Aldi Welder

davidpbo

davidpbo

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I want to be able to do a bit of welding and have never done any before.

Nothing serious (At first at least) repair a few brackets etc.

I was considering buying a Clarke Mig or similar for upwards of £200 however, Aldi have this welder for sale today.

I was going to buy it as at £35 if I did not use it much it was no great loss and if I did find a real need for a welder then I would buy a decent one.

It says on the box it is not fitted with a plug as it needs a 30A supply. I am not necessarily surprised at that but am surprised that if that is the case Aldi is selling it. Its current rating is 55 to 160 Amps, open electrode voltage approx 48V.

If it had said needed a 16A supply I would have bought it but as it was decided not to.

Is it likely to genuinely need a 30 Amp supply or are the manufacturers covering themselves againts people complaining about it constantly blowing fuses?

I subsequently went to Halfords and saw a Weldmate Mig 130 which came with a 13a plug.
 
Well Dogwatch has cleared that up.
Do report back and tell us how you get on with the gasless MIG, and perhaps how much it costs to update to gas bottle if it proves unsatisfactory..
 
davidpbo said:
It says on the box it is not fitted with a plug as it needs a 30A supply. I am not necessarily surprised at that but am surprised that if that is the case Aldi is selling it. Its current rating is 55 to 160 Amps, open electrode voltage approx 48V.

If it had said needed a 16A supply I would have bought it but as it was decided not to.

Is it likely to genuinely need a 30 Amp supply or are the manufacturers covering themselves againts people complaining about it constantly blowing fuses?

.
Click to expand...
My ancient 140 amp MMA, ( stick), welder runs off a 13 amp plug and I've never yet blown a fuse and I've fried many 3.25 mm rods with it. The Aldi one, at 160 amp, is a bit bigger, but not that much. if you keep off the 4mm rods, I reckon that it would be OK on a 13 amp plug.
Choice between MIG and stick rather depends on what you are thinking of welding. MIG for thin metal, but purchase and running cost is more than with MMA.
The Aldi offer looks good IMHO.
 
The Aldi one looks very similar to the one I have owned for years. Mine does up to 180A IIRC. I have made several yacht cradles, trailers and other bits and bobs with it, never blown a fuse on 13A.

If you can afford one of the automatic darkening masks you will find it a great deal easier to learn.
 
duncan said:
I am slightly confused - this is listed as a special offer for today; does that mean tommorrow it's not there, different price, what?

(can't get to Aldi today but could tommorrow)
Click to expand...

When they are gone, they are gone. I visited Lidl at around noon today to buy one of their Thursday offers, a right-angle drill attachment. All gone.
 
If you REALLy want to do some useful non-pro welding...

Find a nightclass.

If convinced it's your scene?

You will probably have to spend a bit more than lidl prices to do a decent job with your new found skills.

However - you might sell ex-lidl kit to get what you really need to weld? (real bottle and enough amps..)

Graeme
 
duncan said:
I am slightly confused - this is listed as a special offer for today; does that mean tommorrow it's not there, different price, what?

(can't get to Aldi today but could tommorrow)
Click to expand...

It means that is when it is available from and even then not necessarily in all stores. Best ring Aldi to check stock if travelling any distance.
 
These cheap transformer machines are not very good.The lower amperage is too high for anything under 4mm and the arc is not stable enough to allow you to properly learn how to weld.I would get an inverter machine or a Mig welder.A bit more expensive but at least they're usable.
 
I have one of these low cost welders; i have used it a lot over the years to weld all kind of things including my garden steel fence, garden spades and simple fabrications.

They are not gentle as the arc is not stable, however, it will do the job, rough and ready. Can weld mild steel nicely but very difficult to weld stainless steel and if the metal you try to weld is thin, you will not be able to control the arc and likely to burn through. I have never blown a 13 amp fuse; when it gets hot, there is a thermal cut out switch for protection.

Overall, they are very handy to have and it took me 2 days practising after which i could produce a decent weld; do a bit of reading about welding, it will help. My next toy will be a Mig welder so that i can weld stainless steel without the mess the Arc welder makes.
 
Go for it at that price...brilliant!
just get some scrap and practice
with enough experience you can do a decent job with stainless
 
I have a cheap Machine Mart air cooled welder. It is pretty crap.
As you use it the resistance alters as it heats up and the weld changes.
Ok I suppose, but not am aestheticly pleasing job.
I used to have an oil-cooled Oxford welder. What a machine. Why did I ever sell it?
You could weld spatter-free welds for inches, nay feet of clean, regular weld.
It would strike an arc easily without cranking up the current.
I think I'm in love again.
 
Lakesailor said:
I have a cheap Machine Mart air cooled welder. It is pretty crap.
As you use it the resistance alters as it heats up and the weld changes.
Ok I suppose, but not am aestheticly pleasing job.
I used to have an oil-cooled Oxford welder. What a machine. Why did I ever sell it?
You could weld spatter-free welds for inches, nay feet of clean, regular weld.
It would strike an arc easily without cranking up the current.
I think I'm in love again.
Click to expand...

All the best stuff comes out of Oxford! :)
 
Most houses are on a 30 amp fuse on their power supply so there is not a problem. The plug fuse is 13 amp and is not normally a problem. I have an arc as well as mig welders. I find the mig a much easier tool to use as the arc tends to grab the rod and stick. One way to overcome this is to use a scrap piece of steel connected to the earth lead and strike your rods down it to warm them up, once heated they run easier. Good luck. Norman
 
Thank you for the input folks, still undecided. £35 not much but still a few beers or enough fuel to get to get to the boat.

I put money aside for mig but don't know how much I will use a welder which is why I am considering the Aldi one with a view to tacking anything critical (like the tabernacle I would like to make (possible stainless or aluminium)) and getting a prodfessional welder to weld it up fully.
 
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