Clarke 130A versus R-Tech 180

[aesmith]

Thanks Sickpup, thats such a great reply, and yet another endorsement for the bigger spend! I had no idea that the gas bottle arrangement was SO EXPENSIVE! (£432) Jeepers creepers… is there any way around that? I seriously had not factored in spending that on a bottle. Omg…

Round here SGS is around 1/2 that price ..

Autoparts Inverurie

Logo Strap Line

www.autoparts-inverurie.co.uk

 

[sickpup]

Is it for the same capacity, litres and pressure?
When I was looking the prices were much of a much but I could get Hobbyweld delivered for free. If this has changed I will happily change supplier.

 

[aesmith]

Is it for the same capacity, litres and pressure?

SGS is 200 bar, 10 or 20L. From that web page ..

"Example: Co2/Argon mix 20L First bottle Is £74.40 plus £120 surcharge, then just £74.40 for the next bottle when you exchange the empty bottle"

A colleague uses then, after initially looking at Hobbyweld.

 

[sickpup]

So yes a bit cheaper but no where near me does delivery. I will look into SGS when I decide to get an Argon bottle, thank you.

 

[dobbslc]

Tom… can you plug it into a standard mains electricity supply, or does it need to be hard wired..? Ideally we need to go with the former. Thanks! Jo

You can use a normal 13 amp plug on it but it will probably blow the fuse run at 180 amps, it'll be fine up to about 140 amps though. I have a GYS140 and it's fine on a normal plug.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Paton sell power supplies and wire feeds...and also integrated mig machines.

I have the 250A power supply...the build quality is impressive. The case is properly thick steel...on MMA it welds beautifully.

I haven't tried mig yet...I mainly use the Kemppi for mig because it's synergetic so easier to set up.

 

[Tom Orrow L]

As @dobbslc said really

 

[Summerjo]

Just to update: we were very kindly invited by Dragnet (from the forum) to see a load of welders, and given a whistle-stop tour of what various welders did and how a few pointers about how to make sense of a whole lot of information that has been coming my way since I originally posted. Not only that, but he also oversaw some hands-on testing of welders by my son, which was fantastic experience! So, I am now going to read back through everything here, and consider with all my new found knowledge base what to do next. I still very much like the idea of the R-tech - but realise that’s not necessarily what we ‘need’ to get.
I am certain though that I need to steer clear of machinemarts offerings; not because there’s anything wrong with what they sell, but because we want to step up to proper gas bottles, but i need to consider the budget and its going to be important not to spend so much of it on one single piece of equipment (plus bottle hire and gas costs) when there are so many other tools a 17 year old will be needing! So, with all that in mind, I’m going to refresh myself on all your words of advice and wisdom and contemplate the great world of welding over a cuppa. Thanks all! Jo

 

[Hotstuff]

Hi Joe

I bought my R-tech 180 about 5 years ago as my first MIG welder to learn with. It’s a great bit of kit and is presently put to good use with the restoration of my 1995 Hiace.

I use a 10ltr 5% gas bottle which costs £51.00 for a refill and is big enough but not so big that you can’t lift it into the boot of an average car.

Get a decent “true colour” welding mask, low profile P3 respirator mask and do consider getting good quality welding blankets if you’re working on a car/van.
As you progress, there will be more expense for tools such as grinders or my current favourite, Makita mini belt sander.

As others have said already, there is plenty of good and bad advice on YouTube; you just have to figure out which is which.

Good luck.

 

[Summerjo]

Hi Joe

I bought my R-tech 180 about 5 years ago as my first MIG welder to learn with. It’s a great bit of kit and is presently put to good use with the restoration of my 1995 Hiace.

I use a 10ltr 5% gas bottle which costs £51.00 for a refill and is big enough but not so big that you can’t lift it into the boot of an average car.

Get a decent “true colour” welding mask, low profile P3 respirator mask and do consider getting good quality welding blankets if you’re working on a car/van.
As you progress, there will be more expense for tools such as grinders or my current favourite, Makita mini belt sander.

As others have said already, there is plenty of good and bad advice on YouTube; you just have to figure out which is which.

Good luck.

