Welding Kits

[Archbish]

winner!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HEY GRINGO!!! TAKE YOUR STINKING WINNER THREAD STUFF AND GET OFF MY THREAD, YOU RATBAG!

so for basic bodywork (replacing sills, etc), maybe manifold work, and some intercooler piping (see how confident i am before I\'ve even picked up a welder!!! *grin*), what would I be looking at???

It sounds like a mig welder at about £150 off ebay, maybe gasless might be ideal/suitable?

btw - thanks for all the responses guys!  Very cool and helpful!

[NixRX7]

Bish, i would sugggest before you even buy one, get down to your local college and enroll in some welding classes, then you will get a feel of what type of welder is going to suit you best.

If you just go and buy one and have never welded before you are most likely heading for disaster.

Nick

[88GT-R]

Hey OJ, good to see your sense of humour is as sharp as ever!!
While the MIG machines will weld Aluminum, ensuring you are using the correct roll, you need to be careful what duty cycle you select. This is predominantly because Aluminum gives little sign of melting, and happens very quickly.
Cheers,

John

[travellinbob]

I have a migmate 150 and whilst it can be a pain in the bum when the wire feed mucks about, bang for buck you cant beat it. It was less than £300 and came with a warrenty, if you are not too sure about what you are looking at then e-bay can be quite confusing. I know also that the little diposable botles are a pain but then if you are not giong to be doing alot of welding a larger bottle is an added expense just sitting there.
 top thread!!!!  cheers all, merrry christmas, michael.

[Grizzly]

Realistically, You are better getting some who\'s a Good Tig Welder to Tig up Alloy IC pipes (you will REALLY struggle with a Gasless mig)

As an Example when we weld small think alloy at work with a mig (they don\'t usually have the wire size to weld Castings etc) we have to use different the same Alloy wire as the metal being welded, Diffrent gas and it takes allot more skill.

There is a Massive difference between welding sills on your car and making a leak proof Pipe.

I would say do a bit of reading up on the subject, The only gasless mig i used was only good for Thin gauge (it did\'nt have the Juice for thicker stuff and did\'nt get good penetration), it required more power to get a Nice weld so it was Hotter than a Gas Mig so you got more Distortion, plus the Wire is twice the price of Standard mig wire?

I use Gas Migs quite allot, My Dad has a BOC Welder i bought him a few years ago for £100 of E-bay its not massive but its a Pro welder and its on wheels, he got a half Bottle of Carbon Dioxide of my sister (who runs a Pub) and i\'ve welded all sorts with it (from car Floors to Exhaust manifolds), I don\'t think Gas migs are Designed to be used out side really? they tend to spit and pop a bit because the Gas Shield gets blown away by the wind but that aside i would not be looking at Cheap £100 new Welders, they Jam (have poor linings in the lances), only use the very small Wire rolls, Not got fans in them so the Thermal cut outs play silly buggers and will start to cut out if you use them for long periods.

When it comes down to it you are not going to get the same weld with a £100 mig as with a £1500 mig, so i suggest you keep your eyes open for one that\'s second hand. It also Depends on the space you have because you can buy a Proper Mig Of E-bay for a Couple of Hundred Pounds that is not in the same league as these Clark migs, Just remember you want a Single Phaze welder if you are using it at Home.

[shaunwil]

You\'ve got me reading up on this topic again !

http://www.thefabricator.com/ArcWelding/ArcWelding_Article.cfm?ID=929

Machine mart are doing a vat free day on the 7th of Jan.........................

Shaun

[shaunwil]

http://www.thefabricator.com/ArcWelding/ArcWelding_Article.cfm?ID=1170

Shaun

[shaunwil]

http://www.thefabricator.com/ArcWelding/ArcWelding_Article.cfm?ID=1083

Shaun

[Grizzly]

can you weld Alloy with an Inverter?

[NixRX7]

You can weld alloy with either a mig and alloy wire (which is so bloody soft it always snags on the wire feed) or a Tig/inverter that can be switched to AC (DC is for steel etc) also if using an inverter to weld alloy remember to switch over the polarity so the earth cable is plugged into the + positive side and your torch is on - Negative or your tungsten tip will just melt back up the nozzle.

[Archbish]

Cool - sounds like some solid help and advice coming through, which I really appreciate!  Cheers for it all!!!

One thing I should have mentioned earlier was the comment about evening classes - the reason i can\'t do them is because i start work at about 8am, and typically don\'t get home til about 8:30 in the evening, so the chances of me making evening classes on a regular basis are few and far between...

I appreciate what you say about the intercooler piping - i understand that a lot of the stuff I\'ll want to be doing eventually is a LONG way down the skills line, but I don\'t want to have to replace a welder I bought simply cos I could have got an appropriate one for about another 50 quid!

[shaunwil]

most colleges offer daytime part-time courses too, try http://www.hotcourses.com for more info !

Shaun

[NixRX7]

Bish, is there not another member near you or a friend who can weld that could teach you the basics ? believe me, it will make it a lot easier to learn if you have someone knowledgable to show you the basics.

[Archbish]

Bish, is there not another member near you or a friend who can weld that could teach you the basics ? believe me, it will make it a lot easier to learn if you have someone knowledgable to show you the basics.

Probably.  I might just get them to demonstrate welding a manifold, some intercooler piping... (ummm, is there anythign else i need...) and probably a couple of other parts to help me learn... *GRIN*  My neighbour used to do bodywork and welding and stuff for a living, but he\'s not the most committed kinda guy to helping out.  I may just have to force someone with the offer of booze (afterwards) to help me learn.

ANYONE AROUND THE GUILDFORD WAY KNOW HOW TO WELD AND LIKES ALCOHOL???

WINNER!!!





oh hang on, I\'m hijacking my own thread... Bugger.

[Grizzly]

TBH i personaly have always struggled welding Alloy with a Mig, I\'ve worked in a Body shop for a long time now and i am not bad with a Mig but i would rather old school with a Gas welder than get a Mig to weld Alloy neatly.

As i said before one or two of the guys at work can Mig Alloy but if you don\'t use the correct wire it won\'t stick and will make a right mess. I\'ve had IC pipes done before now and i use a Mig to tack it all in place and get it Fusion welded with a Tig by a Pro.