- Thread starter suzuki_ed
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oilcooled :)
Pipe Welder, Mechanical engineer
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why bother with a mig, and the hastle of crap duty cycle and gas, if your going to be working with steel of at mininum 3-8 mm. get a oilcooled arc or a decent inverter.
My advice would be buy the best and biggest within reason that you can afford, even if it hurts a bit (consider used machines if that is what it takes), and not one based on the least amount of money.
The smaller the machine, the less you can do with it and less time to do it as well.
I have seen 130amp migs that only had a duty cycle of 10%, can't remember at what amps the duty cycle was rated at either but I do remember thinking to myself that these tiny units are made for people who don't know better and in my opinion are not worth the money, I would not be surprised that once you buy a small MIG, you will quickly find its limitations and when you actually try to do some heavier metal with it you will be wishing you had bought a larger unit. You don't have to go for massive overkill, but look in the range of 160-200amp units, and preferably as close to the 200amp as possible. These will be much better built, give you many more choices in what you can do with them, more weld and voltage ranges and will weld much better than the small units running at their max amps.
If you are new to welding and are serious about welding for the longer term, then get yourself a better welder, but if you only do a small weld once a year then these smaller welder would probably be okay, so long as you are aware of their limitations and also yours! Just my 2 cents worth.
The smaller the machine, the less you can do with it and less time to do it as well.
I have seen 130amp migs that only had a duty cycle of 10%, can't remember at what amps the duty cycle was rated at either but I do remember thinking to myself that these tiny units are made for people who don't know better and in my opinion are not worth the money, I would not be surprised that once you buy a small MIG, you will quickly find its limitations and when you actually try to do some heavier metal with it you will be wishing you had bought a larger unit. You don't have to go for massive overkill, but look in the range of 160-200amp units, and preferably as close to the 200amp as possible. These will be much better built, give you many more choices in what you can do with them, more weld and voltage ranges and will weld much better than the small units running at their max amps.
If you are new to welding and are serious about welding for the longer term, then get yourself a better welder, but if you only do a small weld once a year then these smaller welder would probably be okay, so long as you are aware of their limitations and also yours! Just my 2 cents worth.
the welder would be used for fabrication and the occasional heavy welding such as diff guards and strengthening parts but i am serious about welding for the longer term and have found a silverline 195amp gas turbo mig welder which is at a reasonable price would this be a good one to get?
but i have also asked someone who knows exactly what i will want to use it for and he is going to advise me on what one to get
Ed
but i have also asked someone who knows exactly what i will want to use it for and he is going to advise me on what one to get
Ed
Slim Shady
Tig Mad
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I would avoid silverline welders like the plague, horriable wire feed and poor duty cycle. If I were you I would buy a Small mig like the Clarke and then buy an Oil Cooled arc on ebay for the heavy stuff. There cheap enough on ebay but they are VERY heavy.
If you have a budget of about £300 and will be mainly doing stuff that's 2 mm or heavier, there's a very nice inverter arc welder here that should fill the bill.
Or if you won't be using it for long jobs at a time, there's it's little brother here.
Both powerful machines, and the smaller one could probably be smuggled in without the missus even seeing it...
Or if you won't be using it for long jobs at a time, there's it's little brother here.
Both powerful machines, and the smaller one could probably be smuggled in without the missus even seeing it...
i dont really want a arc as i already know how to mig weld and would prefer to buy something that i know how to work rather than start all over. The budget of about £300 isn't set in stone that is what i ideally would like to spend but could spend more depending on the welder. For me size isn't a issue as i can keep the welder in the garage and being 17 and living at home so i dont have a missus to worry about
Living at home, 17, plenty of garage space, and no missus to worry about - consider yourself a lucky chap!
Seriously, if it has to be a mig to do up to 6 mm steel, with a budget of around £300, then maybe you should be looking at something like Bingy's Clarke 205TE, secondhand. You can see what a smart job he's made of those brackets. Remember a 185 Amp welder like this, or higher, needs more than an ordinary domestic 13 Amp supply to your garage if you are going to be running it on thick metal near its upper limit.
A new Clarke in the 151 or 160 series would be within your budget, run off a domestic socket, and good for up to 4 mm at the top end, but although Clarke rate them at 5 - 6 mm, general experience suggests this is rather optimistic, and the duty cycle right at the top limit is maybe 2-3 minutes welding in every ten.
This is why many hobby welders have a mig for the light car panel stuff, and an arc welder for heavier work.
Seriously, if it has to be a mig to do up to 6 mm steel, with a budget of around £300, then maybe you should be looking at something like Bingy's Clarke 205TE, secondhand. You can see what a smart job he's made of those brackets. Remember a 185 Amp welder like this, or higher, needs more than an ordinary domestic 13 Amp supply to your garage if you are going to be running it on thick metal near its upper limit.
A new Clarke in the 151 or 160 series would be within your budget, run off a domestic socket, and good for up to 4 mm at the top end, but although Clarke rate them at 5 - 6 mm, general experience suggests this is rather optimistic, and the duty cycle right at the top limit is maybe 2-3 minutes welding in every ten.
This is why many hobby welders have a mig for the light car panel stuff, and an arc welder for heavier work.
That's fair enough. Don't forget to let us know what make and model of welding machine your welder suggests will suit you. I only have an average machine - Clarke 151EN - but it does most stuff I need, and for anything really hefty I take it around to my mate, who is a pro welder.
Hi Suzuki-ed, just try and keep looking about for a decent machine. I got mine second hand off the bay, was localish to me so i could collect and keep costs down. It can be frustrating, having to wait for something to turn up at the right price, but imho, its better waiting than buying rubbish and then having to buy again. Lots of good advise on here and good members too.
Not a very powerful duty cycle at the top end, if you intend doing quite heavy stuff most of the time. Somebody suggested you might need around 180 - 200 Amps for doing some axle brackets. The 180/185 has a duty cycle of only 10% at 155 Amps, that's about one minute in ten. Details of it's duty cycle at 180 Amps aren't given, this might be only 3% or so, not good. The spec is here, scroll down the page.
Maybe someone one on here has one, and can tell you more about what it's like at the top end, but at that sort of price my money would be on a Portamig.
Maybe someone one on here has one, and can tell you more about what it's like at the top end, but at that sort of price my money would be on a Portamig.
i have bought a sealey supermig 180, because it will be for lighter stuff with the rare heavier things like axle brackets, but they will be suzuki axles so not very thick metal which is why they need strengthening, the other reason for buying it was that it was a very good price
thank you for all the help and advice ed
thank you for all the help and advice ed
