Hi-Strike 40-250 worth a trip?

[otchie1]

fleabay job here
Sitting at a measley tenner but a 150 round trip for me so i'll probably pass - any good though?

 

[shenion]

I would go for it. Test before taking it.

The arc welders are simple and usually work near forever.

Here, 150mi is "near". Most of the good deals are over 1kmi round trip (4k if california)

 

[matt1978]

Looks like a MMA welder to me. Its got Electrode holer connected and I can't see a euro fitting.

 

[matt1978]

Its advertised as a Mig tho.

 

[Wozzaaah]

I'm sure it's an MMA machine too, theres a crank on the front like an MMA machine has, there's definitely an electrode holder dangling from the handle and it also looks like it has a gauge on the top which displays amps vs electrode size.

 

[otchie1]

it looked a little arcy to me too. I asked a few questions,

is this an old sureweld hi-strike mig with the euro torch (plug in one)? 
Does it come with wire? Regulator? Gas? Working fine? Oh, and do you have the min/max figures please?

and got this reply

yes plug in one. has the wire regulator no gas, min 40 amps 250 max amps.

so it all sounds miggy but Luton is a long way with diesel at 105/litre ($10/gallon) .Surely 250A is way too big a machine to run through a domestic 13Amp plug?

 

[shenion]

Looks like a arc unit.

I bet he doesn't even know hat a MIG is.

Have him show a pick of the wire feeder.

 

[Ratty]

there's definitely an electrode holder dangling from the handle

There is! I had to look for a bit but that looks like an electrode holder to me (yellow, hanging from LHS) - why would a mig have one? I don't think the seller knows his @rse from his elbow. His description and reply are minimal in the extreme, I'd probe a bit more if I were you or ask him to email you some more pics - like a close-up of the front panel.

 

[Wozzaaah]

It will run fine on a 13A supply at medium settings but would definitely blow the fuse on higher ones. Get him to send you some more pics including the euro connector, the regulator and the mig torch. Also, get him to take one of the machine with the side panel off, showing the wire feed. If it's definitely a mig then it's worth a 150 mile trip if it's cheap enough.

 

[matt1978]

Theres no way thats a mig, he probably just "accuired" it and thought its worth a punt selling it on ebay. "Mig" is just a welding term he's heard of.

It looks a bit like a Oxford type transformer MMA welder (I know its not a Oxford). You won't be able to pull many amps out of it on 13amp supply, prob about 100-120ish, if you lived closer, it'd be worth it for a tenner but not if you got a long way to go and loads of hassle to get there.

 

[Reprobate]

Clues in the name - Hi Strike. You strike an arc with stick not mig. Also got one of those triangular knobs in the centre for winding power up/down. Definately stick but still a good price if it holds.

 

[Wozzaaah]

Hehe, shame it's not as simple as that . Hi strike really do make migs.

 

[matt1978]

An Arc is struck on all of the process.........well apart from lift arc tig.

I know what you mean about physically striking the rod against the plate tho, simerla thing happens with mig, but its the mig wire that moves towards the plate hits it and then buckles before the arc is "Struck"

 

[otchie1]

Thanks all.
I've asked for a few more details including a piccie of the gun and whether the wire goes on a reel or is held in the torch.
If it was local I'd just blow a tenner on it and hope but it a trek round the M25 and up the M1 aways so I'll pass. Maybe someone else here a bit more local to him fancies it.

 

[scarecrow]

i would put my house on it been ark welder

 

[zardoz]

i will put my house on it, it goes for more than £50

 

[otchie1]

Is £50 still the going rate for houses up North? :-)

All I need is a slightly more meaty unit to do my rear crossmember. The 130T will be a bit taxed doing all that.

But I bet that the winner's first words will be, "Err, that's a nice arc welder, where's the MiG I won?"

 

[zardoz]

I emailed the guy and asked him to tell me about the earth clamp and the arc rod holder on the "mig", adding at the end that it looked like an Arc to me. He replied "er well yes you might be right..." poor guy didnt have a clue.

 

[Chris_]

Well you were all right on the point of the seller not having a clue.

When i picked it up he was fixing up an old ice cream truck. He had bought it a couple of weeks ago for £75 to sort out the bodywork on said truck.

It is most definitely an Arc welder.

But the question is does anyone know where i can get some specs for it?
Or can anyone decipher the symbols on top for me?

This is my first Arc welder, although i have played with them a little in the past.

Should the little notch in the gauge thing on top move when i twiddle the big turny knob in the middle?

Sorry for the long first first post and technical terminology.

Cheers for any help
Chris

 

[Wozzaaah]

The sliding gauge is exactly what I thought I saw in the original photo . The pointer should move when you turn the knob, the gauge shows both welding current on the left and recommended electrode diameter on the right. All the specs you need to know are on the machine, your 2nd pic shows them.