert Gas. The gas is used to shield the work piece from oxidisation.
The gasless migs use a different wire which, when used does the same job of shielding the work from oxidisation. You'll find though that the wire doesn't last as long. It's horses for courses. You either spend your money on wire and gas, or a similar amount on just the wire on gasless migs.
I've got a gasless mig and it welds no different to a gas mig.
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I'll go along with Sierraman and the mask recommendation. I used a high powered industrial welding set for a couple of days, but used only a hand held mask. Every bit of exposed skin developed a sort of 'sunburn'. My forehead and neck area reddened and the skin peeled.
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First question. Do you really need one. Mine is sitting in the garage unused for several years. Would have been cheaper to have gone to the local garage and paid them for the few repairs I have done. Like all skills, MiG welding requires practice to acquire and repetition to retain.
Second. Can't comment on the gasless v gas arguement and weld quality, but if they are equivalent the extra cost of the gasless wire would be offset by the cost of the gas bottle rental. Yes, I invested in Argoshield, and BOC charge me an arm and a leg for rental every year.
I think the main difference between the professional gas and CO2 intended for a pub is a small percentage of argon (apparently helps weld quality) but some of my mates use CO2 cylinders loaned from friendly publicans without any visible effect on weld quality. Of course, I would never suggest you do such a thing, but...
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I went on a 10 week leisure evening course at my local college. Proved most useful, as I got to use and practice with Acetylene/ARC/MIG & TIG welders.
MIG is most practical and easiest to use.
I found CO2 pretty poor in comparison to ArgosShield. I guess you could "learn" to weld better with it.
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Yes Solara,I did one of those courses many years ago and they are well worth the money.As for CO2,it will always give poor results,so politely refuse offers of pub gas bottles.
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Thanks for all the replies. I've saved a few quid by doing my own welding over the years, but using an arc welder for thin sheet steel is awkward, I've used a MIG a couple of times and I've been impressed with the results.
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Absolutely! Arc welding produces huge amounts of UV, and 'sunburn' is a big risk. Full face mask, thick gloves and long sleeves are very necessary.
JS
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I've got a Clarke 135 TE Turbo, from Machinemart, which is now <£200. It came out very well in reviews in some magazines. Worth spending the extra for the gas mig and the fan cooling - they duty cycle on non cooled machines at high power is pretty poor. I am currently using CO2 and can't really say I have trouble with it, but have some serious welding to do on my project car so may consider going to ArgoShield for that. I might give one of the disposables a go, to see what the difference is - whilst I have used argoshield at one of the Leisure Courses, the machines were much more powerful, so it's difficult to tell the exact difference it would make. Worth keeping the stick welder for heavy stuff - you'll struggle to weld more than 4mm steel with a hobby mig running off a 13 amp socket.
--
RichardW
Is it illogical? It must be Citroen....
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I've had arc eye a couple of times, probably from reflected radiation, but nothing serious. No sunburn yet, probably due to the low current and intermittent use, but the odd burn on the forearm. Arc is good for burning through the dirt and rust though ;-) Save a lot of that fiddly preparation. A variable current arc would be useful, higher to burn away the rubbish and then lower for welding without excessive cutting.
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