New to welding

[SALTY]

Hi all, Total newbie here willing to learn welding,was recomended this site for advice in buying the right welder for my needs.

Basically I after a welder which I can use to patch the sill on my 1989 R5 GT Turbo project. The R5 is basically waht I need the welder for and possibly light DIY use.

Any help greatly appreciated, I am on a tight budget

James

 

[Subsonicnat]

Welding Advice

Hi James,
Well there is no Cheap Way mate, it all costs money, no matter which way you jump: Never ome across a Cheap mig Welder, or even a TIG Welder..
Tig is VERY Expensive to set up, Don`t even go there:
Mig is a little better tolearn and SET UP, but you are still talking well above a £100:00 to £200 to get going::
As for learning as well it just seems to WASTE money if you haven`t really got a use for it for quite a while, mine was doing All the WELDING for 18 months on an OLD 4x4 SHOGUN.. So it was a learning curve for quite a while...
Try lying on your back and weld overhead.
My Tee shirts looked like a fishing net afterwards, (It was Hot that summer)..
Burns galore, had my welding mask on (AUTO). But still set my hair on fire. All this aside if you haven`t got good reason for buying one, Get a mate to do it,Give him a drink, and you will both be happier believe me..
DO NOT want to be a spoil sport Jason, But do your MATHS First..
Then Seriously make your mind up..
All the Best what ever you do mate:
Colin:UK.

 

[Wozzaaah]

James, you say you're on a tight budget but we can't advise you on machine choice unless you say how much you're looking to spend.

Colin, good advice but James also says he wants the machine for light diy use so it's not just a case of needing a welder for a one-off job by the sound of it.

 

[SALTY]

Hi ideally have £150 to £200 to spend. Have seen them clarke arc welders at £71 but been told they will burn through sills on an R5.

James

 

[Wozzaaah]

You need a mig welder, not an arc.
Look for something that goes from no more than 30A up to 130A if you only want to do light stuff, 150A if you think you might want to weld something a bit thicker, maybe 3mm or so.
Your budget is VERY low though, have you factored in a mask, gloves, wire, gas, tips etc as you don't have a chance in hell of getting all that plus a decent machine for £200?
Avoid SIP, Wolf, Cosmo, Silverline and anything new, cheap and yellow from ebay and you may be ok.