Welders

[walshie 2,804]

My old arc welder has long given up the ghost, so I borrowed a friend's gasless MIG over the weekend. Had some fair size steel to weld and it seemed to cope well.

I only weld now and again, so should I buy a gasless MIG or another arc welder?

Any pros and cons?

[04fox8 168]

Not sure about Gasless MIG, But certainly I'd go for a MIG.

I use my wee 130 with pure C02 (Pub Gas) with no problems, and a lot cheaper than the small bottles from the shops.

Some will argue its use, but I have used it for years, no problems.

 

If you have pleanty cash, or work with exotic materials get a TIG. - Too fancy for me.

 

Like I say, I have a wee 130 Turbo Snap On MIG and it gets some torture. Wire feed roller bracket (small plastic bit) sometimes gives up, but easily replaced.

Happily weld tin sheet, or reasonably heavy steel.

 

Cheaper ones are available, but like most things, you get what you pay for.

[paulus 26]

would depend on how often and what you intend to weld with it, my preffernce would be a mig (camark or lincoln) ive used tig in the past but mainly for stainless work.

[walshie 2,804]

Cheers for the replies lads. Plenty of cash I don't have, but I'll look at some MIGs.

[woz 260]

Have a look at a second hand Lincoln mig....iv used a 250 single phase commercialy for the last 5 years and its great..( landrover chassis and odd jobbing)...wont entertain boat building.....gasless wire is dear and fairly shite.....straight pub gas is fine for odd jobbing and cheap.....

[04fox8 168]

Have a look at a second hand Lincoln mig....iv used a 250 single phase commercialy for the last 5 years and its great..( landrover chassis and odd jobbing)...wont entertain boat building.....gasless wire is dear and fairly shite.....straight pub gas is fine for odd jobbing and cheap.....

 

Yup,

Done a fair few Landy chassis jobs myself!

The wee one I have has a fine small torch, handy for cars etc when you need to get into tight spaces.

Edited March 12, 2013 by 04fox8

[woz 260]

I use a mb 45 torch which are normally hand me downs from boat building....I was doing a quick job last week and had forgot my reactor light mask...feck me I had to use the old fashioned black glass mask...how us old feckers managed back then I'll never know lol

[04fox8 168]

Turn up the heat on a MIG and you'll weld nearly anything, in any state!

Aye, not plastic or wood tho, I mean rusty stuff.

 

They are a bit more sensitive to rust than a stick on 'fussy' jobs, but you wouldn't go far wrong if you got one.

[woz 260]

My 3 phase set will feed rusty wire and will cut through 6mm plate.......wind murders it though..I tried the gassless wire and it wasn't exceptable and certainly would pass an xray .....was really disappointed......got a 400 amp inverter stick..weighs 25kg and is the best piece of kit iv ever used...iv always used huge oil filled sticks to get the duty cycle but they only run 2 of the 3 phases and it would put an imbalance through the generator so I moved onto inverter..........

 

The thermal arc inverter stick welders are £170 new and kick ass.....

[Bush Rummager 4,659]

I use a mb 45 torch which are normally hand me downs from boat building....I was doing a quick job last week and had forgot my reactor light mask...feck me I had to use the old fashioned black glass mask...how us old feckers managed back then I'll never know lol

lol.. yep, very good they are, especially with the full air fed set up.... untill you forget you're wearing it and drop a fart out... before you know it, its sucked the fecker up through the belt pack and blown the fecker straight into your face!! ... .... or, anothe old one is for when a "mate" holds his fag under the inlet for the for air feed.... and you get a hlemet full of fecking smoke just as you're capping a full pen butt off!!.. doesn't go down well for a non smoker like me!!!....