I have the TecArc 206i . I can't really say if there are any issues, as I have hardly used it since buying it.... but now I have started a tig course, and have bit of confidence I am going to try to find the time to start using it a bit... when I am not working, or looking after 3 young kids!!
From what I have heard, the TecArc (which I have), is a lot different inside when compared to the R-Tech machine... The box might look the same, but the internals aren't!
Thanks for all the thoughts guys... looks like it is probably worth doing "properly" if I am going to do it! Would just have to persuade the wife to let me spend so much on a "play room!"... I need to sort out putting a shed in first before she will even let me think about it though :) Might...
Hi Leeroy, and welcome to the forum! I am on the course at the moment! What sort of welding are you looking at doing? I am doing TIG on the course at the moment. There are 3 of us doing tig, about 5 doing mig and 1 doing arc. I can't comment on what those on mig or arc are doing, but I have a...
2nd Night Tigging
Short update on my second night on the course!
Started off as we finished last night, just doing a couple of butt welds.
Then we moved on to some 90deg outer edge welds... still autogenous.
He got us to tack the pieces at 90deg to create a tube, and then weld the...
If you want cheaper than BOC, then there is MigTigArc in Portsmouth, and South Coast Welding Supplies in Andover that both do "rent free" gas... It is something like £45 "right of use" for 3 years, £45 deposit on the bottle and then about £20 per refill (very rough prices!).
MigTigArc list some machines that go up to that, including the Oxford, and the "MTA", which I believe is just a rebadged Portamig. Might give you some ideas of what is available and prices.
Yeah, to comply with the current regs then it should be 30mA RCD. My guess is that the earthing is TT (earth rod) and that is in there from pre 17th Ed... but even that doesn't quite add up as I would expect it to be a time delayed 100mA, which it isn't based on that part number.
Your issue...
It is something like max 30m2 floor area, and then max height of 2.5m to eaves and 4m to highest point for double slope roof, or max of 3m for any other roof.
Not sure if all that plywood would comply with the mainly non-combustible! But will bear it in mind!
Thanks Gav... won't need to do anything like that, don't need to match existing bricks. If I went the blockwork route then for the size of workshop it would be no more than 460 blocks per skin (that's without doors or windows!). So actual blocks would cost about £500 per skin. I was thinking of...
I am currently mulling around the idea of building myself a workshop in the garden... the garage just isn't big enough, especially as the trailer goes in there, so has to be moved all the time if I want to do anything.
So, I am wondering about the best option! There are pros and cons with...
1st night Tigging
Well, last night was my first night on the "Introduction to Welding" course at Southampton City College.
The first bit, of course, was taken up with the usual Health & Safety stuff, about 20-30mins of that... then we moved into the workshop. Bit more health and safety in...
I am booked on a course at Southampton City College that is starting in a weeks time. Sparsholt College also run courses, I don't think they have many at their Sparsholt campus, they said they have them more often in Andover.
I work in IT, we have been told not to go into the office, but to work from home... We pretty much all have laptops, so it works ok for us... but we don't have an excuse to go sledging :(
I also have an evolution chop saw (rage3 to be precise). Very happy with it, but like Marty, don't use it every day! Have used it for mild steel, wood, plastic trunking, all sorts. Is getting a little blunt, but still working fine. Might be different if I used it everyday, but I am very happy...