madkayaker
Pro sparkey Pro Welder
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- 13,678
some landlords are happy to sell bottles of CO2 depends how good a term you are on with them
- Thread starter Johnsvan
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GeorgiePorgie
pre-moderated
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Look at other brands of Mig welders if Clarke welders are too dear,personally I think they're overated and over priced. 
well thats my ecuse and I'm sticking to me Screwfix effort which has now come down in price again....Grrrrr!
well thats my ecuse and I'm sticking to me Screwfix effort which has now come down in price again....Grrrrr!
Shedendman
Member
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- 5,534
i get my pub gas from the local,i'm friendly with the landlord(not that friendly i might add),i had a empty one so he just exchanges it for a full one,all i do is bung him a fiver each time
.
Another tip,if your local uses BOC it'll be CO2 suregas(foodgrade),not as good as the pure CO2(ask the boffins why),its ok,but again hard work to use,check out the gas section on here
.Another tip,if your local uses BOC it'll be CO2 suregas(foodgrade),not as good as the pure CO2(ask the boffins why),its ok,but again hard work to use,check out the gas section on here
the snooper
getting older by the day
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- 21,086
- Location
- Hull UK
all pubs use pure co2 for the soft driks carbonator if they have the post mix system
GeorgiePorgie
pre-moderated
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A fiver!! eck whats the pub called? The Penny Whistle?
Shedendman
Member
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lets just say i know him and he knows me
wow, thanks very much guys, you have given me plenty to think about and answered my original question of is no gas possible... It would seem that my plan now hinges on constructing a good wind break and sourcing a good gas supply.
I know there has been a lot of bad reports on Wolf welders but has anyone had any experience with the latest offering, 30-130 Amps, non live torch?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Wolf-Mig-140-...226?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item56440c1612
I know there has been a lot of bad reports on Wolf welders but has anyone had any experience with the latest offering, 30-130 Amps, non live torch?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Wolf-Mig-140-...226?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item56440c1612
Hi John,
I've never used a Wolf, and personally would be a bit wary of them. But despite their reputation they seem to have been getting a bit better of late. See the thread below for a fairly new guy using one:
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=25608
The one he is using is not quite the same as the one you linked on ebay, but the post should make interesting reading.
I've never used a Wolf, and personally would be a bit wary of them. But despite their reputation they seem to have been getting a bit better of late. See the thread below for a fairly new guy using one:
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=25608
The one he is using is not quite the same as the one you linked on ebay, but the post should make interesting reading.
Hi Keith,
Thanks for the post, that thread made interesting reading. Looks like that guy is doing OK with a Wolf no-gas at 50A on body work. He must have some skill I reckon.
I wonder whether I should give that Wolf a go, at the price it seems good value and can it really be that bad? I reckon the transformer should be OK, especially at the low end (6 settings and all), so the only real question is the wire feed. Being new it should be ok, at least in the beginning, don't you think?
I wonder if Wolf started badly with the live torch malarkey and have never really recovered their rep (if they ever had any), and maybe the newer machines are better than people give them credit for.
Ya pays ya money and takes ya choice...
Any more thoughts?
Thanks for the post, that thread made interesting reading. Looks like that guy is doing OK with a Wolf no-gas at 50A on body work. He must have some skill I reckon.
I wonder whether I should give that Wolf a go, at the price it seems good value and can it really be that bad? I reckon the transformer should be OK, especially at the low end (6 settings and all), so the only real question is the wire feed. Being new it should be ok, at least in the beginning, don't you think?
I wonder if Wolf started badly with the live torch malarkey and have never really recovered their rep (if they ever had any), and maybe the newer machines are better than people give them credit for.
Ya pays ya money and takes ya choice...
Any more thoughts?
GeorgiePorgie
pre-moderated
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- 957
The way I look at any tools is....
How often will I use it? for my own benefit.
So if it cost x amount for me to pay out for a garage repair and I can do the job myself with a cheapish decent tool thats needed for the job and I save well below the x amount the garage will charge plus it be there as and when I need it again.
If I have an idea I'm gonna be hammering that tool endlessly then I will buy an expensive brand
How often will I use it? for my own benefit.
So if it cost x amount for me to pay out for a garage repair and I can do the job myself with a cheapish decent tool thats needed for the job and I save well below the x amount the garage will charge plus it be there as and when I need it again.
If I have an idea I'm gonna be hammering that tool endlessly then I will buy an expensive brand
Thanks Georgie,
My philosophy also.
Money is tight at the moment and at this price point I wonder just how much better a Clarke 90 is over that Wolf 130? Is it that, as a newbie, the Clearke will be easy to use and the Wolf will be impossible?
I guess for a second hand purchase Clarke would be good because of spares but not exactly cheap given the risks.
Hmm, lots to think about.
My philosophy also.
Money is tight at the moment and at this price point I wonder just how much better a Clarke 90 is over that Wolf 130? Is it that, as a newbie, the Clearke will be easy to use and the Wolf will be impossible?
I guess for a second hand purchase Clarke would be good because of spares but not exactly cheap given the risks.
Hmm, lots to think about.
