I'll be really interested to hear your feedback on the Portamig Malcolm - it sounds like a good unit, but you can't beat a thorough review by someone using it in the field so to speak .
Do you think you would have time to put together a short review post once you have had a chance to use it? I'm sure a lot of forum users would be interested, especially as you are coming from the perspective of someone used to the Clarke type machines, which a lot of people have also.
I'm just organising a bit of a gadget clearout to put stuff on ebay to get the rest of my budget together for my welding gear purchase. Its not so much the actual MIG, its all the ancilleries including the safety gear .
Been reading some pretty scary stuff about the damage from UV radiation from a MIG arc so will be getting myself some decent long arm guantlets, a good auto helmet, respirator, etc.. Plan is to not have any area of myself uncovered whilst welding . Paranoid? Maybe.... but UVC especially is pretty nasty stuff so I don't want to take any chances and the welding fumes (I'll be working in a garage) don't sound that healthy either.
I think my first project will definitely be some sort of chassis tilter though. I like your idea of a "cradle" to attach the chassis to. Should allow extensive structural work without worrying about alignment issues.
I suspect I actually have half of what I need in terms of the end supports with the manual Hamer 4 post lift. I can perhaps fit two shorter crossmembers at the front and rear end and fit a removable "bearing tube" halfway along each crossmember. The cradle "spindles" could then slot into these with the chassis on the ground. I would then jack up the ramp corners as usual and this would then lift the chassis in the air. Once high enough I should then be able to rotate it with too much difficulty.
I'm probably not explaining this too well , but I might try and sketch it up and post some pics once I get the details worked out for feedback.
Cheers,
Chris
Do you think you would have time to put together a short review post once you have had a chance to use it? I'm sure a lot of forum users would be interested, especially as you are coming from the perspective of someone used to the Clarke type machines, which a lot of people have also.
I'm just organising a bit of a gadget clearout to put stuff on ebay to get the rest of my budget together for my welding gear purchase. Its not so much the actual MIG, its all the ancilleries including the safety gear .
Been reading some pretty scary stuff about the damage from UV radiation from a MIG arc so will be getting myself some decent long arm guantlets, a good auto helmet, respirator, etc.. Plan is to not have any area of myself uncovered whilst welding . Paranoid? Maybe.... but UVC especially is pretty nasty stuff so I don't want to take any chances and the welding fumes (I'll be working in a garage) don't sound that healthy either.
I think my first project will definitely be some sort of chassis tilter though. I like your idea of a "cradle" to attach the chassis to. Should allow extensive structural work without worrying about alignment issues.
I suspect I actually have half of what I need in terms of the end supports with the manual Hamer 4 post lift. I can perhaps fit two shorter crossmembers at the front and rear end and fit a removable "bearing tube" halfway along each crossmember. The cradle "spindles" could then slot into these with the chassis on the ground. I would then jack up the ramp corners as usual and this would then lift the chassis in the air. Once high enough I should then be able to rotate it with too much difficulty.
I'm probably not explaining this too well , but I might try and sketch it up and post some pics once I get the details worked out for feedback.
Cheers,
Chris