Welder Recommendation Please.

[Dermot Allen]

Good Evening All,
I have been dipping into your site and it's huge wealth of knowledge for some years now so I have no doubt of getting some sound purchasing advice! My second hand arc welder died some months ago and having used my friends gas MIG unit, I am convinced it is the way forward for me. I will be using it for a range of jobs from repairing car bodies up to welding heavy duty gear on our small holding. I am getting towards the end of a big Barn conversion which will be a holiday let. I 'need' a welder for some of the fabrication so I will be able to offset the cost through the business and claim back the VAT. I see it as a one-off opportunity to buy myself a quality welder that hopefully I won't ever have to replace. I have single and three phase in my workshop and I could stretch the 'budget' to around £900.

All advice/comments gratefully received.

Many thanks.
Dermot

 

[gordon stephenson]

Welcome Dermot, You sound like a busy and competent guy, Look forward seeing some pic's of the projects, somebody will be along shortly I'm sure to advise as to your welding set requirements.

 

[Tom Orrow L]

Good Evening All,
I have been dipping into your site and it's huge wealth of knowledge for some years now so I have no doubt of getting some sound purchasing advice! My second hand arc welder died some months ago and having used my friends gas MIG unit, I am convinced it is the way forward for me. I will be using it for a range of jobs from repairing car bodies up to welding heavy duty gear on our small holding. I am getting towards the end of a big Barn conversion which will be a holiday let. I 'need' a welder for some of the fabrication so I will be able to offset the cost through the business and claim back the VAT. I see it as a one-off opportunity to buy myself a quality welder that hopefully I won't ever have to replace. I have single and three phase in my workshop and I could stretch the 'budget' to around £900.

All advice/comments gratefully received.

Many thanks.
Dermot

First off, welcome to the forum

IMO you can't get better than an Oxford about a farm/ small holding because they're legitimately some of the hardiest machines I've seen about. I remember reading somewhere about a guy leaving his covered in snow over one winter period and it still working when he fired it up.. I still wouldn't recommend that though.

What thickness of metal are you wanting to weld? You could get yourself a nice Oxford 330 amp for around £900 ex VAT that'll weld up to 12MMish at the top end, more than enough for some fabrication work.

Other option that could be real good for you, take a look around on the bay and find some second hand three phase welders.. a lot of the time you'll find things like 350Amp Miller seperate wire feed MIG's going for ridiculous money because of the lack of use for DIY users as a result of not having a three phase supply openly available to them. Sometimes you'll even find VAT registered companies selling off their old equipment so you can even claim the VAT back

Take a look at this - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/miller-bl...113?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item33a5e0d811 If I had three phase that'd be in my workshop already!

 

[Hitch]

Not wanting to take over the point of the original post..
No mention of fabricating anything structural there, might just be making a few handrails of a welly rack for the holiday let!
If it were structural items, as far as i'm aware, as it sounds like structural fabrications arn't Dermot's main line of work, so I don't believe it does...
I'm not as well up on it as some, @Welderpaul knows much more than I on this....Happy to be corrected!

 

[Wendelspanswick]

Thanks mate, I couldn't remember if you or welderpaul were more clued in...just didn't want the OP to inadvertently land himself in hot water / be told by Building control to dismantle it...

One offs are exempt as well so if you build 1 barn its exempt, if you go into production building barns you need to comply.

 

[daleyd]

Will your welder only be used in the workshop or will you want it to be at least semi portable?

I know for farm work a lot of guys have small inverter sets for stick welding of thicker stuff, perhaps a big mig for the workshop and a small inverter set for the out and about stuff?

If it's only to be used in the workshop then a big 3 phase plant would be top of my list (I have 3 phase envy now!)

A compromise could be one of the multipurpose inverter sets that can do mig and stick (possibly a bit of occasional tig if you get the right one) , Ifl do a set as do rtech and thermal arc may have one in your budget range.

 

[Bill Edwards]

What's the thickest metal you're likely to weld, and does the machine need to be portable?

I ask because if everything you do will be in the workshop, a decent MIG is probably enough. As already said, if you're happy to get something second hand you can get something well within your budget that's 3 phase, prices tend to be low.
If you will be wanting to weld bits outside, as is often required on farms/smallholdings, you may need a stick welder as dragging a bit MIG around isn't easy, and the slightest breeze blows the gas away.

 

[Dermot Allen]

Good Evening All, many thanks for such a warm Welcome and all the good advice.

Mrfuzzy:- don't worry I won't be welding any RSJ's there are long since in, Hitch has got it about right! What would be the choice of the three you listed?

