MIG welder crisis

[unique customs]

Iv got an expensive TIG that gets used most of the time, however, I want to get a MIG aswell for my workshop for smaller, quicker jobs that i need to do on car bodywork. I am reluctant to rent another bottle of gas and dont want to go down the gasless or small disposable bottle road. Iv heard that MIGs can run off argon so my plan is to convert my homemade TIG trolley to hold a MIG below it and run both welders off the same bottle(they will never be used at the same time) However, I have never seen this done and am looking for help.

Can i get a dual regulator to connect the two welders to the one argon bottle, and if so, where from.?
If not then is there another solution?
Finally, can anyone recommend a suitable welder that will cope with car bodywork 0.8mm as this is basically all it will be used for, i am not looking for one that will weld anything above 2mm. (Must run off single phase)

Any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated
Thanks

 

[dstealth]

Iv got an expensive TIG that gets used most of the time, however, I want to get a MIG aswell for my workshop for smaller, quicker jobs that i need to do on car bodywork. I am reluctant to rent another bottle of gas and dont want to go down the gasless or small disposable bottle road. Iv heard that MIGs can run off argon so my plan is to convert my homemade TIG trolley to hold a MIG below it and run both welders off the same bottle(they will never be used at the same time) However, I have never seen this done and am looking for help.

Can i get a dual regulator to connect the two welders to the one argon bottle, and if so, where from.?
If not then is there another solution?
Finally, can anyone recommend a suitable welder that will cope with car bodywork 0.8mm as this is basically all it will be used for, i am not looking for one that will weld anything above 2mm. (Must run off single phase)

Any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated
Thanks

I've never seen two welders connected through one regulator at the same time so I cannot answer that. It wouldn't be hard just to unplug one and plug the other one in!

Regarding MIG's and 0.8mm bodywork, you don't want to be using anything more than 30A. A lot of welders have 30 Amps as their minimum setting, but some, including the Portamigs have a bottom end performance of 20A, which is ideal for 0.8mm sheet. But Portamig's are expensive, bespoke welders so it really depends on how much you are willing to spend on a MIG plant.

Me, I have a Snap-On/Cebora welder that goes down to 30A that I use on bodywork, but you really have to get the technique right, or you'll blow holes and melt the edges of the metal away.

My suggestion would be to go with something such as a Clarke Pro 90 which goes down to 25A and its a cheap welder.

Chris.

 

[English Steve]

Hi UC and welcome to the forum. Using more than one welder from a single gas source should not be a problem - we have around 25 mig sets running off what is basically an argoshield light ring main, fed from a BOC size WW bottle bank. I would suggest a suitable manifold may be the way to go.
However, I would question the use of pure argon for your application. There are a number of threads on here regarding suitability of gasses for different applications, which would be worth checking out.
For thin car body work one of the Clarke migs would be as good as anything, but make sure your choice has a low enough power setting - needs to be 30a or lower. A lot of the cheap migs don't go low enough. If you send a PM to Weldequip on this forum, he will sort you out (assuming you want a new machine).

Regards

Steve

Edit: DStealth types quicker than me!

Edit no2: Have a look here http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=2398

 

[malcolm]

I'd agree with not running argon. It works fine with a great arc, but you end up with nasty narrow pointy triangular welds with a bit of arc erosion beside them (rather than your nice smooth rounded MIG weld). You can get around it with technique and an angle grinder, but I was fed up enough with them to buy an argoshield bottle.

Chosing a nice MIG is tricky. We tend to recommend Clarkes on the cheap end of the new market. Though nicer second hand welders on eBay are a possibility if you know what they should do and are prepared to service them. Nice new ones seem to start at about £500.