Hello! Looking for intro advice

[Gardenwelder]

Hi all, I’m looking for some advice on what type of machine to buy for my needs.

I’m brand new to welding, but consider myself on the upper scale of handy. I’m looking to make my own ‘stuff’ for the garden, initially starting with mild steel lawn/bed edging (3mm thick, maybe thicker), and may move onto other things like fruit cages, troughs, water features etc. I have zero plans to do any car welding etc, so I guess what I’m saying is, rough looking welds don’t matter too much at the moment, but if I can pick up the skill, there’s loads of things I’d like to make.
My understanding is gasless fluxcore is easier to pick up, but limited in long term use, whereas arc/stick has a steeper learning curve, but is more versatile.
I’m just looking at DIY type welders at machine mart:
Stick: CLARKE MMA140A 140 AMP ARC/MMA INVERTER WELDER
Flux: CLARKE IMIG100NG 100 AMP NO GAS INVERTER MIG WELDER

It would be great to hear your opinions on what you think is best! The welder will be a Christmas present from my wife

 

[tom2207]

welcome to the forum ,,,,
Id go to gumtree and buy a second hand stick welder under 50 quid ... a mask a pair of gloves and a grinder ,,, and have a play .
Then decide what you actually want to be doing and see what you want from there ,,,, even better would be to find someone local and offer them a free hand for a day , if they give you go and show you how to weld a bit ,,,, you will either love it , or never touch a welder again in your life ,,,

 

[Mark 5]

Hi all, I’m looking for some advice on what type of machine to buy for my needs.

I’m brand new to welding, but consider myself on the upper scale of handy. I’m looking to make my own ‘stuff’ for the garden, initially starting with mild steel lawn/bed edging (3mm thick, maybe thicker), and may move onto other things like fruit cages, troughs, water features etc. I have zero plans to do any car welding etc, so I guess what I’m saying is, rough looking welds don’t matter too much at the moment, but if I can pick up the skill, there’s loads of things I’d like to make.
My understanding is gasless fluxcore is easier to pick up, but limited in long term use, whereas arc/stick has a steeper learning curve, but is more versatile.
I’m just looking at DIY type welders at machine mart:
Stick: CLARKE MMA140A 140 AMP ARC/MMA INVERTER WELDER
Flux: CLARKE IMIG100NG 100 AMP NO GAS INVERTER MIG WELDER

It would be great to hear your opinions on what you think is best! The welder will be a Christmas present from my wife

There are a number of threads/posts on the subject on this site, a recent one is its first post, ( edit ) started by @RabLamont.

D

Post in thread 'Budget first welder'

Saturday at 5:40 PM

Depending on how strong you are or the room you have available, an old oil-filled arc welder could fit the bill. They can be found very cheaply (there have been one or two for sale on here recently, and several on eBay now for less than £50) and in my (albeit limited) experience are very pleasant welders to use, as long as you don't have to move them around! Some long leads are recommended. I have a 180A 'Bantam' on a trolley, and have welded from 2mm to 10mm with it. They also have the advantage of being extremely reliable, especially compared to the cheaper new inverter machines. They...

• Dragnet

 

[jo1010]

Welcome! The Clarke stuff is generally a fine start.....but it's almost certain that the machine you start with won't be what you end up with - either bc you outgrow it in skill terms, or bc you decide alu would be easier or better in the garden. (Tricky if your abandoning a Xmas prezzie! Maybe get the ppe for Xmas and source welder yourself.?..).
If you're into 3mm + thicknesses you could start with stick for cheapness (say 180 amp which would let you do most stuff up to 5 to 6 mm straight off).....
But how would you treat the finished steel products that are near water/ground for the garden? Galvanising?

 

[Gardenwelder]

But how would you treat the finished steel products that are near water/ground for the garden? Galvanising?

Hi! Thanks for the advice.

For the edging, I was just planning on letting it rust naturally. In regards water troughs, I hadn’t thought too much about that as even if I get that far, it’s way off.

 

[Gardenwelder]

There are a number of threads/posts on the subject on this site, a recent one is its first post.

Thank you Mark

 

[eddie49]

As a result of that recent thread started by @RabLamont :

R

Thread 'Budget first welder'

Nov 3, 2025

Hi folks. Total newbie here looking to buy a budget machine to try out welding with.
U.K. based, running of 13 amp 240 home supply, welding outside 2 mm up to 6mm mild steel.
Cheap machine to get going I’m thinking.
If I get into it then I would upgrade later and if I’m terrible it can sit in the shed and I won’t feel to bad about it.

I’ve been looking at these 3 machines and would love feedback.

160A MIG/TIG & MMA (ARC/STICK) Inverter Welder | MINIMIG160i | Sealey

1 Year Guarantee - IGBT Inverter fan-cooled DC power supply for MIG/TIG and MMA/ARC welding applications up to 160A.

www.sealey.co.uk

...

• RabLamont
• Replies: 21
• forum: Buying a Welder

the "Bimson Power" 160 Amp inverter welder has emerged as a very good deal on a Gas/Gasless/Arc ( MMA ) machine.

Most inverter welders in that size/price will work as both Arc and MIG, no need to get two boxes.

 

[Gardenwelder]

As a result of that recent thread:

R

Thread 'Budget first welder'

Nov 3, 2025

Hi folks. Total newbie here looking to buy a budget machine to try out welding with.
U.K. based, running of 13 amp 240 home supply, welding outside 2 mm up to 6mm mild steel.
Cheap machine to get going I’m thinking.
If I get into it then I would upgrade later and if I’m terrible it can sit in the shed and I won’t feel to bad about it.

I’ve been looking at these 3 machines and would love feedback.

160A MIG/TIG & MMA (ARC/STICK) Inverter Welder | MINIMIG160i | Sealey

1 Year Guarantee - IGBT Inverter fan-cooled DC power supply for MIG/TIG and MMA/ARC welding applications up to 160A.

www.sealey.co.uk

...

• RabLamont
• Replies: 21
• forum: Buying a Welder

the "Bimson Power" 160 Amp inverter welder has emerged as a very good deal on a Gas/Gasless/Arc ( MMA ) machine.

Most inverter welders in that size/price will work as both Arc and MIG, no need to get two boxes.

Thanks Eddie - that price looks good for a 3 in 1. Will take a closer look.

 

[eddie49]

Yes, it appears to be a very well specified fully-manual machine from a UK-based supplier, at an unbeatable price.
The advantages of it are listed in Post #13 of that thread.

 

[badabec]

How about the oil filled welder in the for sale thread?
Shall I hide now?