Tom:- I think you hit the nail on the head. I plan to use this welder in my workshop welding at the bottom end vehicle bodies, up to very occasionally 25mm if possible but not essential. I think going the second hand three phase route is a good one. I think eventually I may buy a small stick welder that I can run off my portable generator as suggested by Bill.

I would be very grateful for any more suggestions/links to second hand three phase units. What are the forum's thoughts on going for a refurbished and warranted unit (more expensive) against a private sale, presumably these three phase units are pretty robust?

Once again, many thanks.

Dermot

 

[Tom Orrow L]

Good Evening All, many thanks for such a warm Welcome and all the good advice.

Mrfuzzy:- don't worry I won't be welding any RSJ's there are long since in, Hitch has got it about right! What would be the choice of the three you listed?

Tom:- I think you hit the nail on the head. I plan to use this welder in my workshop welding at the bottom end vehicle bodies, up to very occasionally 25mm if possible but not essential. I think going the second hand three phase route is a good one. I think eventually I may buy a small stick welder that I can run off my portable generator as suggested by Bill.

I would be very grateful for any more suggestions/links to second hand three phase units. What are the forum's thoughts on going for a refurbished and warranted unit (more expensive) against a private sale, presumably these three phase units are pretty robust?

Once again, many thanks.

Dermot

That Kemppi unit that Mrfuzzy linked is a good find. Give westermanns a call, they've usually got a lot of good secondhand stuff in stock.

http://www.westermans.com/thermal-a...te-conventional-mig-welding-system---new.aspx

 

[Dermot Allen]

Funnily enough Mrfuzzy I had looked at Portamig some months ago, they have a good reputation. In your opinion, how does the Portamig 405amp package stack up against the Kemppi?

Tom, I will call them tomorrow.

Many Thanks gentlemen.

 

[Jim Davey]

The Kemppi is the better quality machine.

 

[Jim Davey]

Personally I'd go for an EWM Saturn 256 but it's more expensive than your original budget allowed for.

 

[HughF]

Just search eBay for mig welder, there's literally boat loads of 300a and upmachines with separate feeders on there. There's a 650 amp Lincoln iirc that's less than a grand.

Big, old transformer based stuff will last forever so you don't have to worry about it blowing up, separate feeders can be replaced if needed.

Buy a Clarke 151 for the bodywork stuff.

 

[HughF]

350a kempi, a grand with warranty, powcon xmt with feeder, 650 quid, Somerset. A few esabs. Loads of stuff about.

 

[Dermot Allen]

Many thanks for all the input. HughF is correct, three are lots of second hand big three phase units out there some overhauled with warranties.

I have decided to stretch the budget (once again!) and selected three:-

1. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEWARC-BE...370?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2802c5f042

2. A Kemppi 450A model from the same people around about £1100 delivered after I claim back the vodka and tonic.

3. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ESAB-MIG-...644?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item28041f0cfc

I would be grateful for your thoughts on the above plus Hugh's recommendation on getting a Clarke for bodywork?

 

[Dermot Allen]

'Evening All,
I went for the second hand Kemppi 450RA with a warranty, I am now looking for a Clarke 151!
Many Thanks for all your help.

 

[Dermot Allen]

I popped into my local welding suppliers today for some gas and we were discussing my newly acquired Kemppi and my plan to get a Clarke 151 for bodywork. Unsurprisingly they tried to sell me something instead of a Clarke! They were recommending a Red Line Accu 180 turbo mig 'package' for £395+, quite a lot more than the Clarke. I have not come across this machine, supposedly its "quality capacitor pack reduces splatter". Being a born and bred Yorkshireman I tend to be a cynic when it comes to sales speak!

 

[Tom Orrow L]

I popped into my local welding suppliers today for some gas and we were discussing my newly acquired Kemppi and my plan to get a Clarke 151 for bodywork. Unsurprisingly they tried to sell me something instead of a Clarke! They were recommending a Red Line Accu 180 turbo mig 'package' for £395+, quite a lot more than the Clarke. I have not come across this machine, supposedly its "quality capacitor pack reduces splatter". Being a born and bred Yorkshireman I tend to be a cynic when it comes to sales speak!

Red line 180's are SWP machines, I think he's probably renamed it to try and make it look special. They're quality machine (I've had hands on with the 210 version) but I'm also a bit cynical and the "quality capacitor pack reduces splatter".

They are affordable machines (Considerably cheaper than that on the bay), but they're for diy hobbiest at best.

 

[Dermot Allen]

Hello Tom, many thanks for the info.