Advice for a newbie

[Panda man]

Hi Guys
I am waiting to start a basic welding course, meanwhile I am looking for advice on which welder i need .
I want to make gates and railings etc, the material sizes range from flat bar upto 8mm thick, round and square bars up to 16 mm

Any advice please

regards

 

[W4yne]

Hi panda man and welcome. Some of the welding veterens on here would probably recommend that for that thickness of metal, stick welding (ARC)? Though MIG is quicker and neater for 16mm steel you would be looking at a machine of approximately 350 Amps.

If a machine is being used on the house circuit of 13A then the maximum power you are likely to be able use on a machine is upto approximately 150A before you start to blow the fuse in the plug, anything over this would need dedicated wiring.

 

[Wozzaaah]

You don't need anything like 350 amps for gates and stuff, you're only holding it together, not hanging buildings off it and you'll be welding all round the 16mm bar.
Forget arc, too much post-cleaning. MIG is the way to go, absolute minimum 180A ideally 200-250 amps.
No chance of running one off a 13A supply so you'll need a sparky to fit you a proper supply for it.
If it's to be used for a business, spend the money and get something reliable that will last you.

 

[chunkolini]

I have run my 180 amp welder for years of a 13 amp plug with no problems, and have made some serious sized welds.

Chunko'

 

[Drains]

I'm with Chunko here - a single phase 180A will weld all sorts of stuff, no problem getting a good fix on 16mm stock. You need a welder that can run a well fused 6mm bead, and you can weld almost anything. I survived with one for years too and made all sorts of critical weld bits and pieces (critical=if it breaks, someone gets hurt), without problems.

The way around the 13A problem is to use short fat extension leads - and never leave a lead reeled up in use. You can get more power out of a lead that way - minimising voltage drop and resistance.

 

[W4yne]

Hi panda man and welcome. Some of the welding veterens on here would probably recommend that for that thickness of metal, stick welding (ARC)? Though MIG is quicker and neater for 16mm steel you would be looking at a machine of approximately 350 Amps.

If a machine is being used on the house circuit of 13A then the maximum power you are likely to be able use on a machine is upto approximately 150A before you start to blow the fuse in the plug, anything over this would need dedicated wiring.

Sorry my mistake I meant to have said 250 Amps.

 

[W4yne]

To a certain extent it will all depend on the machine as to what power it will run to? I had a Clarke 160 I could do a run at short bursts on max, but would blow a fuse if trying to lay a run for a continued period. An example is the SWP can be used maxed out @ 220Amps but only has a current draw of 5kVA, so you only need a 16A fuse. My machine is 215A but needs a 20A fuse.

 

[outofthefire]

If your making railings and going to fit them on site then you'd be better off with an arc welder, if you get a mig it'll be a lot bigger physically than a modern stick welder. Plus you'll have to drag the bottle along with you aswell and then the gas'll blow away and it'll be a right pain. Stick weldings a bigger learning curve but it'll be worth it in the end.

 

[chunkolini]

Back to leads.
Drains says 'The way around the 13A problem is to use short fat extension leads - and never leave a lead reeled up in use. You can get more power out of a lead that way'

if you keep it short and not rolled up you stand less chance of melting it to death as well. Ahem.

'Whats the burning smell?'

Chunko'.