Seastoke
Well-Known Member
Anyone recommend , a right priced one , not to big just for diy to play , cheers SS
Mig welder
- Thread starter Seastoke
- Start date
Bouba
Well-Known Member
Can’t answer....but here’s my tuppence worth...don’t get those cheap handyman ones that use those small gas cylinders, not worth it...go for the full size gas cylinders.
That brings us to the down side of mig welding (please note....on thin steel like car body repairs...mig is best)....the set up is expensive (for example if you have a little stainless steel job, you need to buy a whole stainless wire spool...which are expensive)....they are bulky and awkward and hard to transport because of the gas cylinders. They are a real pain to use outdoors...you have to set up wind shielding.
I recommend stick welding....cheap to buy and use and small and lightweight....easy to use outside
That brings us to the down side of mig welding (please note....on thin steel like car body repairs...mig is best)....the set up is expensive (for example if you have a little stainless steel job, you need to buy a whole stainless wire spool...which are expensive)....they are bulky and awkward and hard to transport because of the gas cylinders. They are a real pain to use outdoors...you have to set up wind shielding.
I recommend stick welding....cheap to buy and use and small and lightweight....easy to use outside
Adrian62
Well-Known Member
Rtech mig welder are brilliant , had mine a few years now but after struggling with the cheap diy ones with poor welds I brought an rtech one and get very good results .Not the cheapest but good quality ,if you check out eBay sometimes get good value 2 nd hand ones . Use full size hobbyweld bottles of gas as much better value than the disposable ones .
Ian_Rob
Well-Known Member
I wouldn’t go the stick welding route. For flexibility, i would go for a MIG machine on the basis that If the weight of the bottles is really an issue or if it is too windy, changing to flux-core wire would side-step the problem. Better looking welds with a MIG machine and it is much more flexible. With a decent MIG machine you stick-weld anyway. I’ve got a Multi-Process machine that is capable of MIG, Lift TIG (as opposed to scratch TIG) and STICK.
Last edited:
Boater Sam
Well-Known Member
Buy a laser welder instead, they are brilliant and much easier to use producing perfect welds.
Bouba
Well-Known Member
I’ve only seen them on YouTube....are they real ?
Ian_Rob
Well-Known Member
…. and very expensive.
… the laser welder advert that regularly pops up on YouTube is a complete scam.
fredrussell
Well-Known Member
Years ago when I was looking to buy a MIG the Clarke 135 amp (and upwards) machines from machine mart had a pretty good rep - at least for a machine at the lower end of the price range. I ended up buying a (very) 2nd hand Sealey ‘semi pro’ sort of machine, which turned out to be a good investment.
Blueboatman
Well-Known Member
RTech
( BUT ring them up first and say exactly what you want to do because the thinner the metal the more you might want to be paying in order to achieve a happy face not a Grrrr frustration one ) .
Their stuff is good. They have regular deals . And a good reputation for solid warranty and no quibble service/returns .
And do not buy a supermarket one.
My two welds worth
( BUT ring them up first and say exactly what you want to do because the thinner the metal the more you might want to be paying in order to achieve a happy face not a Grrrr frustration one ) .
Their stuff is good. They have regular deals . And a good reputation for solid warranty and no quibble service/returns .
And do not buy a supermarket one.
My two welds worth
jakew009
Well-Known Member
They are real, and the price has crashed massively over the past couple of years.
For production sheet metal work they are ridiculous, what used to be a 3 hour job for a skilled and expensive man with a TIG welder can now be done by an apprentice in 20 minutes with half a day of training. And the finish is better.
greeny
Well-Known Member
Interesting. You don't have a link or recommendation for one do you? I've got stick in UK but have always promised myself a mig or something over in Portugal for the small boat jobs. Laser sounds the way to go.
DownWest
Well-Known Member
Interesting, here too.
I do quite a lot of welding and use a Portamig 285 Transformer based machine. Since getting that, I only use the stick when out and about, as, despite it's name, it is a heavy bit of kit.
For starting out, I would look at Stahlwerk kit. I use one of their plasma cutters. Warranty goes 7 yrs, and, by report, they are good with it. I have had no trouble with kit from them.
You might gaze at the mig-welding forum. Lots of info and a very helpfull bunch of people. Rtech get good reports there.
jakew009
Well-Known Member
I’m not really sure it would be suitable for that type of use. A mig or tig is still much more universal. Ours are big three phases machines with water chillers etc.
Hobbyist versions are starting to come onto the market. See Xlaserlab X1 Pro Laser Welder, Cleaner & Cutter
fredrussell
Well-Known Member
Is the price in the link before or after the price crash you mention?
PCUK
Well-Known Member
Bear in mind that a laser welder won't get into tight gaps that a Tig will. Such as tight angles between tube rails. Other than that a good couple of grands worth!
DownWest
Well-Known Member
I did wonder...
My first Mig was a little Clark 110 amp. Might have been £100? Great for the small and thin stuff. First use was replacing an Renault 4 floor, so thin..
Then traded part of a job for a Kemmpi 150, revelation on quality and ease. Did ally with it too. But limited to 4mm steel max. Not a problem, as many years experience with stick on all thicknesses.
The Portamig 285 will handle anything I am likely to need and is built like the proverbial outhouse. Paid £500 for it, little used (one reel of wire?) off the mig-welding forum.
Used CO2 back then, refilled by a local bloke, who supplied bars, for peanuts.
Here in France, paid through the nose for bottle rental as nobody would fill the (tested) bottles I owned. Finally bought a bottle from Albee, so just pay for gas on exchange. Comes with the regulator incorporated. Price was about the same as one years rental + a refill.
In UK there is a friendly outfit that charges a one time deposit (£50?), then just charges for swopping the bottle for a full one, price of the gas. Suites the DIY occasion user. I will look up the name.
greeny
Well-Known Member
Not down to my price window yet. I'll stick with mig or tig or whatever for under 500. Appreciable under would be good.
Blueboatman
Well-Known Member
That’s what I do with bottles but the deposit is £100 . Still well worth it
I started out on those old Oxford oil filled arc welders building pottery kilns
When I treated myself to a synergic ( computer says YES
) Kemppi mig, it’s just so forgiving and able to weld the thinnest sheet.One day before we’re all in our dotage I’m sure we will be using lasers for everything and making the tea..
But until then I do have a hankering for a decent Tig. But can’t justify it just for my own stuff. RTech seems to hit the sweet spot but blue, red or a Kemmpi evo200 would be oh so nice
DownWest
Well-Known Member
Forgot where you are.. Used to get my gas from an outfit in Portimão, they just refilled my bottles.
You mention Mig or Tig.. Big difference in learning curve. Tig is more like gas welding, as you create a melt pool and add metal with a rod.
Mig is far easier..
As you are in the EU, do look at Stahlwerk..
HunterWanderer
Well-Known Member
Has anyone tried gasless mig and tig?
EBay has these for flux cored rods and wire.
4in1 Flux Core MIG Welding Machine 240V IGBT Lift TIG/MMA/MIG Welder For DIYers
EBay has these for flux cored rods and wire.
4in1 Flux Core MIG Welding Machine 240V IGBT Lift TIG/MMA/MIG Welder For DIYers