Which clarke EN mig?

[Migmac]

We have decided, my son and i to get one out of this range. The 160 is over our budget, so it is out. My son wants to buy a do it up Mk 2 escort so it has to be capable of any repairs that needs. He will more than likely want to do heavier stuff too. My thoughts are the 130EN, has low enough amps for light metal. Gas is not a real concern at the moment as all the work will be done outside until her who must be obeyed lets us build a garage. Any advice.

migmac

 

[Cobbler]

I've not used a 130en, but used a 100en for 20 years, I only changed it because my son bought a Landy & it was marginal for chassis repairs. The 100en was a great machine, though used on gasless was not so easy on bodywork as it burns a lot hotter than with gas, do-able though with practice. Incidentally I changed it for a 160tm which is equally as good but with more power.

 

[J.F]

I personally wouldn't use gasless for thin car body work, as it produces slag and you will need to remove this before starting the next weld, often with thin panels you will need to pulse the welder (lots of short bursts) to avoid blowing a hole in the panel even on the lowest setting. A gas mig is ideal for this http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/gasless-mig.htm

I would get the most powerful welder you can afford with the widest amperage range and lots of power settings, you might not end up using the highest settings but the duty cycle will be far better. 130A might be all you need but that's the max for that machine and it might only run for a very very short time at max. But a 200A machine might run continuously at the settings you need.

If your going to be using the welder a lot this is a good option for mig gas http://www.sgsgases.co.uk/ you only pay for the gas with no rental fees on the bottle.

I had the 130TE and soon changed it as I found the duty cycle was low and the short length torch lead restrictive, a machine with a euro torch can make things a lot easier.

 

[Alister]

Why not keep an eye out for a used one on ebay or gumtree. You can get some great bargains and put the rest of your money to getting gas.
You should probably budget £150 to £200 for gas and ancillaries depending on whether you go for rented or rent free bottles.

 

[Migmac]

Thanks for the input guys, lots to think about yet.

Migmac