Gasless mig

[Juniorhurler]

Hey there folks,
I am new here so before I try to pick all of your brains, a big hello.

Right, I am a farmer and need a new welder. I have been welding about the place for years with an arc welder but this died about a month ago. I am thinking of upgrading to a gasless mig. So what do I weld? Well pretty much everything from body panels to 10"x5" girders. I have never used a mig before but believe that they are easier to use than a mma welder and frankly I am sick of burning holes in light material.

I would like to be able to weld up to 5mm steel. This welder will be lying idle for weeks on end, so I can't justify the price of keeping gas, but I want it to work well when I do turn it on as it could be used for a week on end when I do start welding.

Two questions,
1. Will a mig suit me?
2. Can you recommend one for my needs (Budget £300ish)?

 

[the snooper]

you wont get a mig to weld girders for 300 quid and im not sure if any big migs run gasless or not but if i were you i would look for another arc welder for your thick steel and get a mig for the thin stuff

welcome to the forum

 

[Juniorhurler]

you wont get a mig to weld girders for 300 quid and im not sure if any big migs run gasless or not but if i were you i would look for another arc welder for your thick steel and get a mig for the thin stuff

welcome to the forum

Cheers snooper. You kind of confirmed what I had suspected anyhow. Would you like to recommend me a really good arc welder, and would you go air cooled or oil cooled? Inverter or transformer?

 

[the snooper]

if you can pick up one of the old oil cooled oxfords they are good as for inverters i have no experience of them but there are many on here that do and will be happy to help you

the oil cooled have very good duty cycles

 

[Juniorhurler]

Just saw an oil cooled oxford advertised at €220 near me. What would you think? http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/machinery/3196289

 

[brightspark]

Just saw an oil cooled oxford advertised at €220 near me. What would you think? http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/machinery/3196289

nice welder well worth having just try before buy .mines over 30 years old and still going strong price wise there cheaper over here . everything in ireland seem dearer

 

[BrokenBiker]

i have a sealey mightymig 100 gasless, it will weld 6mm at most, and that is tricky to get full penetration. it is quite good for thin body work though as long as you use the lowest of the low settings and weld very carefully

i have succesfully welded the front wing of a fiesta with it using the stich weld method on here, and if you need, i get some pics of test peices ive done to show you how it comes out

 

[Juniorhurler]

nice welder well worth having just try before buy .mines over 30 years old and still going strong price wise there cheaper over here . everything in ireland seem dearer

Unfortunately so brightspark, but in Ireland we haggle over everything, especially second hand stuff. I'd expect to buy that at about €175.

 

[Wozzaaah]

If portabilty is a factor then an oil-cooled will be of no use to you but if the machine stays where it is and the work comes to it then it'll be fine though you won't be able to use it on car bodywork, as you already know.
If you need portability then get a DC inverter, they weigh next to nothing and are lovely to use.

 

[Wozzaaah]

i have a sealey mightymig 100 gasless, it will weld 6mm at most,

You are kidding?!
you need around 180-200 amps to properly weld 6mm!!

 

[keith19]

That's in three passes, Woz....

 

[BrokenBiker]

You are kidding?!
you need around 180-200 amps to properly weld 6mm!!

i do need quite a root gap and a lot of prep. but still cant quite get full pen on butt welds, so end up welding both sides, but on a fillet weld i suppose i could get 3mm on a good day, if i went slow and did a few runs

not that i do much structural stuff, just been playing with scrap lol

i was very suprised at the thin steel capabilities of it though. i run a multi meter on it earlier and managed to get it down to 38amps, but it was sputtering a bit then, its lowest comfortable setting is 43amps on min voltage (not sure what that is, couldt be bothered to re arange the meter and check lol)

 

[BrokenBiker]

That's in three passes, Woz....

and yes, i do have to do atleast 3 passes, and usually weld a pass on the back too lol

 

[Wozzaaah]

I would hope you're not doing ANY structural stuff with a 100A mig!
Ok for tacking the odd bit of decorative stuff together but way underpowered for anything more substantial.

 

[Juniorhurler]

If portabilty is a factor then an oil-cooled will be of no use to you but if the machine stays where it is and the work comes to it then it'll be fine though you won't be able to use it on car bodywork, as you already know.
If you need portability then get a DC inverter, they weigh next to nothing and are lovely to use.

Work generally comes to the workshop and anything that doesn't is in the yard so being on wheels will allow it go to the yard easily enough.
I have used a mates inverter and find it super for portability. Thinking about it I could possibly stretch to that oxford and a small inverter for the odd time that I do go a-wandering and live without the mig, I have done until now.

 

[BrokenBiker]

no woz, im not coded so would think of doing anything structural. the most i will attempt is sills, as i know i can get full pen on them when i can afford a workshop though i plan on a 200amp gas mig and getting coded too

 

[Wozzaaah]

A bit of a double thread going on here but my advice to you is to go bigger than 200A so start saving!

 

[BrokenBiker]

A bit of a double thread going on here but my advice to you is to go bigger than 200A so start saving!

well by the time i can afford a workshop (towards the end of my apprenticeship) i will be able to afford pretty much anything (im thinking about a murex/boc) as i plan on trying to start my own business when im qualified, providing i can come up with something that not many others are doing lol