Help me pick a MIG Welder please

[doogz]

Afternoon all,

I'm new here, and i'm looking for a welder.

I recently completed a little evening class in welding at a local college, i also have a BEng (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering, and i'm looking to buy my first welder.

I like tinkering with old cars, and i live on a farm, so there are invariably old trailers, gates, all sorts of things requiring attention, and the missus has devised a new task for me of building some new shelfs in her tack room.

I haven't decided yet on a budget, but nothing too extravagant, maybe £2-300? Maybe up to £400 if required. I already have all the relevant safety gear/PPE already, so this is just for the machine itself, although i have no idea what a gas bottle rental/refill costs.

So, can you help me pick a decent little MIG welding machine? I've been looking in all the usual places, but are things like Sealey/Silverline any good, or cheap rubbish?

Thanks in advance,

Doug

 

[Lawnmowerboy]

sealey are a good make but clarke are the best hobby range youre ore looking at about 400 notes for something like a clarke151en which is a good machine imo and then a regulater a bottle of gas and mask and other ppe.

will

 

[doogz]

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/mig151en-turbo-no-gas-mig-welder

This one?

Looks ideal for my needs tbh.

Thanks

 

[Wozzaaah]

That would just about do you ok but it's geared up for disposable cylinders which means you'll need a regulator kit for full-sized cylinders and will need to fabricate a trolley for the cylinder.
This one has a cylinder shelf on the back and comes ready to go with a regulator.
It's gas only though so if you're likely to want to use flux-cored wire then it's not really suitable.
For farm work I'd say go a fair bit bigger but that will blow your budget out of the water.
The other option is to get a mig and also a cheap inverter stick welder for the thicker stuff. Two machines but you'll be covered for anything that you may encounter.

 

[doogz]

Hmm, the 151EN, my local Machine Mart have just told me that you can't fit a bog standard 13A fused plug to it, it needs at least a 16A spur, which makes it not very portable.

Is that correct? Don't seem to be able to find anything that backs that up anywhere?

 

[chedz]

Hi Doug,

i picked up one of these 2 weeks ago:

http://www.wilstar.co.uk/products/2/2/clarke_mig160tm_mig_welder_the_welding_centre_surbiton/

13 amp plug fitted and so far no probs up to setting 5 of 6.

Excellent machine, comes ready for disposables but easily converted to bigger bottle.

cheers

G

 

[doogz]

"MIGs 151TE and 160EN ONLY
Connect the mains lead, through a suitably fused isolator switch, to a 230 Volt
(50Hz) electrical supply, with a 15Amp fuse rating. A standard 13 Amp plug MUST
NOT be used with these welders."

That's from the usual manual.

So neither of them are too much use to me, i need a bit of portability, the ability to use a 13A plug.

 

[keith19]

I find the 151EN a good little machine, and on a farm there will be times you need to work outside in the wind, so the additional gasless wire facility of the 151EN is useful to have, up to around 4 mm m/s, 5 mm with prep.
It comes in gasless mode, so as Woz says you'd need to get a proper regulator for full-size cylinders, see here:http://www.weldequip.com/argon-regulator.htm

For heavier stuff the mig can't cope with, an inverter stick welder is handy and very portable, as already said, perhaps something like this:http://www.weldequip.com/tecarc-166i-dc.htm

If an inverter goes beyond the budget start looking at old oil-cooled arc welders, like an Oxford or similar makes. These are ideal for heavier farm work, but aren't exactly portable, they weigh from around 80KG up; mostly up.
If it has to be portable, and cheap, the jolly old buzz-box is always a cheap and cheerful option, but needs lots of practice to get good with it, and you have to give it time between runs, otherwise it will overheat.

You can run the 151EN and any other 150A max welder off a 13A domestic plug without any problems, apart from blowing the odd fuse occasionally when you do longish runs at 140-150A, or have it on a long extension lead that is too puny. I have run mine like this for over a year now, no probs. Machinemart and Clarke like to cover their backsides, is all.

 

[doogz]

Hi Doug,

i picked up one of these 2 weeks ago:

http://www.wilstar.co.uk/products/2/2/clarke_mig160tm_mig_welder_the_welding_centre_surbiton/

13 amp plug fitted and so far no probs up to setting 5 of 6.

Excellent machine, comes ready for disposables but easily converted to bigger bottle.

cheers

G

So, did you just wire a 13A plug onto yours?

 

[Lawnmowerboy]

hi i've used the 151en flat out with no problems

 

[doogz]

hi i've used the 151en flat out with no problems

With a 13A fused plug on the end?

Thanks for all the replies guys, it's a great help.

 

[Wozzaaah]

I used to run my Butters welder to around 175A on a 13A fuse and occasionally I'd have to stop to replace a blown fuse but that was it, most of the time it would run quite happily.

 

[Miguel Dare]

I've always run my 160TM from a 13 amp plug (good quality heavy duty). It has never blown a fuse even on full power. It might do on longer runs but keep a few spares handy and you'll be fine.

 

[doogz]

Superb guys, thanks.

Now torn between the 160TM, or the 151EN, and spending the difference on a trolley and a regulator, meaning i can do gas or gasless.

 

[W4yne]

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/mig151en-turbo-no-gas-mig-welder

This one?

Looks ideal for my needs tbh.

Thanks

There is a VAT free on all Clarke products at Machine Mart at the end of this month. 21st to the 30th Jan.

 

[keith19]

Superb guys, thanks.

Now torn between the 160TM, or the 151EN, and spending the difference on a trolley and a regulator, meaning i can do gas or gasless.

You make a trolley, that's one of your first projects. The little puny wheels that come with the Clarke welders won't last long in a farmyard, so you'll need to make a sturdy trolley anyway!

 

[doogz]

You make a trolley, that's one of your first projects. The little puny wheels that come with the Clarke welders won't last long in a farmyard, so you'll need to make a sturdy trolley anyway!

Ha, you haven't met my OH. There are a list of projects that will be carried out before i get to do any of the things i want! Shelves in the feed room, make a harrow for the riding arena, fix the 4T trailer, etc!

A colleague was telling me about the 20% offer, doesn't seem to be listed anywhere on the website, and i unsubscribed from their e-mails, as they always seemed to send them at 2am and my phone would beep to tell me about it!

Cheers

 

[doogz]

There is a VAT free on all Clarke products at Machine Mart at the end of this month. 21st to the 30th Jan.

Just been back on the blower and reserved a Clarke 151EN machine. Do you have any details on the 20% offer? Presumably you need a code or something, instead of just wandering in and asking for 1/5th off?!

The discount will pay for a trolley

Cheers

 

[keith19]

Yeah, they send you a code number. Dunno if they're sending me one this month but you're welcome to it if it works up there. Some guys on here have blagged their way in on the deal by saying they've left their number behind, etc,etc.

 

[doogz]

Yeah, they send you a code number. Dunno if they're sending me one this month but you're welcome to it if it works up there. Some guys on here have blagged their way in on the deal by saying they've left their number behind, etc,etc.

I've bought stuff from them before, and i have an account registered with them through my little company, so hopefully i won't have any problems, 20% is a not insignificant discount!