A complete novice

[clarky2000]

Hi all

Need some help on which welder to buy to suit my needs. I am a complete novice to welding and I'm looking for a cheap hobby welder.

I want to be able to make up an exhaust system from stainless steel. I'd also like to be able to do bodywork repairs, mainly chassis.

So, can anyone advise on which welder would be most suitable to use?

Thanks

 

[clarky2000]

Would this one be suitable:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BRAND-NEW-SIP...Z002QQcategoryZ113743QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

I know I've got to get argon/co2 gas aswell.

 

[malcolm]

What sort of car do you have? 90 amps might not quite be quite enough for a car with a separate chassis.

Definately do a little searching around the forum to see what problems others have had with their welders. SIPs get a lot of complaints, and many would suggest paying a little more for a Clarke.

 

[malcolm]

Did you find the buyers guide - that might help a little too. The manufacturer's specs can be a bit misleading.

 

[clarky2000]

Thanks for your response.

To be honest I'm not too worried about welding a car chassis, just need something suitable to weld mild and stainless steel exhaust pipe.

I did read the buyers guide and it was very helpful. I got outbid on a Clarke gas welder yesterday ....gutted.

Would 90amp be enough to weld exhaust or should I look at something a little higher?

 

[weldequip]

90 amps will be fine for exhausts yes, up to 2, 2.5mm. More importantly, exhausts are paper thin so look at minimum amps... the lower the better. The Clarke Pro 90 goes down to 25amps which is good for that kind of stuff.

weldequip

 

[irondarren]

Got to say for stainless tig is nice, basic inverter with tig abality would be a good option. But is going to cost you more a than a small basic mig set. Plus to be honest the learning curve with mig is easy. Small migs suffer from low duty cycle ie they over heat quickly and need cooling breaks, but as your only using for hobby use this wont be a problem. 90 amps is more than good enough for cars, I doubt i ever go much over 50 amps when welding car body type thickness material, it tends to make holes. Clarke or Sealey machines are fine for that sort of work, i would suggest sticking with a known brand as spares are normally easier to obtain than some unknown chinese make.