Australian rep for Portamig?

[llllmikellll]

Hi guys.

Does anyone know if Portamig welders are available in Australia? If so, where?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[weldequip]

I'm afraid not Mike, I could ship one over to you but I wouldn't like to pay the shipping costs!
You should have good stuff over there, something like a Lincoln?
weldequip

 

[weldequip]

Tell you what though, I wouldn't mind being their rep in Oz; I'll sell up & move there
(lived there for a year & loved it)
weldequip

 

[greyshirtguy]

Ha! When I was sourcing a MIG I found myself wishing the portamigs were available here too! (I think it was mostly due to the all the great feedback I've seen both the welder itself and WeldeQuip get)

 

[llllmikellll]

Thanks for the response guys. I was considering the Portamig because its the only one ive seen with a 20 amp spec so far.
Daniel, what did you end up with. Ive seen the FEMA units with a 25 amp rating and all the Transmigs seem to start at 30amp.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[greyshirtguy]

Ahh yes the 20amp minimum - I do recall being somewhat envious of that.

I got a transmig 165 (on a great deal) - and yeah, the min amperage of all those transmigs is 30.

One of my main reasons for getting the MIG was the repair of some rusted panels in my old (but much loved) Toyota Hilux 4wd. The sections I want to repair are steel in the order of 1mm thick, so I suppose the lower amps would have helped me somewhat.

After my first few practice attempts on thin steel I decided I needed a lot more practice before going anywhere near "my precious". (I plan on being proud of the repair)

That was 18 months ago - it's funny how time flies.

My plan now is to get better at doing the thinner stuff (now that I'm happy with medium stuff 2-3mm).

I haven't been able to to continuous beads on 1mm yet (using min settings and 0.6 wire with ArgoShield-lite) but that's likely due to technique as much as the 30amp min!

I have found that the "short pulses" technique mentioned in the tutorial on this site works great for me and my setup - so I plan to get a fair bit neater at that.

 

[shenion]

I have done 1mm with my Clarke 130EN with its 30A minimum on 0.8mm wire. Takes practice to not blow through.

If I used 0.6mm wire, it should be easy as that would reduce the current.

MIGs are constant voltage sources, the minimum current will likely be on 0.8mm wire. The same voltage on 0.6mm would be considerably less.

 

[irondarren]

Short pulse always works, you could try using 0.8mm wire instead. It takes a little more current to melt 0.8 wire, effectively it will feel like its running at a lower amperage, but it will give a wider weld bead and slightly less penetration, which could be the difference between a nasty burn hole. worth a try espcially if you can sponge some 0.8mm wire off someone with out having to buy a reel. I use 0.8mm for everything as i could be welding 1mm sheet and 20 mins later 15mm plate and i really cant be arsed to change mig rolls, and to be honest i never use the lowest setting on my machine its always one or two steps up from bottom on thin sheet and its minimum is 30amps, it could just be im an animal but it works for me

 

[rusty69bus]

Tell you what though, I wouldn't mind being their rep in Oz; I'll sell up & move there
(lived there for a year & loved it)

i'll join you, my brothers lives out there, works in brisbane nice

hey guys whats the pay like for welders out there?

 

[Alex]

This 30 amps minimum is very general, the amount of current that will pass is based on the voltage and the resistance through the welding circuit using ohm's law, thinner wire will present a slight increase in resistance and will pass a small amount less current, the wire speed also will make a big difference. The faster the wire speed the more current will flow.

 

[weldequip]

This 30 amps minimum is very general

Ahh, but you see Alex, Portamigs are not a very general type of machine

weldequip

 

[Alex]

sorry weldequip I was commenting on the cheapo machines like mine, that have the 30 amp minimum spec.

It would be a nice feature to have a 20 amp lower setting just in case, but I haven't got a spare monkey at the moment.

 

[jwsparkes]

Welders in OZ

In NSW and the coal pits around the Hunter Valley I hear they are currently screaming for welders to repair the mining equipment.

I understand that they can earn VERY big dollars.

Welding for me is a hobby I've just started, plus I'm an engineer not a professional welder. Coal pit welders would make 3 times my wage.

 

[cobminor]

I've got an Elandmig 175, made in Hungary if my memory is right. That has a 20 - 200 Amp spec. I don' know if Australia is on their export list but they are being sold in the UK again under the 'classic mig' name.

 

[weldequip]

22amps actually but a good machine... sold loads over the years & very few problems.
weldequip

 

[Rusty]

Dont worry too much if you dont have a minimum of 20 - 25 amps , i used a SIP Migmate 100 for years and it did loads of car body work and i think the minimum on that machine was 35 amps , practice the techniques on this forum and adjust your techniques accordingly,i now own a Migatronic 221 which i believe is 25 amps on the lowest setting but i found this to low for 1mm prob ok for .8mm tho but if you struggle not to blow holes maybe the metal is to thin due to rusting in which case you shouldn't be welding to it anyway !