Welder ac or dc

Hi chaps im thinking of adding a welder to the christmas list As i have a range rover classic so im sure it will come in handy. But dont have any welding experience so will be doing a lot of practising. Going to get an arc welder but which is best ac or dc. Any help would be great

Well guessing it's going into the mains so that would be AC rather than off a genny

Why not a mig ???

Dr_evil said:

Well guessing it's going into the mains so that would be AC rather than off a genny

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Doc ac input then there is a transformer to change the current on the welding leads to either ac or dc, and straight or reverse polarity, which depends of what type of welding rod and what is being welded.

But for home use a ac welder or better mig...... which a monkee can do not hard, with practice

for welding on vehicles, get hold of a mig - especially if you've not had much experience. you'll get a much better and easier weld and arc welding is a nightmare, 'specially on thin stuff like bodywork.

you gotta be good for arc on cars, as for ac or dc arc ,makes no odds really though dc is smoother on cast iron rods and necessary on aluminium arc weldeing.
If your talking tig get a ac dc plant so you can weld everything

A Range Rover, a Mig will be invaluable on the body. Why fight with a stick when you get wire fed for you?

Get a TIG thats next on my list

Got my eye on a lincoln electric

Cheers chaps, Does anyone know what the wolf mig140 gas/gasless combi on fleabay and amazon. I dont want to spend silly money for somthing which is only going to be used for the odd repair. Thanks for info

Series 2A said:

Cheers chaps, Does anyone know what the wolf mig140 gas/gasless combi on fleabay and amazon. I dont want to spend silly money for somthing which is only going to be used for the odd repair. Thanks for info

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****e but they'll do the job just don't expect long life or easy usage.

Series 2A said:

Cheers chaps, Does anyone know what the wolf mig140 gas/gasless combi on fleabay and amazon. I dont want to spend silly money for somthing which is only going to be used for the odd repair. Thanks for info

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Sadly these welders have no relationship the the Wolf company that used to make top quality power tools.

It will probably be OK but to be honest for home use I don't think you can go far wrong with a Clarke one from Machinemart.

I had a minimig100E that lasted for 20 years with occasional use. It's not really up to chassis work without careful weld prep but it did everything I needed. When it finally died I replaced it with another Clarke but this time a 150amp unit and that welds chassis thick material with ease.

I bought a Sealy 150 amp mig welder, about £400, and it has been pretty good, never welded when I started, but with practice can now weld ok, maybe not craftsman style, but functional. For working on land rovers, I decided 150 amp welder was the minimum required, i am building up my own CCV car so lots of welding needed! Gas not to bad for a replacement cylinder it's about £30 delivered to my work. I was advised to get an rental agreement so a few quid deposit there, as bottles can work out expensive.

I've got a sealey 190 and its great, spot timer too, fecking huge but does everything I need it to

ive got the wolf , use it gasless, does the job as neat as the local garage. ive not used any other mig so cant draw any other comparisons. but have been using arc on thicker stuff for years.

I have a SIP migmate T135 and a SIP T214 TIG, the migmate has been great especially on thin Granada floors. I use the mig for most things, but the TIG when I'm doing Ali or want welds to look purdee

One thing I'd recommend tho, as it worked well for me, is find a local tech college that runs a welding course. I found it really helpful, especially with the TIG.

Santa dropped of me prizzie a sealey gas/no gas mighty mig 130amp. Are these any good. cost £50 with 1 roll of gas wire and 1 roll of flux wire and the gas regulator off flea bay. Just got to get welding tips

MIG Welding - The DIY Guide is useful

130 is fine for most light things up to about 5mm I think, my 190 can **** through 5 on the right setting though

Sealey aren't bad welders tbh

have a go with both, but I warrant you'll find it much much easier With gas.