Keep ARC or buy MIG?

[Iby]

Hi All.

I'm new to the forums

I am doing a project with my car and need to put chassis strengthening plates in and weld them up. I have a cheap Aldi ARC welder that I haven't used yet but I believe using rods will go through the metal work and cause holes?

If this is the case and ARC welding is no good for car chassis then I probably would be better off with a gas mig? I have been looking and found a cheap gas mig here .

Can I have some kind advice please regarding my choice of welder and which one I should use?

Lovely forums by the way.

Ibrahim

EDIT: I don't think that welder comes with gas though :/

 

[Wozzaaah]

No, it won't come with gas but for that price you won't find anything better.
Welcome to the forums Ibrahim.

 

[rich r]

The Aldi 160A arc welder isn't a bad machine (for an ac buzzbox), but it will take you several weeks to master arc welding if you haven't done it before. You won't be able to weld anything thinner than 3mm steel with it (I have repaired a 2mm thick spade with 1.6mm rods, but it's not easy to do a neat job).

For vehicle repairs, other than the chassis on 4x4s and trucks, Mig is the way to go as you can weld thin metal easily. Still takes some learning, but you can get decent welds far more quickly than you would learning arc from scratch.

Keep the Arc welder for when you need to fix a gate or something, but go for the Mig for your vehicle repair. Gasless is more messy and trickier to get right, but at least you can use it outside without spending a fortune on gas. But if you have a workshop or garage, gas makes more sense.

 

[Iby]

Thanks Woz and rich

I have a garage/workshop so I can use gas as there is no wind to blow it away. I considered a gasless but for a novice like me I think a mig would be best from what I have heard so far. I have a steady hand as I repair electronics and do a lot of soldering.

The only issue I am stuck on is what gas to use as there are a few types of gas bottles available and how do I choose what reel to get?

Would this be ok for car chassis repairs?

Once again, thanks for the help.

 

[Stitches]

^^^^ this I have the same welder, got me in to welding then picked up a cheap maypole gas/gasless and the difference is miles apart!

Like rich said keep the stick for the thick job's, and the MIG for thin and you can't go wrong

 

[rtbcomp]

I bought a Clarke 90 MIG welder to complement my AC buzzbox, I used the MIG for thinner stuff and for heavier work the buzzbox took over.

 

[Iby]

Thanks Stitches. Your comment has me in "Stitches" (get it? stitches? ohh bad joke - sorry lol)

How long does the gas cylinder last for and do I get a new bottle or can I get it refilled?

So this cheap Clarke pro 90 will be good for the job?

 

[Iby]

I bought a Clarke 90 MIG welder to complement my AC buzzbox, I used the MIG for thinner stuff and for heavier work the buzzbox took over.

Thanks for the input. The reviews do seem 5/5 so far and if I can get it confirmed that this one will be good for the job then I will buy it along with some deep offset spanners on the site.

 

[Wozzaaah]

Not sure why you'd choose that tiny Clarke machine over the Sealey, especially as it's more expensive and has far less power.
It's up to doing bodywork but not really suitable for chassis repairs.

 

[Iby]

Whats the Sealey? Never heard of it before. :/ Let me go and a bit of searching...

 

[Iby]

I'm an idiot. The sealey is the first one I posted,

I was purely going for the clark one because it came with a bottle of gas.
I'm not sure where to get gas bottles from and which gas to use so I thought I might as well go for one that is already a package. If you get me.

 

[Wozzaaah]

Forget that little bottle of gas, you'll only get about 10 mins welding time from it!
The Sealey is geared up for refillable cylinders and has a shelf on the back to put one on. It comes with everything to get you started minus the actual cylinder.
If you buy the Clarke you'll have to spend another £40 on a connection kit and regulator if you choose refillables as the reg that's supplied only fits those tiny disposables.

 

[Iby]

Ahh I get it. So in fact Clarke are cheap but will work out expensive and the sealy is slgihtly more money but is better in output power and capability in regards with gas refil bottles?

Right, So I ideally need to purchase this as well as the sealey mig welder? I presume it already has gas installed for me to use out of the box.

 

[Wozzaaah]

Nooo!!!
A proper cylinder!

 

[Iby]

Lol.

I don't want a cylinder size of my room lol. I just need a cheap mig welder that does a good job and probably use it occasionally.

Can you direct me to a proper cylinder? Does it not have to be sealey branded or can any refillable gas cylinder do the job?

 

[Stitches]

The small one from say Machine mart are ok if you'r starting out and don't even know if you want to take up welding, as they don't last long and are cheap. Only it's a false economy as you have to buy the gas and the reg for it, so you're looking at 35 quid. thats the wire gas and reg and a spare shroud and tips. from machine mart ( I just paid that)


Again I paid this to to see if the welder would hold up as I bought it cheap. where as a gas bottle would be the rent and re-fill which work's out cheap in the long run.

For car repairs (with practise welding) you'll be looking at maybe 5 hours plus. A disposable one will last no where near that time to be honest.

It wasn't a bad joke don't worry

 

[Iby]

Right

Still confused on the refilling side of things though. If I can gather correctly I have to buy a conversion thing which consists of a regulator and some other stuff (which I don't know about lol) for £35, Then I can rent out a bottle (which will cost how much?) and have it refilled whenever I want to for more money? Can I not buy a bottle that is refillable or will it cost more?

 

[Iby]

Could I just make do with buying these:

Gas refill

and the

mig welder

Should last me quite a while?

 

[Stitches]

Right the machine mart gas bottle will last you long enough to see if you like welding. Maybe a day at a push.

bigger bottles of CO2 gas (like the bottles you use for BBQ) have to be rented from suppliers. You rent the bottle and have it refilled at the suppliers for about the same price as the bottle you'd pick up from machine mart. These last a hell of a lot longer.

 

[Wozzaaah]

Could I just make do with buying these:

Gas refill

and the

mig welder

Should last me quite a while?

No, no and triple no!
You're planning on doing chassis repairs, you need something bigger than that!
As I said, disposables last about 10 mins!!