What welder do you use????

As the heading would suggest I am interested in getting
myself a welder but not sure what make model etc... to
get. I have been offered a Clarke esi arc 150K welder for
£50 would this be man enough for chassis and panel
repairs?

Would like to know what you are using and why
you choose it.

Clarke 135TE is just about the best hobby welder you can buy to run off a 13amp plug.

I have one, along with a much more powerful Lincoln Electric 3 phase unit. To be totally honest, I still use the Clarke quite alot even given the choice.

150a won't likely run off a 13A plug so will need to be wired in, but you need to know what the min welding power is too. If it's too high you will blow through thin panels. 150 will be more than happy with any thickness you;re likely to come across.

murex autolynx 161

dogs bollix for a 13 amp plug welder

Hi,

I have a parweld 185, although its my first welder as i'm learning, i think its great.
I welded a 7'x 3.5' gate and hanged it on steel 4x4 post which i welded the hinge cleats too.

I dont get involved with toy welders, but a 240v oerlikon is probably the best single phase welder out there.
As for my every day welders miller and fronius all the way

ESAB 200 amp, spot , stitch all singing job, lucky enough to pick up for £100 in a bankruptcy auction otherwise its well over £1000, even came with a full size full argoshield, had a clarke 150 before that which I thought was very good until I used the ESAB and the quality really shows. Runs single phase off a 30amp supply although Ive never run on full, level 4 of 10 welds clean through a Landy chassis, used it on 8 to test and it welded through a 5mm plate very easily, the pro torch makes a hell of a difference and decent wire feed motor (all things that seem to get skimped on with hobby welders)

You say an ARC welder in your first post, to be honest dont waste your time, keep your eye out for a decent secondhand MIG if you need an all rounder (panels and heavier stuff)

Cheers Steve

sealy supermig 185, cost me £100 second hand and iv'e used it at least once a week for the last 6 years with no bother and it welds nice anorl.

ive had a 180 amp fan cooled stick welder for years for welding heavy metal. and have a wolf 130 mig for sticking patches on the disco at mot time, its gas ans gasless... i weld outside in the wind so have only ever tried it gasless, anyway it seems to work.

iv got a snap on 130amp and a SWP 210amp

I've got a monomig 151, bought it new must be twenty years ago. It'll sit for months then get used for a couple of days pretty solid. It's easy to use and never missed a beat, even my friend that's a professional welder borrows it and sings it's praises!

You say an ARC welder in your first post, to be honest dont waste your time, keep your eye out for a decent secondhand MIG if you need an all rounder (panels and heavier stuff)

Cheers Steve[/quote]

Yes I aggree, I prefer stick welding , but unless you have real skill you will make a mess.
That said critical jobs are still specified stick(arc) only for a reason

pressbrake said:

That said critical jobs are still specified stick(arc) only for a reason

Click to expand...

Would you care to expand on this?

I'll be keeping an eye on this thread. I'm on the hunt for a welder and I've been looking at the Clark units

clark 130t. machine mart slight seconds, 130 quid 5 years ago.
mate got a portamig about 500ish quid and its miles better than the clark,
about 12 months old now.
both stored in same workshop, can use either but preferance is the portamig.
(bought from weldequip, mig welding forum)

Thanks guys for all the replys really appreciated, so would I be
right in saying that the majority of you would recommend that
I get a mig welder rather than a arc welder? Will the mig still
have the guts to weld patches to say the chassis and with a
max spend of £100 would I get a half decent second hand one?
One last question any heads up on what model/make to aim for?

Thanks again

I too am thinking of getting a welder.

When they say 'single phase' does that mean 16a+ ?

I don't want to less about with them ****e small co2 bottles does this bad boy use these or refillable hobbies you can fill at boc place?
http://www.weldequip.com/clarke-160tm.htm
I was looking at the larger parweld one, with euro torch.
Do I/we need to get a euro torch one? Wtf is a euro torch?

Matt TDi said:

Would you care to expand on this?

Click to expand...

Cold lap, a mig can start bad and conduct through the bead itself causing zero penetration whereas a arc weld that looks good is good(unless its a heavy plate that hasnt been preheated)
If Im doing critical work eg pipe I do tig or low hyd rod root run then a good rod for following beads.

Vagrent said:

When they say 'single phase' does that mean 16a+ ?

Click to expand...

single phase is what you'll find as the incoming supply within most domestic premises - often fused at circa 80 to 100A in total capacity, so you could run a really hefty welder off it's own dedicated supply, with due regard to diversity etc

assuming a load of circa 4Kw, clipped direct you could get away with a dedicated spur using 2.5mm T+E terminated in a 16A socket

for a circuit length over 40 meters you'd best go up to 4mm T+E - if the cable route takes it through any areas that are insulated you'll need to go up to 4mm even for a short circuit length

Vagrent said:

I too am thinking of getting a welder.

When they say 'single phase' does that mean 16a+ ?

I don't want to less about with them ****e small co2 bottles does this bad boy use these or refillable hobbies you can fill at boc place?
Clarke 160TM MIG Welder - Weldequip
I was looking at the larger parweld one, with euro torch.
Do I/we need to get a euro torch one? Wtf is a euro torch?

Click to expand...

Correct, 240v single phase 16a + is what you'd find with a round blue plug in workshop/factory etc.
Three phase is 415v and about 60a to 100s of amps. Big red round plugs, 5 or more pins.
Think of single phase and three phase like a single cylinder bike engine, verses a triple cylinder bike engine. Single cyl power comes in one "phase" but in a triple the power comes in three times per cycle or "phase"
This is how it was explained to me, I'm sure any electrical engineer out there may shoot me down in flames, but I hope this helps.

Big green snail said:

Correct, 240v single phase 16a + is what you'd find with a round blue plug in workshop/factory etc.

Click to expand...

tis 230V +10% - 6% (253-216.2 V)

thanks to those nice EU folks