MiG welder suggestions please

Lionhound · Jul 23, 2020

Old age and its accompanied aches, pains, failing eyesight etc etc. are sadly catching up despite my belief that I’m still in my early thirties and sometimes barely 18.
As a result I’ve sold off the gas gear and ditched the aged (and crap) arc welder thinking, “I’m not really needing these anyway”. Well, and this’ll shock all you Defender owners, I bloody well do need one after all, not only for the ‘fender but for my mate’s “racing” Vitesse. I say racing but “pit lane hugger” might be closer to the mark.
Aaanyway, to the point, I’m looking to go all modern and get a wee cheap MiG welder.
Thinking probably max 150amp (house leccy won’t take any more, and should be enough anyway) and probably 30 to 40 bottom end for bodywork.
Not wanting a piece of crap inverter or far eastern cheapo model, well, maybe the cheap part, so wonder if anyone can give me some options to consider.
Thanks all.

Zed. · Jul 23, 2020

I've been using (& abusing

) a Sealey Supermig 180 for ~30 years, this runs from a household 'mains' supply and is a very capable machine both for thin / bodypanels & thicker than chassis steel

I've tried & used many diferent sets since but this is my 'go-to' set. when it eventually dies I'll probably be looking for another!

I also have a pair of Camarc 'spool-gun' (spool-on-gun) sets for distance work / up scaffold & aluminium but these are currently big orniments & not relavant to this thread

something worth spending on is a decent headshield, being able to see the weld pool & whats happening makes a massive diference...
cheap reactalite lenses work well but there is a diference in quality available, head-fit and the ability to wear glasses has become an important consideration to me as I've got older

if you can find something like a sensibly priced / secondhand '3m Speedglass' headshield then you'll 'see' the diference over a cheap ebay / motorfactors item

I use a Speedglass '9000' headshield & suitable lens for 'dirty' work and a '9100fx' headshield with a '9100xx' lens for 'clean' (also with the 'Adflo' fresh/filtered air-fed unit) but this is a hang-up from welding professionally in industry.
PPE = Perspnally Provided Equipment

I also use an argon/c02 shield gas-mix as the argon allows a 'hotter' weld that also cools slower than pure c02 so easier to get a flatter weld with good penetration on lower power & less distortion (& less grinding

)

'precision-wound' wire makes life easier (I use 0.6mm on anything below 2mm thick then 1mm as it works out cheaper to fill bigger gaps)

Rich. (bodger)

Ratae · Jul 23, 2020

+1 on a good auto darkening headshield. Leaves both hands free. I too wear glasses!
I use argoshield from BOC (claim the bottle rental etc back through the business)
Look for something with a eurotorch. I converted my Clarke 151 to euro a few years ago & the difference between that & its original torch is night & day.

gstuart · Jul 23, 2020

Hiya

hope u don’t mind but Following this with great interest , ref MIG, have wanted to do a few projects over time

Been looking at the gasless Mig systems, that’s ok to be used via household mains

last welder I ever used was an Arc welder so alas haven’t got a clue with the newest welding systems , plus then being a clever clogs @ 16 x years old , used it without goggles , FFS , eyes bloody hurt for days and days

wear contact lenses and heard mixed reports of being extra careful using mig

thks again and u don’t mind me following

Zed. · Jul 23, 2020

gstuart said:
looking at the gasless Mig systems

looking is good, just don't do anything further

gassless / fluxcore works in industry where the sets are bigger & use 3ph power, also it's more use on 3mm+ metal as you need a lot of heat to 'burn' the flux...
also, gas-shielded is much neater with less mess to clean up afterwards

Rich.

Colthebrummie · Jul 23, 2020

It depends on your definition of cheap. Sealey and Clarke seem to have decent reputations and can be got secondhand for £100-£150 . I second the previous posts about a decent head shield mask and a good set of welders magnets make the job a bit easier. Avoid at all costs anything advertised as new on eBay for less than £100 it's Chinese and won't last till the end of the wire spool. You may wish you'd kept the gas rig, the best welding I've done was with gas, I wish I could afford a good rig.

