welders

[dave123]

Originally Posted by solarman216

this is only a 150 amp mig and should run from a 13 amp socket my 170 has no probs off a 13 amp, but for your info your house supply is 1ph and you can rig a 30 amp socket, it is the same as a cooker supply, Rick

how can I rig a 30 amp socket . I have tried to find socket with 30 amps and can't even the cooker switch is only 13amp on the plug side

[RCMike]

I've got one of the machine mart Clarke MIG 145 welders (same one as in the second link of the first post).

I'm very much a beginner when it comes to welding but it seems to be OK in the 2 months i've had it (used it a reasonable amount with co2/argon mix gas). No problems using it on a 13Amp socket.

[dave123]

Originally Posted by RCMike

I've got one of the machine mart Clarke MIG 145 welders (same one as in the second link of the first post).

I'm very much a beginner when it comes to welding but it seems to be OK in the 2 months i've had it (used it a reasonable amount with co2/argon mix gas). No problems using it on a 13Amp socket.

so it's not blowing threw the metal ? . what gauge metal have you been welding ? because I got some welding to do on the floor and wing of my t2 and I don't want to waste money get something with to high of a power that can't do the job or too low that it can't weld chassis when need . I went out and checked my wing thickness and it's only 0.9- 1 mm . that why I was looking at this one as well . http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/pr...gas-mig-welder but with that I am worried it's going to trip the junction box all the time or melt the house electrics

[Fez_uk]

It won't, Also when low power it draws less.

Don't bother with gasless, Just buy one that's set up ready for gas.

[dave123]

Originally Posted by Fez_uk

It won't, Also when low power it draws less.

Don't bother with gasless, Just buy one that's set up ready for gas.

I was going to get one that does both as 80% of the time I will be welding in the open and the wind will blow the gas away as I don't have anywhere under cover to work on my car

[RCMike]

Thinnest I've used it on is 1mm so far with .6mm wire. Needs to be on the lowest setting for this, there are only 4 power settings rather than an adjustable knob. I actually found this better (as a novice) as it gave me less things to fiddle with and just focus on technique. You can still fiddle with the wire speed however.

I've actually used the slightly bigger co2/argon bottles from machine mart with one of their valves.

Like i said, i'm a novice and not qualified to give anything other than my personal experience (and this is my first welder) but it seems OK to me.

[solarman216]

Originally Posted by dave123

how can I rig a 30 amp socket . I have tried to find socket with 30 amps and can't even the cooker switch is only 13amp on the plug side

30 amp sockets are readily available from electrical wholesalers and you just run a 6mm cable from your consumer unit, but honestly you do not need it, my 250 amp welder demands a 30 amp socket but 150 definitely not, especially as most of the time you will be running on the lower settings for bodywork material, Rick

[solarman216]

problem with bigger welders is they often do not go down low enough for thin metal, my 170 has that problem and it has taken a while for me to get used to the short weld at a time technique, to avoid blowing holes, my previous 170 was infinitely variable and was a dream to use, but cost a lot more, Rick

[cncfabs]

Power input required depends on how efficient the set is.My mig at home is only 130 amp and will trip out 16 amp supply.We have welders at work that draw 100amps at 380 volts and only produce 350 amp welding current.We had 500 amp machine on demo that would run flat out from 16 amp 3 phase supply difference is the new machine was invertor based older machines are thyristor or plain transformer based.

[solarman216]

Originally Posted by cncfabs

Power input required depends on how efficient the set is.My mig at home is only 130 amp and will trip out 16 amp supply.We have welders at work that draw 100amps at 380 volts and only produce 350 amp welding current.We had 500 amp machine on demo that would run flat out from 16 amp 3 phase supply difference is the new machine was invertor based older machines are thyristor or plain transformer based.

You are of course correct, but these are simple cheap machines and at the low welding amps they will be used on 13 amp supply is more than enough, Rick

[solarman216]

Best welder I ever used was a portable engine run set, I was welding 15 mm plate with stick, it was a dream but it did not run at 50 Hz cannot remember what it was but it made a world of difference, that was in the 70s, Rick

[Sweety]

All great info guy's would love to get a mig so I can start learning how to weld just never seem to have the funds for one so far

[cncfabs]

Originally Posted by solarman216

Best welder I ever used was a portable engine run set, I was welding 15 mm plate with stick, it was a dream but it did not run at 50 Hz cannot remember what it was but it made a world of difference, that was in the 70s, Rick

Would have been dc thats why they weld better