Arc welder buying advice needed.

[Afterimage]

I've been mig welding for a couple of years now with a Clarke 100 amp no-gas mig welder,but want to buy a big arc welder (secondhand)to do the heavier stuff,such as making gates from 16mm steel bars.
I've looked over the forums and it seems that an oil cooled Oxford type arc welder fits the bill,but I'm unsure as to what sort of amperage I can use from a domestic 240v supply.
I've seen 180amp and 220amp welders which are "single phase" on Ebay,would I be right in thinking that a "single phase" welder will run from my domestic supply?
What amperage can I use from a domestic socket before the fuse blows?
Would I be OK with a 220 amp single phase welder,or will my consumer unit evaporate?

 

[scarecrow]

The domestic socket is only 13 amps it will start blowing fuses once you go over 100 To 120 amps I have a 260 amps aircooled Welder which I run off a 32amps circuit breaker
you need to make sure that the wiring is also heavy enough

 

[Welderpaul]

Mig is better if you are doing anything like production on gates. Too much cleaning up to do if you use MMA plus it's slowww......
Mig much easier to use also.

 

[snowcat]

Mig is better if you are doing anything like production on gates. Too much cleaning up to do if you use MMA plus it's slowww......
Mig much easier to use also.

judas

 

[Welderpaul]

judas

Then again, welding beams and columns together, stick-tastic my friend. Sorry.

 

[Puddles]

I surely don’t understand your household power there in the UK. I have a 460-amp Miller transformer, (early 1980’s) Tig / SMAW that I run in my home shop. Maximum amperage drawn at 460-amps is 95-amps. I have a single phase 200-amp / 240-volt service in my shop, I was to cheap to spend the money for a 100-amp male & female plug for this welder so I just wired it direct to my breaker / service panel.

Can’t agree more with Welderpaul, a Mig welder would most likely suit you better. A 200-amp single-phase machine should do anything you want in the gate building world.
I personally look for the highest duty cycle I can find in a Mig machine. Never understood this 40 to 60 % duty cycle in a wire feed welder!

 

[Afterimage]

Can’t agree more with Welderpaul, a Mig welder would most likely suit you better. A 200-amp single-phase machine should do anything you want in the gate building world.
I personally look for the highest duty cycle I can find in a Mig machine. Never understood this 40 to 60 % duty cycle in a wire feed welder!

Well a 200 amp mig welder would be quite nice,but they're a bit too pricey for me right now!

 

[Puddles]

Well a 200 amp mig welder would be quite nice,but they're a bit too pricey for me right now!

I know what you mean! Keep watching the used market; I bought a nice little 200-amp 100 % duty cycle, (used) Mig machine for $300.00, (US)!