Col

gstuart · Jul 23, 2020

Many thks for sound advice , was generally looking around £250 ,

Forgot , Used oxy acetylene at tech colleague on lead flashings , bronze welding etc, but that was about it , never forget about being warned ref welding and galvanised materials and how dangerous is can be

this was the link I have started to read

https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/buyin...welding that can equate to possibility of use.

kevstar · Jul 23, 2020

I have a small clarke 135 turbo, welded loads of chassis & body work for great wee machine
my other inverter welder is a r-tech bloody great machines, we use r-tech at work for boat building
I will be upgrading my mig at some point to this............... https://www.r-techwelding.co.uk/mig-welder-r-tech-i-mig180/
Its everything you will ever need from a welder, mma stick welding & spool gun are optional.
run off a 13amp plug, 3 year guarantee they pick it up repair it & send it back no hassle.

You need to look at the duty cycle on the machines but you probably know this (suck eggs n all that) lol
Cheap never means quality but trying to get a the best machine for you budget so 2nd hand is always
an option but ive been there done that & bought a snap on one ending up selling it for spares.
Unless you can find a millers or murex as you will get your money back when you come to sell it.

Sealey or clarke gets my vote for a cheaper machine.

Brown · Jul 23, 2020

I'll be looking for a MIG machine one day. I have had them in the past, but sadly lost contact with them due to relationships breaking up. Not that my partners would have had much use for them, but somehow as I was re-establishing households after the break ups I found myself without a welder. The second one boasted turbo fan cooling so was more useful as I could keep going for longer without the thermal cut out switching it off. So make sure it has internal fans if you've got a lot of long beads to lay down. Ref. duty cycle comments above.

Gasless I'm not sure about. I dunno if I'd want to go completely gasless. I've seen gasless work quite well out doors in field settings with a cold wind blowing, but I think it would be good to have the option of gas as well, so maybe a machine that does both would be best @gstuart

Ian M in France · Jul 23, 2020

kevstar said:
I have a small clarke 135 turbo, welded loads of chassis & body work for great wee machine
my other inverter welder is a r-tech bloody great machines, we use r-tech at work for boat building
I will be upgrading my mig at some point to this............... https://www.r-techwelding.co.uk/mig-welder-r-tech-i-mig180/
Its everything you will ever need from a welder, mma stick welding & spool gun are optional.
run off a 13amp plug, 3 year guarantee they pick it up repair it & send it back no hassle.

You need to look at the duty cycle on the machines but you probably know this (suck eggs n all that) lol
Cheap never means quality but trying to get a the best machine for you budget so 2nd hand is always
an option but ive been there done that & bought a snap on one ending up selling it for spares.
Unless you can find a millers or murex as you will get your money back when you come to sell it.

Sealey or clarke gets my vote for a cheaper machine.

I have being looking at same, I would buy one but there are 498 reasons not to. but next time I have a job come along that I need to do a bit of welding might go for it, I have a old oxford unit but it really takes 2 people to lift it into the van, works well but only arc, having arc and mig in one unit seems great, it is mainly gates I use it on and 2 to 4 mm box section

kevstar · Jul 23, 2020

Ian M in France said:
I have being looking at same, I would buy one but there are 498 reasons not to. but next time I have a job come along that I need to do a bit of welding might go for it, I have a old oxford unit but it really takes 2 people to lift it into the van, works well but only arc, having arc and mig in one unit seems great, it is mainly gates I use it on and 2 to 4 mm box section

Ah ye auld oxford has it got a wheel with a handle to turn the power up.down, oil cooled ??
I bought one of the invertor welders from r-tech ive done a few jobs with it 2mm & 3mm steel box/plate
also done 12mm steel posts ..v'd & a couple of beads its a superb machine, weighs fk all & runs off a
13amp plug it paid for its self in the first job & was 180 quid.

