Buying a MIG welder - now I'm really confused!

[Dan Wheatley]

Hi

I'm new here and have been reading through lots of recent posts about buying a MIG welder.
I am now really confused! What is an "inverter" and do I need one?

I'm looking to buy a MIG welder to repair a Land Rover Discovery. At the moment it is only body panel repairs but I would like a machine capable of welding the chasis if/when the time comes. I will be welding outside and have been looking at gasless welders - but having read the reviews about spitting and difficulty in seeing the weld I'm not so sure.

I've seen mention of the GYS smartMIG 162 and this machine looks like it would do what I want? (I'm trying to keep the cost as low as practical, but realise I will need something better than the cheap ebay offerings)

Also does anyone have experience of the automatic masks? I've looked on weldequip and there are several from about £40 to over £100. Does the same apply here, spend a bit more to get a better one, or do the cheaper ones perform OK?

Thanks for any advice you can give.

 

[GrahamGKD]

An 'inverter' machine uses electronic circuitry to produce the DC welding voltage from the mains. On the plus side they are more compact, lighter and more efficient (use less power) than a conventional MIG but on the negative side they are more prone to failure and more expensive to repair. A conventional MIG is based around a large transformer. Conventional MIGs also have some electronics inside but not to the same extent as an inverter machine. I hope that helps? Sorry, no experience of the GYS machines but the auto masks are great - I couldn't go back to an old style fixed mask now. I started out with a low cost SIP mask from Weldequip and got along OK with it. I have since bought a more expensive one, mainly because I wanted one which would go to lower settings for TIG welding.

Welcome to the forum by the way.

 

[Jim Davey]

You can get a decent light reactive helmet for around £50 and I'd thoroughly recommend one if you are starting out welding, especially welding cars. The GYS smartmig is a fine little machine and you could do a lot worse than buying one. Plus point is the euro torch which makes for easy maintenance and good availability of torch spares.

 

[Flapdisk]

i just bought one. Here http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/anyone-got-the-gys-smartmig-162.47602/

 

[Dan Wheatley]

Thanks for the replies, useful info.

Another area I could do with help is gas. Does anyone have experience with the Hobbyweld 5 mix? Their site describes it:

"Hobbyweld 5 is a specific blend of 93% Argon, 5% Carbon Dioxide and 2% Oxygen, Ideal for MIG welding of steel under 5mm thick (such as car bodywork and thin sheet metal work. The Argon content results in low levels of spatter which in turn produces a great finish which requires less clean up time. The oxygen content provides good arc stability and the carbon dioxide provides the required depth of the weld. All in all a superb mix of gas for general MIG welding."

This sounds very similar to another gas mix I was reading about in the technical stuff on here (sorry the name escapes me).

Any other suggestions? (I have done some MIG welding in the past but think of me as a newbee as I will need to re-learn and I know from experience using the right kit makes things a whole lot easier, what ever you are doing!)

Thanks again

 

[Ed.]

I wouldn't get too hung up about the gas itself being suitable for only under 5mm steel, I use that same gas for welding steel from 1.5mm up to 20 mm thick. If doing medium to heavy structural welding, a mix with more CO2 is required, but for any other steel welding it will do the job quite well. Usually the limitations are with the capabilities of the welder itself. It is a good gas mix and goes by a whole heap of names from different gas manufacturers. Hope this helps.

Cheers

Ed.

 

[KemppiFrog]

I use argon with 8% co2, works well for thin stuff like 0.8mm with .8mm wire ( Yeh, I know, .6mm would better, I am too lazy to change the wire for the odd small bit). While my machine can go down to 15amps, I rarely go any where near that low. And, as a 150amp machine, 4mm is about max, with prep.