Which Welder?

[K10Daz]

Im looking to get a welder to do basic stuff like; exhausts, sills, box section etc. Not looking to spend too much on it as im still learning just now. Was wondering which type would be the best suited. Where to buy etc etc.

Cheers.
Daz

 

[Baz]

Im looking to get a welder to do basic stuff like; exhausts, sills, box section etc. Not looking to spend too much on it as im still learning just now. Was wondering which type would be the best suited. Where to buy etc etc.

Cheers.
Daz

I bought one over christmas dual purpose mig welder I welded the cast iron manifold on the st and done a bit of stainless steel welding aswell great job

 

[goldstar0011]

I'd suggest getting one that can do gas and gasless welding with variable and speed adjustment

 

[K10Daz]

any model numbers etc would be great The gas ones - i take it you mean the little cylinders that hook into the back of the welder - not the big bottles?

 

[Andrew]

You definately want to get one that uses gas - it's better in nearly every situation. Gasless is good for outdoors though. Most of the lower price range gas ones are dual purpose though.

You can use the small cylinders, but it seems to work out cheaper getting a big bottle even if you only do a small amount of welding.

I bought one over christmas dual purpose mig welder I welded the cast iron manifold on the st and done a bit of stainless steel welding aswell great job

They are two of the hardest things to weld with MIG... how did it go? Is it your first shot at welding?

 

[goldstar0011]

I have this

Got it for about £100 delivered off ebay

 

[Baz]

Mine's a migmate 150dp.Was 390euros with bottle of argon gas roll of stainless and a roll of mild steel

@Andrew Mild steel went grand was using flux coated wire on the exhaust manifold on the st they all crack in the same place,stainless was a different story. . .bro has an sir civic with a j's racing manifold s/s had a small crack but not completly fractured I got it welded but it looks crap compared to the weld I did on the st but its done the job since christmas week.Think I did'nt use enough argon. . .
Great tool to have when you need it

 

[K10Daz]

Was looking at the Clarke 90EN, would this be up for the job? Plus the little cylinders - iv heard they are prone to leaking - is this true?

Daz

 

[Fordy]

dont get the 90en its horrible to do body metal repairs with, it either blows holes or it dont weld properly and the weld will be like rabbit dropings

 

[Alienfish360]

Try get a TIG

 

[K10Daz]

Heard that MIG was easier and cheaper tho. Fordy ill not be using it for body panels really - just exhausts and box section for frames etc.

 

[goldstar0011]

MIG (or MAG as it was called in college) is the most versitle and cheapest, , learn that the others will become easier if you want to try them.

 

[Raceworx]

all il say is you get what you pay for.. i have had two cheap welders in my time sub £250 and they have both fallen to bits and ended up welding like pants... dont think about tig if you havent welded anthing before not only are the welders themselves extreamly expencive it is a very hard skill to learn and perfect iv been on two courses for tig welding and im still no where near what i would class as good enough.. mig is easy enough to pick up but a local college course will show you the difference between a good weld and a crap one..

 

[Andrew]

Try get a TIG

That's useless advice really:
*TIG is useless for bodywork
*TIG machines cost a lot more
*TIG is much harder to learn
*TIG uses a lot of gas, and you need different gases for different jobs
*There's a reason all body shops and fabrication places use MIG

 

[Alienfish360]

TIG is a very good for thin metals such as bodywork, stainless steel exhausts etc.

MIG is messy and often too heavy duty for thinner metals.

TIG being expensive or hard to learn isn't a reason for not getting one and learning.

Either way, to weld decent you'll need a decent welder and some decent training.

 

[Andrew]

TIG is a very good for thin metals such as bodywork, stainless steel exhausts etc.

MIG is messy and often too heavy duty for thinner metals.

TIG being expensive or hard to learn isn't a reason for not getting one and learning.

Either way, to weld decent you'll need a decent welder and some decent training.

TIG is excellent for clean thin metal where access is easy. It stumbles a bit when you are trying to weld, for example, under a wheel arch. It's great for stainless as well. But not for general car bodywork - get a low current MIG welder.

I think TIG is prohibitively expensive. You can get a decent MIG welder for £250, but you are only just starting in the TIG world. I think the worst thing when you are starting to weld is using budget unreliable equipment.

 

[K10Daz]

im not bothered what it looks like - its only for exhausts etc and for learning with basically! Going to build a go-kart so was going to use it to make the frame etc!

 

[Andrew]

im not bothered what it looks like

With welds though, if it looks bad, it generally is a bad weld...