So while in lockdown in Spain I decided to finally tackle the rather terrifying job of removing the rust near the roof of my 36 year old camper. This involved the removal of the large fiberglass roof first.
Underneath was of course much worse than on the surface but I had managed my expectations fairly well so was somewhat prepared for what I would meet.
I have since cleaned it up and cut out a lot and now I need to weld it back together.
Having only used a low quality flux cored welder with poor results in the past I am very much a newbie at this so now I need a welder.
My initial budget was around £350 not including PPE but after seeing the dimensions of many welders I have lowered this. I also live in this van much or the year and will likely not have anywhere to store the welder after this bout of repairs so I am hesitant to spend that much on something I may well need to leave behind.
I initially looked at the clarke 151en as a good option new or second hand but shipping to Spain is too expensive and being a transformer welder I will certainly not be able to keep it in the van.
This led me to believe that I am probably best going for a inverter welder for size, weight and possibility to weld thin sheets (1mm +). I could hopefully even keep it in the van after use. I have access to gas so that should thankfully add to my chances of success on this project.
Sooooo.... Now I am looking at welders in Spain with a price of below 200 pound. I know is at the lowest end of the market but its likely to have to be disposable. Amazon.es and a diy website manomano.es seem to be the best options over here. I have looked in to hiring but it is not an option where I am.
I have also looked at inverter welders from £200-350 but there doesn't seem to be a big difference in specs from the even lower end welders. I believe I want a minimum of about 30amp for 1mm steel so that has been one of the main factors to look for.
Here are two 'MIG welders' I have somewhat narrowed it down to. The first can be sourced for180 euro and the second for 110 euro. The first states it goes down to 25A and the second only 35A.
https://widmann-germany.net/product/widmann-welding-semi-automatic-inverter-mig-300/
&
https://www.manomano.es/p/soldador-inverter-hilo-continuo-turboventilado-mig-100-2407727
Finally if you've made it this far...
The second hand market doesn't seem great here or I'd definitely go that route.
A big issue I've had researching the (100-300) market here is a lot of the inverter welders don't claim to go below 40A. I have read that this is incorrect but I like it to be specified when I buy something if at all possible.
Any suggestions on what I should go for to weld car bodywork with gas that can be bought in Spain for under £300 preferable 100-200 as it will likely be thrown away after?
Many of the machines appear very similar in spec so will I actually gain any quality in the machine spending £300 instead of £150?
I have also been wondering if inverter welders can sometimes have live torches? or is this just a problem with transformer welders? It has not been stated in any of the technical docs I have seen.
My head really hurts after days and days of trawling poorly supplied tech sheets. So please help if you can and let my head hurt from poor welds instead
Underneath was of course much worse than on the surface but I had managed my expectations fairly well so was somewhat prepared for what I would meet.
I have since cleaned it up and cut out a lot and now I need to weld it back together.
Having only used a low quality flux cored welder with poor results in the past I am very much a newbie at this so now I need a welder.
My initial budget was around £350 not including PPE but after seeing the dimensions of many welders I have lowered this. I also live in this van much or the year and will likely not have anywhere to store the welder after this bout of repairs so I am hesitant to spend that much on something I may well need to leave behind.
I initially looked at the clarke 151en as a good option new or second hand but shipping to Spain is too expensive and being a transformer welder I will certainly not be able to keep it in the van.
This led me to believe that I am probably best going for a inverter welder for size, weight and possibility to weld thin sheets (1mm +). I could hopefully even keep it in the van after use. I have access to gas so that should thankfully add to my chances of success on this project.
Sooooo.... Now I am looking at welders in Spain with a price of below 200 pound. I know is at the lowest end of the market but its likely to have to be disposable. Amazon.es and a diy website manomano.es seem to be the best options over here. I have looked in to hiring but it is not an option where I am.
I have also looked at inverter welders from £200-350 but there doesn't seem to be a big difference in specs from the even lower end welders. I believe I want a minimum of about 30amp for 1mm steel so that has been one of the main factors to look for.
Here are two 'MIG welders' I have somewhat narrowed it down to. The first can be sourced for180 euro and the second for 110 euro. The first states it goes down to 25A and the second only 35A.
https://widmann-germany.net/product/widmann-welding-semi-automatic-inverter-mig-300/
&
https://www.manomano.es/p/soldador-inverter-hilo-continuo-turboventilado-mig-100-2407727
Finally if you've made it this far...
The second hand market doesn't seem great here or I'd definitely go that route.
A big issue I've had researching the (100-300) market here is a lot of the inverter welders don't claim to go below 40A. I have read that this is incorrect but I like it to be specified when I buy something if at all possible.
Any suggestions on what I should go for to weld car bodywork with gas that can be bought in Spain for under £300 preferable 100-200 as it will likely be thrown away after?
Many of the machines appear very similar in spec so will I actually gain any quality in the machine spending £300 instead of £150?
I have also been wondering if inverter welders can sometimes have live torches? or is this just a problem with transformer welders? It has not been stated in any of the technical docs I have seen.
My head really hurts after days and days of trawling poorly supplied tech sheets. So please help if you can and let my head hurt from poor welds instead
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