Which Welder

[Chris Green90]

Hi all, Looking for a bit of advice

After reading Ben's ARB Style bumper build thread I have decided that I am going to teach myself to weld (Better). I have had a dabble with stick in the past and found myself to be not to terrible. I never even contemplated that I would be able to build my own bumper, Less so because of the welding but more the design process in steel. I can knock together pretty much anything in wood however so reading Ben's thread gave me massive amounts of inspiration. (Even if not the skill to match). So I figured what better time to teach myself.

First things first though I need to get me a welder. Now I am Thinking a propper MIG not one of the gasless ones and have been looking at the Clarke 151TE.

Also looking at this one
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/mig-welde...571?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item1c2c5c05bb

Any thoughts or alternatives would be very much appriciated. This is very much the top end of my budget just so you know.

Cheers
Chris

 

[Ben]

Glad ive inspired you to have a go Chris.

As your probably aware, mine was done with an ARC (stick) welder. It is possible to get good results with a little bit of practice.

MIG is far easier!

Im pretty sure anyone could get decent results with a MIG a lot quicker and easier than with an ARC.

The main reason I dont have my own MIG is that it can qet quite expensive having to rent bottles of gas.

This is very similar to my ARC, so much so that my mate is going to buy one.

http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/special_buys3_27223.htm?WT.mc_id=2012-10-22-10-30

The best ARC welders are the inverter type, there so much easier and quicker to use., mainly due to the "hot start" and "ARC force".

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Technowel...060?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2a247b1724

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MMA-ARC-W...786?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2a1faac56a

So personally I prefer ARC due to the fact it works out a lot cheaper as all you ever have to buy are rods. As opposed to gas, wire, tips, shrouds, tip dip, etc.

But you will get nicer welds easier with a MIG, and you can weld vertical and weld thinner material like body panels.

I will buy my own MIG at some point, but theres still times where I will choose ARC over MIG. All depends what im doing.

Not sure ive really answered your question there at all.

I think the Clarke ones are OK. machine mart sell them dont they?

 

[AndyCook]

A Clarke 151TE is on my shopping list. I had a shot of AndrewT's back in the spring - it was easy to use I got good welds first try, i found welding in a corner much easier than with my 40yr old ARC stick welder !

 

[Gary Stockton]

In terms of gas, BOC is offering a special on a small cylinder to rent for £16 per year and gas fill is £18 a go (or maybe other way round - can't remember). Which is waaaay cheaper than the tiny little hobby gas bottles you have to buy and a lot less than the big cylinder rental too.

Just acquired a Clarke 160EN and have been suitably impressed at my inability to weld consistently - but being actually able to weld at all which was a surprise!

 

[OverlandMark]

The Clark 151 TE is an excellent welder, used a friends for many years and now have my own. Long service, portable and with enough power range to use on both thick chassis and thin body work. Never had any wire feed, drive problems or issues with either of the ones i used and small service parts should you need them are mail order direct from Clarke very easily.

 

[jeepmadmike]

One of mine

Its a tricky one to advise on if you have welding experiance mig is easier to pick up but stick teaches you more!
A little invert stick/arc welder would be a good learning tool peperhaps?

Mig gas in proper bottles is much cheaper now than it used to be, rent free bottles are the way to go

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

Just acquired a Clarke 160EN and have been suitably impressed at my inability to weld consistently - but being actually able to weld at all which was a surprise!

Did you change the tip? ISTR when I did the demo at Lincomb I mentioned the tip was the wrong size for the wire ... and then forgot about it again

 

[Gary Stockton]

not yet - will do on the weekend when I get some more scrap to play with!

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

Should be a lot better with the right size tip

 

[Gary Stockton]

Got some of those fancy pliers off eBay so will sort it on the weekend. Garage is a tip because roof tent, awning etc all just been dumped in there since lincomb

 

[AndyCook]

Gary - your garage isn't a garage - its an "assault course" !

 

[Gary Stockton]

Yep. Now need to crib your jib crane design!!

/off_topic

 

[BRE Fabrications LTD]

Hey, at least you guys have garages. I have a shed that is rammed and SWAMBO hurls abuse at me every time I have to carry summing through the house to work on it in the shed... Not fun when I was modding my rear bumper I can tell you.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Chris Green90]

Well, I opted to go for the one in the link. Decided that even if it was carp it would be good enough to learn on and for £120 it seemed cheap enough. just need to get me some wire, gas and a mask so I can have a play. pics of my first weld to follow.

 

[Chris]

I appreciate that Chris is at the top of his budget on this and you have to cut your cloth accordingly, so fair play. But for anyone else looking at getting a MIG, I am only going to say this once. Cheap MIGS are crap. You are wasting your time and money. You will spend more time fighting the welder trying to learn on a cheap set than you could believe. If you can spend more - spend it and you'll be welding in half an hour. It's that stark a choice. I know people who have tried to learn with gas-less e-bay sets and have struggled to lay anything looking like a bead. Then they jump on a good set and they're off! Cheap sticks are something else. All that is, is electricity and an electrode. My £60 MMA from MM works fine and will weld an armoured car. The inverter MMAs that Ben mentioned are fantastic. I'd advocate getting a cheap stick, play with that, then move up to a MIG. Go with gas and the BOC 2L bottle deal. There is no point trying to weld on the cheap. Too many people have been there before you and have failed. I would seriously consider a set like Gary's as a minimum (not casting nasturtiums Gary - saying that really it's the first of the decent sets)

If you haven't found it, have a look at www.mig-welding.co.uk it's all you'll ever need to know. Just check out people's new weld attempts - you'll see what I mean.

Go for it Chris. Remember with MIG, clean metal is the MOST vital thing and second, a good earth, third sufficient gas flow.



Chris

 

[J66P]

I am absolutely with Chris on this, you would be far better looking round for a good set secondhand than a cheap set brand new, especially if your learning

Cheap sets are cheap for a reason, the one thing first of all that is cheap is the gun, you know the thing you need most yep that's it, save your pennies and buy good, buy once

 

[AndyCook]

what is the difference in quality between the Clark 151 TE and Clarke 160EN welders then?
they seem to be same price new, the 160EN offers the no-gas option, which i am not bothered about

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

that might be all the difference is, don't know.