What welder?

[codlasher]

A little inverter will be your best bet. A friend of mine has a Thermal Arc 175 which cost him about £210. It will run happily on 13 amp and an extension lead and will burn a 4mm rod and is easily carried round in it's little case.

 

I have one of these. I purchased it to do general welding jobs such as re-flooring my 5 ton farm trailer with 4mm sheet steel which took me a whole week last year. Repairing the door catch on my tractor cab and fabricating brackets for various jobs. This is just to highlight its versatility.

I have stretched it to join 6mm channel with care and correctness.(Proper root runs and a nice cap on the top) It will also do vertical up with a good hand. I have few defects and if they do occur, and they do happen, it is usually down to me not the machine!

I have been welding for 30 years and possess a welding qualification from Maidenhead College, so have experience with a selection of welders including a lovely 3 phase unit that I have but can't use as I don't have 3 phase in my current workshop. I have a 160 amp MIG with similar issues so I'm down to this little unit. I use 2.5mm & 3.4mm rods, the odd stainless and very occasionally black cast iron rods. I have run a 16Amp supply, complete with the blue plugs & sockets, out from the fuse board just to ensure the power is there when needed and can't be confused with 13Amp stuff.

If you want an easy simple little stick machine look no further. You will also be pleasantly surprised at the quality of the ancillaries that come with it.

codlasher

Edited December 8, 2013 by codlasher
Addendum

[slack ma girdle]

Looking at welders around £150-£300.

I did have a clarkes £90 one and it was so crap and kept blowing up fuses I skipped it .

Also my friend with a car body shop lets me use his but it's no good for steel thicker than 5mm and his was thousands so I'm guessing there must be a nice middle ground reliable general purpose machine that does not use gas in a sensible price.

 

I use 30 amp fuse wire wrapped around the fuse holders, not had a problem since.

[tractorboy1]

I use 30 amp fuse wire wrapped around the fuse holders, not had a problem since.

 

I use a 6 inch nail cut down

[landrover 101]

Why don't you want gas ?

 

I am guessing down to expected bottle costs but there is now Adams Gas available in mid size bottle something like £50 deposit on bottle when you get your first one then cost of gas but no cost other than gas when you change

 

As far as welder goes mine is a sip topmig 170 that I have had for about 15 years now

 

 

 

 

 

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[peatff]

I use a 6 inch nail cut down

 

I gave away an oil cooled 140 amp which used to blow fuses and the proper replacement is m8 bolt with the head cut off

[pete23]

got a good diesel stick set I want to flog soon with a 2cly diesel petter BA2, with a max arc ltd welding unit, mustang. been a good welder.

[2stroke-ady]

With mig welders its not so much about the welder itself its the gas you use. If your welding steel get argosheild gas, much better results!

[MattyF]

Jib on the winch is an example of what I need to weld. The welder in the link at the top of the page be capable? It is on my price range at they are only a few miles away.

[difflock]

I am puzzled at the apparent inability of a wee cheap SIP stick welder running off a 13 Amp plug to weld heavy sections.

I bought a wee SIP second hand for 50 or 60 quid.

Cos back then invertors were the high hundreds.

I have welded up to 6mm plate, easily.

Even welded the end back on the hydraulic top link ram a good few years ago.(will photo and post)

and it is still holding, doing as ignorant work as the 84HP 4WD DB1490 is capable of. Including Mole ploughing and winching

Stick to a short mains lead.

Short welding leads as well.

use a greater number of finer rods, with multiple passes.

Grind out the join in thicker section.

All basic common sense (to a self taught farmers Son stuff)

Regards

Marcus

Ps

That "winch JIB/pully housing" as photoed above, is easily stick weldable with a stick welder off a 13 Amp plug.

I still got the origional 13 Amp fuse in my Plug btw.

imhe

Edited December 9, 2013 by difflock

[MattyF]

Mine kept blowing the whole block of units out , it got frustrating having to go to my landlord and telling him I've tripped all the work shops again!

... Maybe a different unit will do the trick , mine was a barn find !