Great new portamig, awfull tiny handbook

[malcolm]

Look out Steve, thousands of helpful posts (& plenty of sales) can be ruined by such comments

Naah - Steve's all right. Portamig is a fine welder and I've always found all the consumables and bits and pieces great quality.

Besides, he's got a secret weapon. Most of us rely on him for bubblewrap supplies. I'm running a bit short just now so might message about a nice new 3m torch.

 

[Gasman]

I know that MalLike I said....non on here would/should use these minor faults as a stick to beat him with, but I know plenty round our way that would (but that's the garage trade......it makes me a cynical git at times)

 

[weldequip]

it makes me a cynical git at times

Oh good, so it's not just me then!
weldequip

 

[lexi]

Thank God you came back on the thread Steve. It had been reported that you had gone into a Police station with a Portamig and claimed loss of memory......LOL

Alex

 

[weldequip]

Nooo... I'd gone for a lie down in a dark room!
weldequip

 

[zardoz]

Naah - Steve's all right. Portamig is a fine welder and I've always found all the consumables and bits and pieces great quality.

Besides, he's got a secret weapon. Most of us rely on him for bubblewrap supplies. I'm running a bit short just now so might message about a nice new 3m torch.

LOL! Indeed i am using the bubble wrap now for my small hobby ebay business (I sell hard to find Sherlock Holmes films/TV series. ie: NOT Jeremy Brett, Basil Rathbone, or Peter cushing films/TV, good as they are) And the guy from the place i got my Oxford oil cooled from was even more generous. He said to me "take as much as you want" (always a dangerous phrase, as i was tempted to put the entire 2 meter x 100 meter roll on the floor of the boot, to 'line it') So i took a mere 20 yard strip and he didnt bat an eyelid

 

[ian of fev]

just read this thred and found it very intresting about the portamig and a few little problems it may well just be a case of portamig the company who build them the parts they use may come from a well respected company who they have dealed with for many years the parts in metion ie the wheels they may buy thouseds of sets a year to witch wherever they are made origanaly the manufacturing proces may lie at fault witch leads me to say as for weldequip who i have bought a few small consumables from ie tips shrouds cannot be at fault for this isue for me the isue lies within the company who build the wheels from start for (eg) one of the industries i used to work in had to check all products before being dispached but we couldent allways check products in everyway possible for if this was the case we would be a perfect world as for steve his service and reputation are second to none and i personaly would not let isues like this deter others from buying portamig and other makes from a well respected man of this forum

 

[snowcat]

Can we please
****** hell... a car the thick end of 30 grand has had numerous problems within 3 months of purchase! & I know of a fella with a 60 grand Merc that wouldn't touch another!!
What do you fella's want for your money?
weldequip

Well I sugest you jump up and down on them, Iv done it to one firm I mention no names, The dealer was not willing to take it further, When I started making waves higher up in the dealership and the manufacture, It got sorted...machine replaced, Sometimes unless your a squeeky hinge nothing gets done...

 

[ian of fev]

Well I sugest you jump up and down on them, Iv done it to one firm I mention no names, The dealer was not willing to take it further, When I started making waves higher up in the dealership and the manufacture, It got sorted...machine replaced, Sometimes unless your a squeeky hinge nothing gets done...

yes your right in one respect snowcat he probebley has jumped up and down on them but we must not forget the company who build the wheels have probebley not detected the fault with the specific wheels in mention the fault must lye within the manufacturing process this is quite common within the big manufactring companys these days

 

[irondarren]

Ian, thats often the thing, you buy something from a company in good faith, and you have been using the same product off them for years with no problems, then they change them and dont tell you, you buy fresh stock, fit them to whatever. Then wonder why the hell it broke. Of course it takes a little while to work out the new stock is crap, after several phone calls about breakages, you soon work it out.
Personally i prefer to keep everything in house when makeing gates and rails, of course the only thing i cant make is the railing heads, and i have had a few poor batches of those lately

 

[ian of fev]

Ian, thats often the thing, you buy something from a company in good faith, and you have been using the same product off them for years with no problems, then they change them and dont tell you, you buy fresh stock, fit them to whatever. Then wonder why the hell it broke. Of course it takes a little while to work out the new stock is crap, after several phone calls about breakages, you soon work it out.
Personally i prefer to keep everything in house when makeing gates and rails, of course the only thing i cant make is the railing heads, and i have had a few poor batches of those lately

yes darren your proberbley right and i totally agree with you but like i say even rejected parts still get through even if the company who build portamig have or have not changed supliers this still will happen with one or two dodgy parts getting through now and again

 

[zardoz]

Steve has kindly sent me a new set of wheels(thanks very much steve) I have looked at them close up, and now believe that even though i still think the rims should have been steel, that they are sturdier than i at first thought. There is no way a short trip over rough concrete could have broke them. Or even a small drop off the pallet, come to think of it. So i can only assume it was either done at the factory and not noticed or the more probable cause of the Carrier doing it with rough treatment. ie: Tipping/slamming the box over from one side to the other, or similar.

 

[irondarren]

Zardoz, like i believe i said, the carriers on heavy items, seem to like ramming everything with a fork truck. I swear they have baboons driving them.

 

[zardoz]

I have taken a few snaps of the broken wheel. The (metal) centre reinforcing bit has taken quite a whack to flatten it out of a true circle, as can be seen even more clearly with the next pic, where i have put a round coin next to it.

 

[AVENLEY 10]

In the course of my business I often get asked to repair industrial size waste containers and have aquired a lot of knowledge of castor types.The picture seems to show a 80mm dia approx unbraked castor wheel with non marking grey rubber tyre so called because it does not leave black marks on vinyl flooring like its black rubber cousin and being more pliable has probably been one of the causes of the rim to fail,the other being the steel dust cover.Believe it or not but plastic wheels are better at taking shock loads than steel centred wheels, with the steel centre wheel buckling outwards and causing the wheel to fail the castor when exposed to shock loads.This fact has been verified by a major waste container manufacturer who have copies of the test results.The steel dust covers used to be fitted to plastic wheels to prevent dust entering the centre bushing but now seem to have been done away with due to cost and the reduction in the way the wheel can absorb shock loading.As to the cause of your wheels failure I do not think it was dropped because to cause this type of failure the bottom plate of the welder would have buckled along with the sides and centre rivet of the castor, also it was not down to poor quality castors but was caused by the throttle and brake action of the delivery driver when your welder shot forward and the wheel hit another object. hope this helps
Avenley 10

 

[zardoz]

Hello Avenly and Thanks for that interesting and informative reply. As to your final supposition of the wheel hitting an object after shooting forward. I will hold my reply to that until i have found and measured the 'palette' (ie: a square of wood nailed together) because that is the only thing the wheels could possibly have hit whilst going forward. Unless they were locked in tight and the last bit of wood added after the mig was inside the other 3. In which case the wheels could not have moved forward or backward at all.

 

[katluke]

I have just been informed that my 211 and other items have arrived this afternoon from Weldequip.Now Ive just got to get home and have a look over it all.I will keep everyone informed.

 

[irondarren]

Ive been informed mine will be on a wagon today (or was that weldequip is on the wagon), so with luck it should turn up tommorrow

 

[Baz-Cem]

Nice new site Daz

Baz.

 

[katluke]

Well I seem to have jumped the gun a bit.I have just emptied the box out and everything is there apart from the 211 welder.I best pm Weldequip and let him know.