Welder suitable for beginner & bodywork?

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chodjinn
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Welder suitable for beginner & bodywork?

Post by chodjinn »

Hi, I'm looking into buying a welder. I'm a complete amateur having onl done arc welding before. It's going to be used for bodywork - fitting wings and patching up bits etc.

I'll be buying second hand, can anyone give me any tips on what I should be looking for? TIG or MIG?!? I don't have a fortune to spend either!

I already have an arc welder, but I figured I should purchase a better welder for doing body panels and such?

Cheers as always,

Olly


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Post by Darkspeed »

Get a quality brand S/H MIG and only use an Argon Mix gas and 0.6 wire

I started with a SIP Migmate 130 - and still keep hold of it just in case my old Clarke 185 goes pop.

I paid £50 for the Clarke 185 S/H and its a huge old beast - Euro torch takes 25kg reels etc. but it welds superbly. get someone who can set a welder and weld to run you through the machine as it will save loads of tears.

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chodjinn
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Post by chodjinn »

Hi Andrew, thanks again for useful advice mate! I figured a MIG would be better but wasn't sure.

What sort of price range should I be looking at, I've seen the gasless ones are a bit cheaper?
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Post by DaveEFI »

Don't think gasless falls into 'pro' ?

If I were you I'd try and make sure you actually can achieve the skills needed to weld thin stuff, before spending money. Despite quite a bit of practice, they allude me.

And I'm very good at soldering. :D
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Post by Alley Kat »

Haven't used gasless, but seens lots of pics - horrible welds, doesn't look a great thing for thin steel.

Better to get a quality s/h/ MIG, than a not-so-good new one - provided you can be sure it works. I use a Cebora 180 got s/h for hardly any more than I sold a Clarke for.

Main thing for thin steel is the min amps, want it low as poss. 30A is typical, some go lower. Hot-spotting (like a series of repeated tacks) and patience help loads with thin steel. The MIG forum has a nice little vid of that technique.

Budget for an auto-darkening helmet and a proper gas bottle, you can get rentals, or rent-free ones that cost a bit more but make sense if you don't do loads of melting.

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Post by chodjinn »

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Post by Alley Kat »

Personally I think Silverline are the spawn of Satan, but don't know who really makes their welders - will be re-badged.
Sealey ones seem OK by rep, but there's other makes, it's worth a good old sniff around the MIG forum.

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Post by DaveEFI »

Silverline seem to be rather like Draper - bought in stuff re-badged. And both seem to do some OK and some rubbish.
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Post by stevieturbo »

Really, save up some money and buy a proper welder. If you've found an arc welder even remotely useful, then you'll just love a MIG welder.

Buy a good one and it will give years of service and it will be money very well spent.
I would say gasless is a waste of time, although never actually used one.

Over 20 years ago I bought a Murex 140A machine, and apart from a torch replacement and some minor electrical repairs, it has given superb service, and still does.
I wanted a big machine that carried a big bottle and took a 15 kg roll. The trolley is handy, but not essential unless you want to use a proper Argoshield bottle. 15kg roll....well, this will last a very long time, so probably isnt essential.

Thermal Arc to a 180A machine, Thermalarc fabricator series. It's a MIG/TIG combined but in a portable unit. Yes it is a little pricey, but goes down to very low currents so would be great on thin metals.
Looks like price has went up a bit though ( £600+the nasty )

Lots of other units on that site too. Either way, look at it as a very long term investment, not just short term. I wouldnt be without my welder, and it only gets used on the odd occasion now.

http://www.migtigarc.co.uk/MIG_Welder/T ... _181i.html


http://www.weldequip.com/mig-welders.htm

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/index.php
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Post by chodjinn »

thanks Stevie, and the rest. I really can't afford more than £200 for one, but I'm going to shop around for a couple of weeks to find a decent one around that price. I don't need to weld just yet, but will do soon.

I go tthe hang of arc welding almost instantly, it's a bit crude and messy but definitely does the job. I'm moving to MIG as I want to weld bodywork and other thin steel etc.

Decided to do my MG properly this time ... lol. 8-)
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Post by kiwicar »

Hi
There are some good articles on Carcraft.com on restoring/welding body work, an example here http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/cc ... ember.html
From reading past articles. . . One of the techniques is to dress the stitch welds with a dolly and hammer as you go, one set of spot welds at a time, rather than relying on dressing the seam with a disc grinder after the event. This introduces less heat so is easier to get a flat even invisible seam, you need the right hammer but that is not a problem and having tried the technique a few times it does give good results needing minimal dressing once welded.
Best regards
Mike
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Post by Alley Kat »

My Cebora cost under £200. Snap On = Cebora, same machines with different badges on. There's quality welders out there and for £200 you'll be going s/h. Main thing is check it works before shelling £s, get the seller to show it working or take something along who can MIG, to have a go.
Best avoid SIP, by reputation. Unless modded - again, see the MIG forum.

As well as welder you'll want an auto-mask, say £40, gas, and gauges (about £30). Pub CO2 is dirt cheap if you can sort that, but not the best for thin steel. Ar-mix can be got rent-free from Adams and their resellers, and probs others. Again MIG forum has lists.
Think my bottle was £70 for the first one inc deposit, £40 for refills. Or thereabouts.

Whatever the initial costs, in a while you'll be well chuffed to have it!

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Post by kiwicar »

As Marki says
get proper size bottles of gas, the tiddly little things are an expensive pain in the bottom! My first 10kg bottle was £65 including 2 years rental, a 1 kg bottle is about £9 . . . . basically the first big bottle pays for itself .
Best regards
Mike
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Post by chodjinn »

awesome advice people many thanks as always. I'm on an ebay vigil ....
RIP MGB V8 .... served me well as a learning curve.

R32 Skyline V8 .... this one is gonna be a monster!

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Post by stevieturbo »

chodjinn wrote:awesome advice people many thanks as always. I'm on an ebay vigil ....
dont overlook places like Gumtree etc, or local ads.

There's always stuff for sale everywhere.
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