Buying a welder in the Swindon area

[Crighton]

Hi all,

Thought I'd introduce myself after spending hours and hours reading through this great website and forum. I've recently began restoring my triumph spitfire 1500 and unfortunately (and predictably) she's a bit rusty, very rusty in fact. So there's going to be a fair bit of welding needed (mostly floor pans and sills) however I am a complete novice so this will be a steep learning curve.

I've spent a fair amount of time researching what welder to invest in and the more I read up the more unsure I become! However I think I've decided on the Clarke 150te from machine mart;

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/150te-turbo-mig-welder

After deciding on this I read up about machine mart as supplier and there was mixed reviews when it came to welders. So in short any advice on the above welder and its price tag would be greatly appreciated, it is at the very upper end of my price range (as per advice from the forum).

Also can anyone recommend metal suppliers in the Swindon area or is it just as cheap to get the stuff delivered from the web? Just looking to get a few bits of thin metal to practice welding body panels on before I destroy something of value!

Thanks in advance for the replies and apologies if I have posted this in the wrong section.

Ian

 

[jweaver]

I was in the market for a new upgrade to my MIG and wasnt really sure about the Clarke as they looked cery similar to the welder I was getting rid of..

To cut a l g story short, i decided to spend an extra £100 and bought a GYS Smartmig 162 from Weldeuip. steve was really helpful and its a nice bit of kit.. It a dual purpose (gas/gasless). Has a Euro torch.. And can take a 10l bottle on the rear shelf...

http://www.weldequip.com/gys-smartmig-162.htm

Works like a dream, but the price has gone up £15 since i bought mine last week.

I am far from an expert.. But i can highly recommend it.

 

[Heliart]

For metal, you can try Ashmore & Allen. Not too bad but I found they can be a little patronising if you look like you don't know what you want. But,I did buy a qty of 2.5mm sheet from them and they cut it foc so it would fit in the car. They also have a good scrap bin for buying cheap bits to practise with.

I've also been keeping an eye on eBay. Some metal bargains come up from time to time.

Steve

 

[Hog-Rider]

That welder from an above post looks like a nice bit of kit for the money.

 

[steve.h]

Hi Crighton, Welcome to the forum, another member in the swindon area there have been a few recently. I bit the bullet and bought a portamig 215 almost 2 years ago, quite a way over your budget I expect but it does go down to 15 amps so really good for the thin stuff and going up to 215 it has a good duty cycle in the middle of its range.
I have also used Asmore and allen, they are in the small industrial estate behind where the bulldog was on queens drive.
You will have to put up some pics of the work you are doing, dont worry too much mig is quite easy to get the hang of, just do as others will say, get some 3mm scrap to practice running beads on and then try a few joints and then move down to some thinner stuff and repeat, then move down to the thickness you need for the car and practice some more.
I would recommend getting a bottle of gas from BOC, you want to go for the volkzone offer, it is about the best price I have seen, if you search for it on here there are loads of threads about it, I only wish I had seen it before getting the W size bottle as its a bit big and very heavy when full (85kg), the volkszone is the Y bottle an is about half that. You will then have plenty of gas so wont have to worry about "wasting" too much gas while learning and wont break the bank for refills either.

 

[ross27]

Hi Crighton,

I was looking for a TIG machine from Machine Mart, but i think i have decided on something else.

"keith19" was kind enough to give me a VAT Free voucher for Machine Mart, which i dont think i will be using now.

Let me know if you want it and i will forward it over. Valid until the 11th.

 

[Crighton]

Hello again and firstly an apology! I kept checking back on the forum but not been familiar with them I thought the notifications on the right would link to threads you've started but its just private messages! So apologies as I have literally only just seen these replies and thank you all for your input.

In the end Gavin in the Swindon area kindly gave me a discount voucher for 20% off Clarke products at machine mart so ended up purchasing the 151te turbo model from there (thank you ross27, if id have known how to work a forum id have taken you up your offer!) Been really busy at work of late so have only had time to set up the welder and strike my first arc! It's intimidating at first but I'm sure with practise I'll get the hang of it.

I'm off all next week so will follow your advice Steve and get practicing on 3mm then work down to thinner metal, hopefully be confident enough to go near my car towards the end of the week. Will post some pictures as i start practicing and give people something to laugh at and no doubt get countless good tips. Will also check out asmore and Allen for some metal supplies, for now ordered from metals4u.

I think I sort of know how to work the forum so hopefully next time I won't be as ignorant and again apologies for not thanking you all for your replies sooner!

Ian

 

[keeny]

re gys

hi jweaver
like i said on here before, ive had my smartmig for about a year now
and ive done alot of work with it, yes they great machines
weld perfect with it, got bottle carrier, on wheels, and euro torch,
ideal for mobile.....

 

[gavuk]

Welcome mate ....