is it worth it?

[manny]

Ive kinda got my heart set on a 135te migwelder by clarke and have seen them on machiune mart for 200 quid, my question is , would it be worth it to upgrade to a 151 te that can also do ali and has more amps, but is 23 quid more?
they both come ready to go out of the box. I will probably be doing cars and general fabrication DIY stuff basically. The thing thats got me thinking is the Aluminium capability of the 151. What do u reckon guys?
link below
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/135te-turbo-mig-welder

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/151te-turbo-mig-welder

and a comparison chart
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/range/details/hobby-mig-welders/path/diy-mig-welders

 

[Alex]

The question is :

Can you afford £23.00 extra?

If you can get it.

I have a 151TE, was a little concerned when I bought it, but then once I used it, realised that what I had before (SIP) wasn't even a welder, merely some junk screwed together.

The 135TE will be quite good, but for 23 its worth having some xtra power.

 

[manny]

cheers for the response Alex, will save up that bit extra and get the 151te, spose it makes sense as i can weld ali if i wish 2 . Cheers mate

 

[shenion]

I don't see any reason the 135 can't do Aluminum.

I have a 130EN and have used it with Aluminum. I did add a nylon liner to help feeding. It did feed fine with the regular liner.

The big issue is the Clarke's have a high minimum voltage current setting. This makes using 4043 wire difficult as the current is too high. Using 5356 wire works much better as it is stiffer and melts at ahigher temp. However, 5356 can't be used on anything that will get hot (i.e a manifold).

4043 wire is real soft. I switched to 0.035 (0.9mm) wire and it feeds easier. The 0.030 wire fed ok, but was hard to set tension. Either it would slip, or birdsnest if arc stuttered. The TE versions should feed better as they do not have rollers designed for flux wire.

I have a variac to lower the voltage for Al welding. The 30A setting for steel is probably 50A for Al (Al has much lower resistance.)

My 130 works great. I wish I went for the 180 though to handle 1/4" steel. Either the 135 or the 151 should do fine for most
DIY stuff.

 

[manny]

thanks very much shenion
i really appreciate the feedback
brilliant when people are so friendly
thanks once again

 

[Drains]

'scuse my ignorance, but what's a variac, Shenion?

Si

 

[shenion]

'scuse my ignorance, but what's a variac, Shenion?

Si

A variac is a variable transformer (autotransformer.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autotransformer

Basically a big donut with wire coiled around it. A wiper along the edge allows picking up any voltage.

This one allows 0-130V out from 110V at 30 amps. Just picked it up on ebay. Nice one, has big dial, metal case and a voltmeter. Haven't received it yet, shipping is 47 lbs.

Part of my problem with Al welding is my power here is about 125V instead of 117. I figure setting it to about 95v should bring the current down while still enough to run the feed motor/control board.

 

[daf45]

Hi Manny.
I had a small Clarke set for a while and I don't think there would be much difference in the models you mention if you are just learning to weld thin stuff together. If you are tempted to buy a better machine spend a little bit more and get a 160T which has the same gutts and power of a 150 but will take bigger gas bottles and SAVE you money when you get going.
More important really is your mask. The one that comes with the Clarke hobby sets is crap (to the point of useless) and means you will have only one hand free to weld with (not the easiest way to learn) so if you are on a budget spend wisely and allow for a Parweld mask or similar pretty soon.
Cheers

 

[manny]

cheers for the response daf
have been welding for afew years, but had a gap in between, need to get my eye in so to speak. Have a decent autodarkening helmet so the clarke one will be gettin binned or donated lol. have kinda settled on the 151 now and just need to get some cash together and get one. wonder where the nearest machine mart is to me
im nr Blackburn by the way
Cheers 4 your advice guys

 

[Country Joe]

Bolton, I'd guess.
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/pages/stores/location/bolton

Cheers,
CJ

 

[stinkbridgenine]

is it worth it

better to deal with weldequip than MM. and he`ll help you if you have any probs.good prices too.

 

[Country Joe]

Very true - I'll second that!
(and he's back off his hols tomorrow)

 

[manny]

wheres he based?
i wanted to deal with him too as he may be closer and judging by his posts, he seems to care about what he sells.

 

[Country Joe]

I think he's in Lancashire somewhere - sort of right in your neck of the woods!

 

[manny]

any erm more specific, i know theres one near me and he seems a sound chap, im nr burnley
could he b the one?

 

[malcolm]

Burnley Road, Colne. So reasonably close - worth popping in for a visit.

 

[manny]

erm thats the chappy ive been recommended
will go n see him sometime next week!
cheers 4 the help guys