Minimum current spec- how low for bodywork?

[baj25]

Greetings all. I've been lurking on here for a while and have found the forums interesting and informative, and finally feel the need to post.
I'm after a gas mig set and intent getting a Clarke, based mostly on advice found in these forums. I want to use it for bodywork on a VW van (0,8mm thk. I believe) and odd brackets/ bits and bobs on my kitcar (mostly up to 3mm steel). Use will be occasional (<10 times a year?). I can arc weld reasonably (thanks to month long course when I was an apprentice), but have never mig welded. OK, to the point- If I need c. 130A to butt weld 3mm, the minimum setting of these Clarke sets is 30A- am I likely to have difficulty welding panels at this current, given my lack of experience, and therefore be better with a 90A mig and continue to use arc for thicker stuff. Thanks for looking, Brian

 

[BChild]

Greetings all. I've been lurking on here for a while and have found the forums interesting and informative, and finally feel the need to post.
I'm after a gas mig set and intent getting a Clarke, based mostly on advice found in these forums. I want to use it for bodywork on a VW van (0,8mm thk. I believe) and odd brackets/ bits and bobs on my kitcar (mostly up to 3mm steel). Use will be occasional (<10 times a year?). I can arc weld reasonably (thanks to month long course when I was an apprentice), but have never mig welded. OK, to the point- If I need c. 130A to butt weld 3mm, the minimum setting of these Clarke sets is 30A- am I likely to have difficulty welding panels at this current, given my lack of experience, and therefore be better with a 90A mig and continue to use arc for thicker stuff. Thanks for looking, Brian

I think it's 25 Amps not sure that below that an arc can be generated - reading on the forum it seems Clarkes perform better at low settings than their 30 Amp start point would imply

The Ying yang balance is restored by SIP that perform worse than their 25 Amp start point would imply

 

[malcolm]

Check out the calculator for the difference between 25 and 30 amps. There's not a lot. I'd go for the larger one.

Wire diameter and shielding gas will make a difference to amps (the welder only sets the volts). 0.6mm wire and an argon/CO2 mix gas should work well on any of the Clarkes for bodywork. You'll probably need to use the thin metal technique in the tutorials for 0.8mm.

MIG welders are available these days with 15 amp advertised minimum, but budget is a bit more. CO2 gas would be out of the question for those - they'd need an argon mix to work down there.

 

[Alistair]

i use a 150 te on my vw mate 0.6 wire co2 argon/mix now.. co2 bit too much. lowest setting and its ace for welding my beetle. and im sure you know how thin repro vw panels are!! then i still have the power there if need be.

 

[Uncle Joe]

Baj25, the kind of welding you are planning is the kind of welding that I generally do, with a bit of household stuff, such as gates, thrown in for good measure.

As such, I would agree with what everyone has said up to now. There is one thing though. I would go for a welder that is a little more upmarket than the Clarke. I know that a lot of people on here like them, but the ones I've tried arent exactly my favourite for this kind of welding.

 

[baj25]

Thanks for replies Gents. Looks like I'll be going for a 150,151 or 160 then, and thin wire and CO2/argon mix. I think MM Preston's next vat free day is in Nov, so I'll hang fire until then. ta again, Brian