The V8 Owners Forum -

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

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.

Andrew

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?

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.

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.

Something like this?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200818752273? ... 1423.l2649

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/320978705727? ... 1423.l2649

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.

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

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

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.

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

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!

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

awesome advice people many thanks as always. I'm on an ebay vigil ....

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.