I believe the Clarke 90 will go to 25 Amp bottom end, so that in theory should be slightly better on thin bodywork metal than the 30 Amp lowest output of the Wolf, and so be a bit easier to learn with. Several people on here have the Clarke 90 for bodywork only, and rate it as a good machine. Remember it won't do anything much thicker than bodywork, though, see this:
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/clarke-90.htm
Getting a decent 2nd hand one is a bit of a gamble, you really need to take someone along who welds to look at any that come up for sale, and take some thin metal along to play with. You may be lucky and get one that has only ever done three hours work in its life, maybe bought and used for one restoration only.
As one or two members have posted, if you get something a bit bigger than a 90 Amp one, it comes in useful for little jobs where heavier metal is required. No welder is ever big enough, over time, (like toolboxes), and I dare say most of those who own a Clarke 90 probably have another heavier-duty mig for thicker metal, or perhaps a small stick welder under the bench just in case.
This is where the Wolf would be most tempting, because it covers a wider range of metal thickness, and is fairly cheap. But I have seen somewhere on here that Wolf went bankrupt, and so the existing stock is being sold off cheaply, and spares may be more difficult to obtain in future.
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/clarke-90.htm
Getting a decent 2nd hand one is a bit of a gamble, you really need to take someone along who welds to look at any that come up for sale, and take some thin metal along to play with. You may be lucky and get one that has only ever done three hours work in its life, maybe bought and used for one restoration only.
As one or two members have posted, if you get something a bit bigger than a 90 Amp one, it comes in useful for little jobs where heavier metal is required. No welder is ever big enough, over time, (like toolboxes), and I dare say most of those who own a Clarke 90 probably have another heavier-duty mig for thicker metal, or perhaps a small stick welder under the bench just in case.
This is where the Wolf would be most tempting, because it covers a wider range of metal thickness, and is fairly cheap. But I have seen somewhere on here that Wolf went bankrupt, and so the existing stock is being sold off cheaply, and spares may be more difficult to obtain in future.
tflnemesis
Member
- Messages
- 650
As for gas, i am sure there will be someone failry local to you who does it fairly cheaply. I found a little welding supplies place a couple of miles away from me who does all types of gas, i got my CO2 for £25 inclusive of bottle and refills are £15. His consumables are also on a par with Ebay prices (tips, wire, flapdisks, slitting discs etc) so now i don't even bother with the Bay, just jump in the car and grab some straightaway.
Have a look in your local Yellow pages see if you have a welding supplies place near, the little independants seem to be cheaper than the likes of Machine mart and such.
Have a look in your local Yellow pages see if you have a welding supplies place near, the little independants seem to be cheaper than the likes of Machine mart and such.
gavuk
artful-bodger
- Messages
- 2,951
- Location
- Wilts
I used a sealey 130xt (red sealey )with co2 for a number of years ,until a mate bought it from me ,with co2 you prob won't use the lowest settings anyway I also used 0.8mm wire.Some of the forum members seem to be getting on well with the updated 140amp machine ,and appears to be cheaper than the clarke's,worth doing a forum search ?. We haven't had many reviews on the yellow sealey seigen range ,so avoid them for now...
Thanks guys, I really appreciate your comments. I'm weighing it all up now.
I've found a gas supplier near me who charge £45 for a 10L bottle (200 bar) of Argon mix with a refundable deposit of £60 on the bottle (the bottles have a BOC connection)
I am confused by this as Weldequip disposable bottles are 110L but obviously much smaller - With the disposables is it 110L of gas as released and the bigger (10L) bottles 10L of liquid that will turn to much much more gas when released??
Flux core would sure be cheaper but maybe to difficult for me.
Someone commented that flux core wont work at 25 Amps (the low setting on a Clarke 90EN), anyone else of the same opinion?
I've found a gas supplier near me who charge £45 for a 10L bottle (200 bar) of Argon mix with a refundable deposit of £60 on the bottle (the bottles have a BOC connection)
I am confused by this as Weldequip disposable bottles are 110L but obviously much smaller - With the disposables is it 110L of gas as released and the bigger (10L) bottles 10L of liquid that will turn to much much more gas when released??
Flux core would sure be cheaper but maybe to difficult for me.
Someone commented that flux core wont work at 25 Amps (the low setting on a Clarke 90EN), anyone else of the same opinion?
shenion
Tool Pack Rat
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- 7,586
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- Stone Mountain, GA USA
Refillables are sold by the size of the tank. 10L is 10L physical size.
10L filled to 200 bar is 2000L (10 x 200). Or 200 minutes of use at 10 LPM.
Displosables are sold by the amount of gas. 110L is 11 minutes at 10LPM.
2000L of disposables will cost you £240. A lot more than the £45 refill charge.
Both are gas not liquid. Argon can not be compressed to a liquid at room temperature at a pressure than can be contained..
Flux wire is expensive. Costs more than regular MIG wire (over twice as much.)
Flux may not work well at low amps as the flux would cool too fast.
I'd go with the refillable argon mix cylinder. Sounds reasonable.
10L filled to 200 bar is 2000L (10 x 200). Or 200 minutes of use at 10 LPM.
Displosables are sold by the amount of gas. 110L is 11 minutes at 10LPM.
2000L of disposables will cost you £240. A lot more than the £45 refill charge.
Both are gas not liquid. Argon can not be compressed to a liquid at room temperature at a pressure than can be contained..
Flux wire is expensive. Costs more than regular MIG wire (over twice as much.)
Flux may not work well at low amps as the flux would cool too fast.
I'd go with the refillable argon mix cylinder. Sounds reasonable.