Ian M in France · Jul 23, 2020

kevstar said:
Ah ye auld oxford has it got a wheel with a handle to turn the power up.down, oil cooled ??
I bought one of the invertor welders from r-tech ive done a few jobs with it 2mm & 3mm steel box/plate
also done 12mm steel posts ..v'd & a couple of beads its a superb machine, weighs fk all & runs off a
13amp plug it paid for its self in the first job & was 180 quid.

Ian M in France · Jul 23, 2020

kevstar said:
Ah ye auld oxford has it got a wheel with a handle to turn the power up.down, oil cooled ??
I bought one of the invertor welders from r-tech ive done a few jobs with it 2mm & 3mm steel box/plate
also done 12mm steel posts ..v'd & a couple of beads its a superb machine, weighs fk all & runs off a
13amp plug it paid for its self in the first job & was 180 quid.

The oxford I have is very old It was from a factory I used to work at must be from 1960's oil cooled on 4 metal wheels and you have to lift the handle up and then turn to the output you want, It will run on 1 phase or 2 phases and will just about run off a 16A supply but will trip 16A trip when first turned on if you do not remember to turn it down first, great for most welding and will do 4mm rods no problem with a good result, the unit it was replaced with in the factory was the size of a handbag and about 5kg, but I bet it is not still going now

kevstar · Jul 23, 2020

Ian M in France said:
The oxford I have is very old It was from a factory I used to work at must be from 1960's oil cooled on 4 metal wheels and you have to lift the handle up and then turn to the output you want, It will run on 1 phase or 2 phases and will just about run off a 16A supply but will trip 16A trip when first turned on if you do not remember to turn it down first, great for most welding and will do 4mm rods no problem with a good result, the unit it was replaced with in the factory was the size of a handbag and about 5kg, but I bet it is not still going now

It sounds very much like the old unit we have in the yard pure quality built to last.

Not like the sh!t we get now, no way they will stand the test of time.

Ian M in France · Jul 23, 2020

kevstar said:
It sounds very much like the old unit we have in the yard pure quality built to last.
Not like the sh!t we get now, no way they will stand the test of time.

From the days where engineers run companies not accountants and they wanted to build the best because other engineers bought there products not other accountants

kevstar · Jul 23, 2020

Ian M in France said:
From the days where engineers run companies not accountants and they wanted to build the best because other engineers bought there products not other accountants

kevstar · Jul 23, 2020

I watched this last night a real mans welding rod

Ratae · Jul 23, 2020

Brown said:
Gasless I'm not sure about. I dunno if I'd want to go completely gasless. I've seen gasless work quite well out doors in field settings with a cold wind blowing, but I think it would be good to have the option of gas as well, so maybe a machine that does both would be best @gstuart

My Clarke was originally gas/no gas. I did give the no gas & the fluxed wire a go but found it very smoky with slag to be cleaned off afterwards.
I do almost all of my welding on the drive. Sheets of cardboard (old boxes) or plywood/hardboard strategically placed will help to prevent the shielding gas blowing away.

frog hopper · Jul 24, 2020

This is my one, bought 2nd hand from a welding supplier trade-in. Cost me £200 20 years ago, and it was just as tatty then, but tried it out in the shop and it laid down a nice weld for me. Never let me down and runs off standard 3 pin plug.
Better to get a real good 2nd hand than a pants new one.

Brown · Jul 24, 2020

Ratae said:
My Clarke was originally gas/no gas. I did give the no gas & the fluxed wire a go but found it very smoky with slag to be cleaned off afterwards.
I do almost all of my welding on the drive. Sheets of cardboard (old boxes) or plywood/hardboard strategically placed will help to prevent the shielding gas blowing away.

Yes, the gasless wire is a bit like MMA welding but with a very thin electrode. You're effectively welding with a flame of burning compound. It's OK when the deposits all rise to the surface and you can chip them off, but often some of them are embedded in the weld itself. So I'll never forsake welding with real inert gas, because what you see is what you get. All the bead is real metal.

MiG welder suggestions please

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