Which Arc welder

[NFG]

Hi

 

I got a MIG 135TE from Machine Mart & before people say crap its actually rather good.

 

I also got a bottle of Hobbyweld 5 & a decent regulator as the disposable cylinders could get expensive & correct gas mix / flow of gas is important along with an auto dimming visor. It all works well for me & does everything I need it for.

 

 

N

[codlasher]

The little suitcase inverter welders are all quite similar. The leads and connectors (Dinse) should be good quality, along with the stick holder. The electronics should have at least a years warranty too.

The plus side of arc welders is their simplicity to do a good job in some pretty rough conditions. This is where a MIG has problems. They need very clean metal to do a good job. The shield gas is easily blown away and you will never get a good weld if that happens.

I have seen some 'repairs' that an inexperienced MIG operator has done. The weld is still attached to the repair but not the bit it was intended to fix.......Penetration is the name of the game and this is where an arc welder comes into play, again with its simplicity.

I spent a year at Maidenhead College learning to weld (thirty years ago!). It was time & money well spent!

Self darkening glass is a brilliant invention.

Ark-eye is not a nice thing......Go careful.

 

Have a half hour fire rule before you shut up shop for the evening........Find some clearing-up jobs for half an hour after you have finished any welding. You may one day thank this time taken. Particularly if you smell/find a smouldering rag, pile of burning saw-dust, hot acetylene bottle.......This is what the half hour is for.

They didn't do this on poor old Cutty Sark!

codlasher

[cornish wood burner]

Spot on Codlasher. Get a stick welder from your local welding supplier, they will offer you advice and all the other bits that go with it.

Inverter, around 180 amp from a known manufacturer should be OK.

[skyhuck]

The little suitcase inverter welders are all quite similar. The leads and connectors (Dinse) should be good quality, along with the stick holder. The electronics should have at least a years warranty too.

The plus side of arc welders is their simplicity to do a good job in some pretty rough conditions. This is where a MIG has problems. They need very clean metal to do a good job. The shield gas is easily blown away and you will never get a good weld if that happens.

I have seen some 'repairs' that an inexperienced MIG operator has done. The weld is still attached to the repair but not the bit it was intended to fix.......Penetration is the name of the game and this is where an arc welder comes into play, again with its simplicity.

I spent a year at Maidenhead College learning to weld (thirty years ago!). It was time & money well spent!

Self darkening glass is a brilliant invention.

Ark-eye is not a nice thing......Go careful.

 

Have a half hour fire rule before you shut up shop for the evening........Find some clearing-up jobs for half an hour after you have finished any welding. You may one day thank this time taken. Particularly if you smell/find a smouldering rag, pile of burning saw-dust, hot acetylene bottle.......This is what the half hour is for.

They didn't do this on poor old Cutty Sark!

codlasher

 

Word

[openspaceman]

got a little oxford here, not 100% sure but I think it can be run on 240v and 3 phase, was going to put it on the bay.

 

I would like 90 nicker for it, as that's what I paid for it.

 

will drag it out and check the voltage tomorrow, got some decent sized long leads with it aswell.

 

Had 180A one for 45 years collected it direct from youngs in twickenham, not used since I bought the welding genset.. You just run 2 phases across the correct input terminals. it needs a blue 16A socket on 230V.

[pete23]

Had 180A one for 45 years collected it direct from youngs in twickenham, not used since I bought the welding genset.. You just run 2 phases across the correct input terminals. it needs a blue 16A socket on 230V.

 

that's the kiddie, had a kwick look this morn, good old machine, run all day:001_smile:

[Peter]

Look for an inverter unit, at the lower end of the market they are all Chinese made. That's not a problem so long as you can get dealer backup and spares. You can run a bigger machine from a 16 amp socket, you can also run the same machine at lower amperages from a 13 amp supply, handy if you need to use it somewhere other than your workshop.

 

Any welding process works best on clean metal, trying to weld through paint and rust will not achieve good fusion.