Thanks ‘hotstuff’!
I feel very reassured that so many of you have come down firmly in support of the r-tech welder, but have very nearly frazzled my brains trying to decide what to do for the best.
I’m starting to warm to the idea of this being an 18th birthday themed around a welder and ALL the associated kit. You are the first to mention welding blankets… and thats now another thing on my growing list of things to factor. My default operating mode is ‘fear of death by electrocution or rotating blade’, so I like all the health and safety stuff. Thanks also for the soothing words relating to 10 litre gas bottles, there have been times where the gas prices being bandied about have nearly frightened me off the whole venture… but I’m coming to terms with the notion its all a part and parcel of the same game, so thanks for pitching in with the small bottle prices.
I am still mulling it over but feel I am getting closer by the moment to putting some money on the table. Thanks! Jo

 

[Cobbler]

A garden sprayer full of water is a handy thing to have close by when working on cars, less damage than a garden hose, keep that for real emergencies

 

[Craig-SM]

A garden sprayer full of water is a handy thing to have close by when working on cars, less damage than a garden hose, keep that for real emergencies

I can confirm this as a stray spark set fire to my car went it a bit of insulation I hadn't found when preparing it. Noticed the smoke first, then the paint bubbling up 2 feet away from where I had been welding. Luckily I had the airline to extinguish the flame and only managed to damage the rear light wiring, paint, seat belt and sunroof drain. It was the sunroof drain that spread the fire up and removing the rear light lens I was able to get the air line in. Luckily the breakers yard had the parts cheap, unluckily I can't spray paint for toffee.

 

[Summerjo]

A garden sprayer full of water is a handy thing to have close by when working on cars, less damage than a garden hose, keep that for real emergencies

Thanks Cobbler. Nice to have the fire-duties advised upon. My sons college refused to let him learn how to weld, but suggested us parents let him loose at home with a welder and stand guard as fire-watchers. At least with the advice from here we will know to take a sprinkler to it in the first instance, followed by the water cannon thereafter.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

You are the first to mention welding blankets…

I usually use the cooker fire blankets (the ones that come in the red packets)....they're reasonably cheap on fleabay. I use them when sparks are going anywhere near electrical items or glass. Usually hold them onto the car with magnets.

Only fire I've had is in my waste bin....I'd been using panel wipe and then did some grinding . I do keep a co2 extinguisher handy when I'm welding...

 

[Summerjo]

I usually use the cooker fire blankets (the ones that come in the red packets)....they're reasonably cheap on fleabay. I use them when sparks are going anywhere near electrical items or glass. Usually hold them onto the car with magnets.

Only fire I've had is in my waste bin....I'd been using panel wipe and then did some grinding . I do keep a co2 extinguisher handy when I'm welding...

Co2 extinguisher is now added to the list…

 

[Hotstuff]

I almost set my van alight, hence my recommendation for fire blankets if your working around cars.
They do come in different grades so don’t be tempted to just buy cheep ones from Amazon as you will probably need ones that will work while protecting a horizontal surface.

I did look at fire extinguishers but opted for the garden sprayer and bucket of water.

As very few body panels are available for my van, I ended up getting a bead roller and shrinker & stretcher to make my own panels. I find it really satisfying to look at the end result with all the corrosion gone and new shiny metal in its place.

 

[Summerjo]

I ended up getting a bead roller and shrinker & stretcher to make my own panels

There’s no end to this shopping list is there..?

 

[dobbslc]

Nope!
You'll be asking about a lathe within a year...

 

[Myles1970]

There’s no end to this shopping list is there..?

And don't fall into the trap of needing every tool available.... There's a lot to be said for learning with basic tools; some hammers and an off cut of rsj, a bench vice, and a reasonably good mig welder can go a long way

 

[Hotstuff]

There’s no end to this shopping list is there..?

As you learn and realise what you can do, the jobs that you initially looked at and thought “that looks like a nightmare job” becomes straightforward but the limiting factor is often tools.
I find the research and search for tools or abrasives for example to be all part of the fun.
I went on a search for a spares/repair compressor and picked up a 100 Ltr V twin direct drive locally for £21.00 on EBay. The compressor internals had been exposed to sand and run to destruction but all it needed was new pistons, rings, gudgeon pins and rods.

The thing is, after you’ve set yourself up with the essentials like decent PPE, you can get clamps, grinders etc as each job requires; before you know it and as your skills improve you’ll feel much happier behind the torch.