Looking for a welder

[geoffdown]

Them sip ones are cheap, I know they are DIY but I've had loads of sip stuff over years, can't be too bad :nenau

I've just bought a mig welder from inverter fusion for£ 500it welds up to 175a mig@35%so at full power I can weld for 3& ahalf mins out of 10mins

 

[stinka]

£500 is a lot of money

 

[geoffdown]

£500 is a lot of money

Yes but its a good solid welder with tig and stick welding too:naughty

 

[Fez_uk]

3 phase at home, lucky git

 

[Kamsin]

3 phase at home, lucky git

Yep, all the houses on my row had 3 phase as a standard fitting.
Cheap tools and better power! let the good times roll.

(Although i still not got round to using it yet :lol)

 

[Fez_uk]

why were they fitted with it? very odd.

 

[stinka]

Indeed, 415v is rare other than industrial units etc

Do you have a seperate board in the garage with the big blue round plug in there ?

 

[cncfabs]

Dont forget after youve chosen you welder you need good welding helmet http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Speedglas...=UK_BOI_ProtectiveGear_RL&hash=item231d38525e :thumbs

 

[stinka]

Dont forget after youve chosen you welder you need good welding helmet http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Speedglas...=UK_BOI_ProtectiveGear_RL&hash=item231d38525e :thumbs

lol, wouldn't waste my money on TAT LIKE THAT :lol

 

[andys 4x4]

andy 4x4 welder

i must agree 150 amp is a suitable machine, it will turn down for materials 1.2 mm and on a high setting is capable for upto 8mm depending on the machines cycle time and the users capability i own a migatronic 160amp mig which i bought over 25 years ago it has`nt missed a beat. things to look out for isthe wire feed rollers as mentioned in a previous post if they are made of plastic or nylon, you will have trouble sooner or later. power settings if it has just hi / low and no power dial to contol the amperage leave alone mainly on smaller machines
turbo migs are equiped with a fan which cools the transformer during use, this lengthens the cycle time(time you can use it before it needs to cool down.) also ensure it has a thermal cut out, should the machine overheat it automatically cuts out and resets when it cools, before it blows afuse or burns out the transformer, nozzle size is another thing to look out for a large shroud mb15 with 6mm threaded tips is less likely to clog up with splatter un like the smaller hobby mig type.
ive welded everything and anything over the years, from car bodies to roll cages, wrought iron gates to home made trailers the only things ive replaced are tips, shrouds, 2 teflon torch liners. 1 tip holder and spring. i fitted a new earth clamp and fitted a fan from an air conditioning unit to the inside panel to turn it i into a `turbo mig` not bad for the age of the machine .
i run it on CO2 gas which is classed as MAG welding not MIG welding the weld is not as clean as mig which is CO2 and argon mixed gases. but the majority is covered by paint or underseal so it doesnt matter plus CO2 is cheaper to buy (its the same gas as they use in pubs to pressurise the beer barrels. its worth spending on a machine that lasts, i first started with a S I P 100amp hobbymig. great for the experience, brill for car bodywork, but i found 4mm or above and i couldnt get penetration in the weld, so i part ex`ed it for my migatronic, best thing i everdone, ive saved a fortune over the years. sorry to waffle on a bit, i hope this can be of help to you Andy

 

[andys 4x4]

andy 4x4 welder

another thing i forgot to mention is the wire, if you use the gasless mig wire its twice the price of the regular steel wire.
a bottle of CO2 gas cost me £15 and lasts me about a year so using unfluxed wire and gas which is the cheaper option. one point to remember with the wire keep it clean if it rusts it plays havoc with the feed rollers, the wire feeds out of the gun in fits ans starts and you cant get a proper weld. i keep mine under the stairs in the house to my wifes displeasure but the cold moist air in the garage rusts the wire. Andy.

 

[firebobby]

Stinka, this is a good site to check out for welders

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/index.php

 

[stinka]

i must agree 150 amp is a suitable machine, it will turn down for materials 1.2 mm and on a high setting is capable for upto 8mm depending on the machines cycle time and the users capability i own a migatronic 160amp mig which i bought over 25 years ago it has`nt missed a beat. things to look out for isthe wire feed rollers as mentioned in a previous post if they are made of plastic or nylon, you will have trouble sooner or later. power settings if it has just hi / low and no power dial to contol the amperage leave alone mainly on smaller machines
turbo migs are equiped with a fan which cools the transformer during use, this lengthens the cycle time(time you can use it before it needs to cool down.) also ensure it has a thermal cut out, should the machine overheat it automatically cuts out and resets when it cools, before it blows afuse or burns out the transformer, nozzle size is another thing to look out for a large shroud mb15 with 6mm threaded tips is less likely to clog up with splatter un like the smaller hobby mig type.
ive welded everything and anything over the years, from car bodies to roll cages, wrought iron gates to home made trailers the only things ive replaced are tips, shrouds, 2 teflon torch liners. 1 tip holder and spring. i fitted a new earth clamp and fitted a fan from an air conditioning unit to the inside panel to turn it i into a `turbo mig` not bad for the age of the machine .
i run it on CO2 gas which is classed as MAG welding not MIG welding the weld is not as clean as mig which is CO2 and argon mixed gases. but the majority is covered by paint or underseal so it doesnt matter plus CO2 is cheaper to buy (its the same gas as they use in pubs to pressurise the beer barrels. its worth spending on a machine that lasts, i first started with a S I P 100amp hobbymig. great for the experience, brill for car bodywork, but i found 4mm or above and i couldnt get penetration in the weld, so i part ex`ed it for my migatronic, best thing i everdone, ive saved a fortune over the years. sorry to waffle on a bit, i hope this can be of help to you Andy

EPIC POST !! Cheers mate loads to think about