What welder?

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Steviecops

Steviecops

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I've got a few little patches that I've got to get welded on my Discovery before they get any worse. I could run it in somewhere and get it done, but as I now own a Disco, I really ought to learn how to do it myself! What would be a good choice of welders for me to start with and how much can I expect to pay for a second hand one? I've looked on eBay but, as I don't know my arse from my elbow when it comes to welders, I don't know what's any good.
 
Try a search :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

There's loads of threads on here about welders, techniques etc etc etc etc...:rolleyes::D:D:D
 
Many colleges run 10 week courses on basic welding. Why not go along and get a feel for it before committing yourself to buying the kit before trying it out first?
 
ask around a bit before you buy one, if you only need it for that one job you might be able to borrow one and just buy some wire?

save yourself some doh. If you were closer you would be welcome to borrow one of mine.
 
It's great that you are having a go yourself , you may be better off hiring a nice 150 amp welder !! For a weekend , don't get a gases less mig there not so good on the heavier Landy chassis , you will need an angle grinder to clean up the areas to be welded , and to finish off your new welds as well !! Practice first on some steel around 3 mm thick , get some practice setting up wire feed etc ! Too much wire for a selected power setting results in spitting pigeon **** type welds !!! When it's right it should sound crisp uninterrupted nice flowing welds !!!! Tack your plates in place and use g clamps if needed then weld em on !! Careful around areas of wiring , plastics etc ! Have a fire extinguisher at hand !!!! And disconnect the live lead from your battery before welding !!! Can destroy the alternator diode pack due to current passing thru electrical system !! Good luck !!
 
Cheers. Good idea about borrowing or hiring a welder to start with. I've only got three small patches to do at the moment. Do you recommend butt joints or overlapping plates?
 
What type of joint really depends on whether or not it will be seen. On a chassis for instance I would overlap the patch on top of the old metal but clean up the area with a grinder first. On bodywork or on the bulkhead of a Series landy I would weld in a patch of the same dimensions of the hole. If its only going to be seen on one side you can joddle the edges of the patch which can be done with the special tool and set it flush on the visible side and grind the welds flush with that side but leave it rougher on the other. Hope this makes sense. Go for a mig welder, with gas, and anything from 130 amps upwards with variable power/wire feed settings.
 
Steviecops said:
The patches I need doing are on the rear arches on a discovery.
Click to expand...
I've done wheel arch repairs on a few cars. Buy the repair panel, you will never shape them properly yourself and mark off the rusty area, cut it away then place the repair panel behind the cut off area, mark the pattern on the new metal, cut it to shape then butt weld it on, very small lengths at a time to avoid distortion. You could also fit the repair panel in behind the cut off area and lap weld it on and use cataloy to smooth it over after grinding the welds down.
 
ferretboy said:
It's great that you are having a go yourself , you may be better off hiring a nice 150 amp welder !! For a weekend , don't get a gases less mig there not so good on the heavier Landy chassis , you will need an angle grinder to clean up the areas to be welded , and to finish off your new welds as well !! Practice first on some steel around 3 mm thick , get some practice setting up wire feed etc ! Too much wire for a selected power setting results in spitting pigeon **** type welds !!! When it's right it should sound crisp uninterrupted nice flowing welds !!!! Tack your plates in place and use g clamps if needed then weld em on !! Careful around areas of wiring , plastics etc ! Have a fire extinguisher at hand !!!! And disconnect the live lead from your battery before welding !!! Can destroy the alternator diode pack due to current passing thru electrical system !! Good luck !!
Click to expand...
Oh, I bought a sealy Mightymig 150 today to start work on my Defender, it is a gas/no gas type. At the moment it has gasless wire in it, should I remove this and buy an Argon cylinder? I am a mechanic NOT a welder so took advice from the guy at the tool place. Was he talking out of his bum hole? was he just trying to sell a welder? hmmm I am sure some of you guys know:eek: oh and sorry to jump on this thread:hijacked: just though it might help others.
 
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I don't do a lot of welding these days, I no longer buy cars that I know need a new floor :) .
I dont think you can go far wrong with the Machinemart Clarke ones for home use, my first one lasted 20 years.
I don't rate the gasless migs but I know others do for outside work, I use CO2 from a pub bottle, it's cheap (free if you know your local publican) and produces just as strong welds as mixed gas although it does produce more spatter.
 
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