welder

[SPEN]

I have a cheap stick and a shitty gasless mig welder but i want to get something better ,so anybody have an experience welding and point me the best way to go. it's got to be single phase for home use and i think if i go for TIG i will have bother getting the argon gas.

cheers

[Peirre]

IMO sometimes its better to spend a little extra to get something more heavy duty, something with a high/decent duty cycle. Which basically means a machine that won`t keep tripping out due to overheating. This is why I have a decent MIG set in the garage that will run >1.2mm wires (inc 0.6mm & 0.8mm) I also (until recent) had an account with BOC gases. You need to decide what you are primarily going to weld, then spec the machine to that
I actually cut my teeth after leaving school as a welder, primarily MIG & stick, & coded to ASME 9 (6G)doing structural and pressure work & given the opportunity using oxy-acetylene for welding very therapeutic

[SPEN]

I am looking something for home hobby use but i want it to work !! not splatter everywhere when i use it so not cheap but as i probably will only use it 10 /15 times a year i don't want to spend £500 either somewhere up to £200 ish

[V_King]

with welders, air compressors and other more specialised equipment I noticed that if you were to spend a little bit extra does not mean you will get a little bit better. That type of equipment is either amateur or professional. If I were you and if you have time, just keep an eye on ebay for some older professional equipment in good nick. also forget about tig, unless you were to weld daily, you will spend more time every time to get the weld right before actually welding compared to mig.

[Rob 110]

most engineering/farm supplies places do rent free gas bottles now, so no getting shafted by BOC
think the outlay is about £70 for Y sized bottle, then £40 refill thereafter.

If you got £200 get a £200 MIG. ANything medium duty/bottom end professional will be +£500

[ratass]

Cheap and cheerfull is just what it says,for £200 you should be able to get a mig that will do your stuff ,£300+ will be heading for something that might last you for a long time,take a look at a company called mig-tig-arc they are very helpfull.ive been at it most my life and can recommend them.tig is a bit specialised and i would recon maybe not suitable for hobby stuff,can be a little tricky to getthe hang of,maybe be better stick with mig,try not to use a long extension lead as this can cause voltage drop which makes a good weld a problem
Jon

[dom501]

I use an r-tech 160 amp tig (110 amp electric arc) inverter at home (runs off a 13 amp fuse). I've maxed it out quite a few times and it hasn't tripped. We use 3 phase 400 amp Butters Mig transformers at work, last forever. (Wire feeders are crap).
If your looking at running a mig off 13 amp your gonna be looking at 160amp max or you could get a 32 amp commando socket installed.

Get a mig with a reliable wire feeder.

Some welders come as all in one ie MIG, Electric arc, Tig. With these type of welders your gonna lose some functionality.

Try to get a Mig with a Euro connection (torch fitting) this is your industry standard torch attachment gun to welder... Try not to buy a welder where the torch is permanently attached to the welding pot as if the torch breaks it will be a pain to repair.

[HarveyCamm]

I am looking something for home hobby use but i want it to work !! not splatter everywhere when i use it so not cheap but as i probably will only use it 10 /15 times a year i don't want to spend £500 either somewhere up to £200 ish

For maybe once a month is it worth buying one? Perhaps check out how much your local tool hire place may charge you and whether they'd do you a deal for regular / repeat use. You could also get different kit for different jobs rather than trying to buy one for £200 that's trying to be a jack of all trades.

Just an idea (thumbs)
H

[AndyB]

It depends on what you want to weld and how neat you want it to look after you've finished. I'd be looking at a combined tig/mma set and leave the mig well alone because once you've had a few hours of practice tig gives a much better weld.

You can get a set suitable for home use for upwards of £250 and waiting until Machine Mart are offering a code for a vat free period brings the price down even more.

[Peirre]

And for a little teatime (welding) reading see if you can get a copy from you local library of "The science and practice of welding" by AC Davies http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/s/ref=is_ ... cience+and+

Anyone who has a background in welding will know how wonderful book is this :huh: (Welding Apprentices who attended college had to learn the contents of it). Mines sat on the bookshelf as a reminder not to touch another welder

As for mig sets mines a Stirling 160A+ with full euro connector etc & is about as big as you can get to run on 240v