Ed B
Member
- Messages
- 82
- Location
- Manchester
Hi - new to the forum and to MIG welding.
First off, what a great and informative site. I've spent quite a few hours reading up on welding but there is still loads to read and I've quite a few questions. I've always fancied being able to weld but I've never quite been able to justify the expense. I did have a second hand Arc welder about 8 years ago. Cost me about £20 and blew up quite quickly and that is where my adventures in welding ceased due to lack of money and time (kids and that!). Anyway I like scooters and I have started on a project to cut and shut an old seat into something that fits my scooter better - with the intention of getting a pro to do the welding for me - but as I have been working on the fabrication I've realised that the job is getting more complicated and so the thought has crossed my mind that maybe now would be a good time to bite the bullet and purchase a MIG for myself - in effect offsetting some of the cost - as I have a few other small jobs that need to be done as well. Obviously this will make the job take longer but hopefully it will be more satisfying and produce a better result in the end - as I will be able to make changes if I dont like the results
So questions, possibly with obvious answers but always best to check I think..
1. Can I weld metal that has surface rust with a MIG? I would clean up the metal as good as possible with some emery paper first.
2. I've read MIGs dont like the draft or wind. Can you tell me how badly they are affected by this. I have a garage but its quite old and the wooden doors have quite large gaps
I am on a very limited budget so I am looking at both new and second hand (but only if the price reflects the risk) welders, so in respect to a couple I'm looking at:
what do you make of a SWP MIG 150?
Also the Wolf MIG 140? The only drawback on this looks like you cant fit a euro torch. How good is the wire mechanism?
The largest thickness of metal I would be looking to weld would be 3mm. Most of the metal in my project is 2mm - I still need to find out the thickness of scooter body work (to future proof my purchase as one of the other projects I have to do later will involve welding to my scooter body - the concern here would be thinness rather than thickness I think)
Thanks in advance for advice.
First off, what a great and informative site. I've spent quite a few hours reading up on welding but there is still loads to read and I've quite a few questions. I've always fancied being able to weld but I've never quite been able to justify the expense. I did have a second hand Arc welder about 8 years ago. Cost me about £20 and blew up quite quickly and that is where my adventures in welding ceased due to lack of money and time (kids and that!). Anyway I like scooters and I have started on a project to cut and shut an old seat into something that fits my scooter better - with the intention of getting a pro to do the welding for me - but as I have been working on the fabrication I've realised that the job is getting more complicated and so the thought has crossed my mind that maybe now would be a good time to bite the bullet and purchase a MIG for myself - in effect offsetting some of the cost - as I have a few other small jobs that need to be done as well. Obviously this will make the job take longer but hopefully it will be more satisfying and produce a better result in the end - as I will be able to make changes if I dont like the results
So questions, possibly with obvious answers but always best to check I think..
1. Can I weld metal that has surface rust with a MIG? I would clean up the metal as good as possible with some emery paper first.
2. I've read MIGs dont like the draft or wind. Can you tell me how badly they are affected by this. I have a garage but its quite old and the wooden doors have quite large gaps
I am on a very limited budget so I am looking at both new and second hand (but only if the price reflects the risk) welders, so in respect to a couple I'm looking at:
what do you make of a SWP MIG 150?
Also the Wolf MIG 140? The only drawback on this looks like you cant fit a euro torch. How good is the wire mechanism?
The largest thickness of metal I would be looking to weld would be 3mm. Most of the metal in my project is 2mm - I still need to find out the thickness of scooter body work (to future proof my purchase as one of the other projects I have to do later will involve welding to my scooter body - the concern here would be thinness rather than thickness I think)
Thanks in advance for advice.