What Welder

[Its me]

Hi there every body i am interessted in getting a mig welder for general use on cars etc and was just wondering if you could advise me on what one to get and should it be gas or gasless and where from thanks very much.

Kyle (Buster)

[Pete Ashby]

Kyle

 

I'd go for a gas mig providing you can use it inside and away form draughts, anything between 150 and 200 amps that will take up to 0.8mm wire with fan assisted cooling so that you can achieve 50 to 60% duty cycle on full power.

Any good tool supplier will have a reliable machines depending on where you are in the world the brand name changes expect to pay around the £300/350 mark give or take a few pounds.

 

Pete

 

[Chappers]

I agree with Pete's post ,there are plenty of internet sellers selling mig's quite cheap.

Go for a 180-200amp as you can always turn the wick down if needed.I use argon gas for my welder as it gives a much better weld with less splatter.

 

Have fun

 

regards

Steve

[Its me]

So you would say get a gas mig welder then at around 200 amps but what make should i get clarke,draper or what have you got thanks very much.

kyle(Buster)

[ArtistsRifles]

FWIW - mine's an SIP unit - works fine for sheet steel on 1960's Swedish cars :-)

[Pete Ashby]

I have an old 200amp Clarke machine that was cheap and cheerful in it's day but has worked well for the last nine years. In some areas of the UK Clarke spares can be a bit of a problem. The bottom line is how much to you expect to use the machine.... all day every day you need a top brand name occasional use go for a mid price machine, Clark, SIP, Draper, you'll find that these are basically all the same machines inside just branded differently with minor tweaks to attract the market. I would echo Steve use Argo mix or Argo shield do not be tempted to use pub gas it will produce poor quality welds. Practise with your machine on loads of test pieces and spend plenty of time getting to know what the settings actually produce before you get stuck into the real job in hand. Crappy welds or burnt through holes take a lot more time and money to fix than running a role of MIG wire through the machine on test pieces. Speaking of wire, buy good quality stuff, never second hand as it get rusty if not stored in dry conditions, this will give you all sorts of pain and grief with stutter, splatter, weak welds to metion just a few.

 

Pete

 

 

[hardyferret]

I have over the years had the following migs

Snap on 140 amp... dreadful

Butters 150 super excellent sold to go into divorce fighting fund!!

sip 240 present unit excellent replaced torch for good quality unit would recommend

 

I always use mix gas 5% far better than co2, make sure the weld area is clean, and tack 1st, then very short runs more like long tacks with old steel like ours, or you'll end up with the molten weld pool falling out leaving a big hole :-o .

Use tip dip this prevents slag bid up in the torch shroud and tip.

Also clamp the joint well together so in can lift with the heat.

Haynes manuals do an informative manual on body work repair spraying and welding, useful to all even those of us who know it all :eek: :wave:

[Its me]

thanks very much everybody for your help so could we say a welder any where in the region of 150-200 amps? thanks again for all your help