Brand new to all of this

[weewazza17]

Hi there guys and girls. I have always been in to tinkering with motorbikes and cars and want to take the next step, which for me is working on the frames and body work. This in turn means I need to be able to weld. My main aim at present is to work on the frame of my motorbike and I am wondering where I should start with regards to the welding system I use. I would like to spend no more than £200 on the welder and I'm hoping this can be achieved. As I say I am brand new to this and have no idea where to start, other than I am open to all suggestions and eager to learn. Hope you can help

 

[cumbriasteve]

Welcome, your budget will limit your new machine choice to something like a Clarke 130, which is a nice machine but a litle more power is advisable.

There is a for sale section here and sometimes good second hand MIGs are offered.

Dont forget to budget for an auto helmet.. a £25 one off Ebay will do nicely and some gauntlets..about a fiver or so.

Then there is the gas, disposables costly and don't last long, a CO2 pub bottle is a popular choice or an independant gas supplier local to you...argon/ CO2 mix.

 

[pedrobedro]

Hello and welcome, for £200 you are going to need all the help you can get. You are seriously limiting your choices to low powered or second hand and you will also need more for the gas for mig. I would review your financial situation and come back when you have saved some more money.

 

[rtbcomp]

That's a bit heavy Pedro

One of the low-end Clarke MIGs should fit your bill but as Steve says your costs don't stop with actual machine. Try to get one in a Machine Mart VAT free day, or have a look at Weldequip's shop at the top of the page.

For learning from scratch a new welder or one you know the history of is a lot better than faffing around with a poor machine.

 

[weewazza17]

Sweet thanks so far guys. I found this bad boy on ebay and seems to fit the bill as it has a little more power than the clarke you mentioned. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-CLARKE-23...ltDomain_3&hash=item5d2e2e514c#ht_1737wt_1141

However it needs a 32 amp supply. How do I go about getting this supply in my garage? I imagine I would need an electrician to install a socket in the wall. I take it I cannot run it straight from a domestic 13 Amp plug or is there a way of inverting it?

 

[Robotstar5]

It only needs a 16A supply which still have to be installed by a sparky, but will run off a normal 13A plug as long as you don't run max power too long. If you do it will only pop the fuse and not damage the welder.

 

[weewazza17]

lol ok, just for my own knowledge, how did you know it only needs a 16 Amp supply? I thought it said 30 amp minimum. Gotta say I'm already glad I joined this site. And would you recommend that welder?

 

[brightspark]

lol ok, just for my own knowledge, how did you know it only needs a 16 Amp supply? I thought it said 30 amp minimum. Gotta say I'm already glad I joined this site. And would you recommend that welder?

30 amp minimum is output not the input current

 

[weewazza17]

Haha brilliant cheers for that.

 

[pedrobedro]

That's a bit heavy Pedro

I don't think it's heavy being realistic. He's already gone up £17 over original budget looking at the ebay welder. He did say "no more than £200" and that he was open to all suggestions and he has already followed the one of coming up with more money.

 

[weewazza17]

Well I did say I hoped I wouldn't have to spend more than £200 but if I need to then so be it. Still, would you guys recommend the Clarke? From what I've read it seems to be a pretty respected model.

 

[keith19]

No, it doesn't need a 32 Amp supply, it's quite happy on a 13 Amp socket unless you're using it a great deal at the top end of it's range, and as long as you're not on the end of a 30 metre extension. Lots of threads about this if you look around the forum.

I've got one of these 151EN machines and it's a decent no-frills welder that will do most jobs around the home workshop, including auto panel work, and if fitted with gasless flux-cored wire can be used to mend gates and stuff outdoors.

The top metal thickness is around 3-4 mm by the way, not the 6 mm in the ad and quoted from Clarke. (It might do 6 mm with two or three runs in a vee'd butt joint, or vee'd both sides, but it won't make a decent weld on 6 mm without careful preparation). This shouldn't be any worry if you are working mostly on cars and bikes.

I'd say go for it, but be aware that the 151EN comes supplied with gasless flux-cored wire, so you'll need to get a regulator and gas-pipe conversion kit, and gas of course, if you intend to use it with gas straight away.

Take a look at the the kit here for example prices, around £40 for Argon/CO2 mix kit, and around £30 for CO2 kit. (CO2 a bit more difficult to learn with if you're new to welding, but some guys use it all the time, even for car panel work).

That's a bit to think about for now, feel free to ask more questions, quite a few people on here have the 151EN, so lots of advice available.

 

[weewazza17]

Awesome! That was most helpful Keith.