thinking of buying a mig welder

i have a lot of welding to get done on my chassis and am thinking of biting the bullet and buying a mig just wondering if you could advise me out of these makes sealey or clarke or would a arc welder be better

personally i much prefer mig and get the most powerful you can afford, a euro non live torch and the ability to take larger rolls of wire (15kg) and a regulator for normal gas rather than the little hobby cylinders...

a welder will pay for itself a 100 times over if u stick with classic cars, mines built wine racks, garden planters, gates, numerous landies, so easy to deal with sheared bolts and loads of extra times it'll help

i had a sealey for years and it was a decent enough machine (180a) however look at the second hand pro makes that come up,

i was lucky enough to be outside our local secondhand shop the moment he stuck an ESAB 200a MIG out for sale, spot , stitch n weld functions, proper earth clamp, 4 metre torch so never need to move welder, and a brand new ARGOSHIELD heavy 5ft tall cylinder with regulator... new over £1800 at the time so i bit his hand off at the £100 if u pay cash :0

unbeleivable deals do occasionally come up

cheers steve

I have a Clarke 151TE, does all you ever need for a chassis I imagine. ARC welders, or the little buzz box ones you get cheap, are ok but have short duty cycles and are not easy for welding anything other than thick plate. I use mine for welding boat trailers made of thick box section.

A mig is easier to use and more fun I think. Clarke welders are ok and have a good spares network. Get an auto helmet if you can, they are really nice and make welding 10x easier for mig and ARC.

I had a Clarke minimig 100e for over 20 years and it did everything I asked of it, up to and including chassis work with careful weld prep. When it finally died I bought another, this time a Clarke 151EN. If all you are doing is working on your own vehicle and the odd job or two I don't think you can go wrong with the Clarke machines. I've used proper industrial gear in the work environment and of course they are better but when you factor in the cost/value equation it's just not worth it for the home user. Whatever you decide you do need to get the proper gas for it. I use pub gas CO2 but you would be better with Argon/CO2 mix, it makes welding easier and produces cleaner neater welds but costs more, either way the little disposable bottles are a waste of time.

i totaly agree i have a snap on 130 mig and its a good little welder but i could not belive the change as soon as i put a big bottle on it it was like a pro machine.

Most people buy a disco then they realise they need a welder!!

jai_landrover said:

Most people buy a disco then they realise they need a welder!!

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Exactly why i bought mine! Boot floor on my disco 1 was like swiss cheese

just make sure yer welder is rated over 100 amp otherwise anything under that and youd have a better chance with a bic lighter

I got a Wolf Mig140 gas/gasless welder, cheap for a reason, doing a good job but if you can afford something better then get it. I am using disposable bottles and running it off an extension lead so that won't help. Argon definitely better than Co2 for welding, well worth the extra money.

Check out migwelding DIY guide at weldequip,lots of good info and pics.

I did all mine with a Clarke but just got a bantam stick welder now

i got given a sipmate turbo 130 that wouldnt feed.so i mucked about with it sat and have got it working ok , just as i was starting to weld ok ish the bloody gas ran out,how long can i expect these little bottles to last i see there is three bottles for thirty quid on fleabay with free delivery i dont know if thats bad or good any sgestions cheers

richbatch said:

i got given a sipmate turbo 130 that wouldnt feed.so i mucked about with it sat and have got it working ok , just as i was starting to weld ok ish the bloody gas ran out,how long can i expect these little bottles to last i see there is three bottles for thirty quid on fleabay with free delivery i dont know if thats bad or good any sgestions cheers

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Forget the little bottles. Get a regulator and a Pub CO2 bottle.

redhand said:

Forget the little bottles. Get a regulator and a Pub CO2 bottle.

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That's what I use, Struggling to find some where to refill it though, last place I used has just closed.

waldershelf said:

That's what I use, Struggling to find some where to refill it though, last place I used has just closed.

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friendly pub landlord??

ive just bought a little unrefillable bottle how many hours of welding should i get roughly
before i can get a big bottle hopefully

richbatch said:

ive just bought a little unrefillable bottle how many hours of welding should i get roughly
before i can get a big bottle hopefully

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6 minutes, if its the small one that comes with a Clark

god thats about 140 an hour i think ill pay someone to come and do my welding for me then

You must have it turned up high if you're only getting 6 minutes. I've had a fair bit of use out of mine and not run out yet, probably a good half hour or more of actual welding...

waldershelf said:

That's what I use, Struggling to find some where to refill it though, last place I used has just closed.

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bit of a treck but if your nw of sheffield try Tygas in bury, i get pub co2 from them , no rental, no surcharge, think last one was about £15 (will be trying em for argoshield if my big cylinder ever runs out) co2 is for my home bar

cheers steve