My Reliable Old Machine

andy82 · Jul 28, 2009

Hello...It's been a while since i last posted so i thought i might update how i am getting on with my trusty old Migatronic welder.

I last posted with a problem and turned out to be a problem with a block resistor on the board and had the board fixed by a migatronic engineer.

I bought the welder for £75 and can be seen here
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=4837

The spec is
Migatronic Automig 180MX specs are;
20-36V
Min 25A, Max 180A
100% @60A
60%@80A
35%@100A
15%@180A

The machine was a mess, so i sanded down the case and repainted (just to protect from further corrosion) Its not the tidiest looking machine but it performs very nicely indeed. In time i will get a new paint coat with new control knobs.

The best feature i find is welding thin sheet, the welder can go as low as 25A

I upgraded the torch to a binzel torch

Here is some up to date photos

Here is a set of car ramps i was building, I was using co2 and it worked well. This machine has never failed me or overheated. The welder is so smooth with no pausing....I am very happy :laughing:

JayRS4 · Jul 28, 2009

Nice machine the old Migatronic, i`ve got a 180MXE, think the duty cycles are a bit better from memory, i`ve only had it cut out once on me, and that was after a lot of welding at the top end. Only problme with mine is the MB15 torch,tend to get a little hot, really should upgrade.

I`m living those ramps, they look really smart, any chance of some more pics, or maybe a thread on there own?

andy82 · Jul 28, 2009

The idea behind it was to have removable sections that will allow the vehicle to be raised and the centre sections of the ramp to be disconnected.

The ramp swivels on 40mm tubing allowing the rear of the ramp to be raised with the jack and a further 2 supports to hold the rear.

I used 50x25 section for the ramp and used 25mm angle. Each section of the ramp can be disconnected.

Its complicated to explain how the process works but here goes

Drive up the ramp
Raise the rear
Bolt the front ramp to the platform
Place rear platforms in place
Bolt rear platforms to rear of ramp
Disconect the 2 centre sections of the ramp

Now the vehicle is elevated on the 4 platforms and the centre of the ramps have been removed for access to the sill area.

they are not completed yet and if you like i can update with more pics on the finished article. I have plenty of cad designs and know where i went wrong (jacking bar needs to be stronger), so little things will be modified. So far they have cost £170 odd to build....better than £800 from levo artis or restoration ramps.

the benefit of these is how easy they are to use and transport

I might add that driving up these ramps is

they are very high :laughing:

My next venture is a full stainless steel exhaust system for my car :cool: