New member saying hello

[haveabash]

Hi all, i am new to mig welding as i in i have never done any welding whatsoever, but i recently acquired a clarke mig 135 TE Turbo, in order to learn and hopefully do a bit of welding on a van that i have.
I would like to know how you tell when the gas has ran out on the small disposable bottles that you get from machine mart, as the regulator that came with the welder just has numbers 1-6?
Also how do you decide which number to put the gas on?
Thank`s in advance for reading and taking the time to reply.

 

[marlinspike]

You will get through the disposable bottles in no time at all. Have a look on the Gas forum for a deal on refillables, like the Volkszone deal if you will be welding a lot, or check out your local suppliers on the gas suppliers list.

I haven't used disposables, but I think I have read elsewhere that it is best to set it by ear - ie. Listen for a hiss sound, not a whoosh. Someone will be along soon who knows more about it.


Welcome to the forum. The tutorials srction is well worth reading through.

 

[Robotstar5]

Welcome to the forum.

The general concensus is the small regulators need to be run on number 6 to get reasonable gas coverage and as above the bottles don't last long. You will get about 10 minutes "arc on" (trigger pulled) time out of the bottle so a few patches could be got out of a small bottle, but you will get through a few practising/learning to weld.

 

[haveabash]

Ok, thank`s.
If i find that i am out of my depth with my repair work, is it possible to use this forum to find a mobile welder, who could do the repairs for me.
I live in Carlisle Cumbria, or can anyone recommend a garage in my area?
Thank`s