8 replies to this topic

[Berty Wooster]

I need to invest in a welder - I have been looking at some models that weld mild steel up to 4mm thick and say that these are perfect for car body repairs. How powerful should the welder be and is an 85amp welder ok. Any help or advise appreciated. Cheers everybody...

Steve

[Bungle]

not again

[Guess-Works.com]

Lol : bungle...

Yes again...

Simple answer, no an 85amp machine will not be enough... it's not the amperage of the machine which is important, it's the duty cycle at that rate which is... From experience you'll need a mig about 150amp or above to do any 1/2 decent welding, you will only be running the mig at 1/2 it's capable power, but will give you a duty cycle which means you're not waiting for the thing to cool down every 5 minutes.

Edited by Guess-Works.com, 05 February 2010 - 04:40 PM.

[sonikk4]

135 amp Mig will be fine especially if its the Turbo variety ie fan cooled. I use to own an Einhell 135 amp Mig fan cooled and i hammered the thing and not once did it cry enough.

This was used for mainly car restoration chassis work and trailer building. I'm currently using using a Clarke 135 TE Turbo and apart from an initial problem with the wire feed its run like clockwork. Its being used to restore Project Erm so its getting a beating.

If you can afford one then go for a 150 amp as it does give you a bit more leeway if you are doing some serious chassis work 16 swg or thicker then its work cycle will be better plus there will be no problems with penetration.

My 135 works fine on heavy gauge metal 16 swg/1.5 mm and if i was going to do more then i would also use .8 mm wire instead of 0.6 mm.

It really does depend on what you want to weld and how much is it going to be used??? 85 amp no don't bother as there is nothing worse than having to wait for it to cool down before you can use it again. ( I used to have that problem with an old SIP Migmate 100 amp)

Hope this helps.

[miniman86]

would this be any good? as i am also looking to buying one!

halfrauds welder!

Edited by miniman86, 05 February 2010 - 08:45 PM.

[sonikk4]

That will do the job, pros and cons for gas versus gasless but its down to personal choice. Me i'm a gas user CO2 at the moment but will be going over to Argon/CO2 mix from B.O.C. on contract.

Do not use those disposable ones as they only last 1/2 hr max and are expensive. Get the 5kg reel of 0.6 mm wire especially if you are doing a lot of welding.
One tip though is if you leave your welder in the garage for a long period of time between use then take the wire reel out and store it somewhere warm otherwise it will rust.

Never done gasless so maybe another member on the forum can cast some light on whether its any good or not.

[robtheplod]

I thought for bodywork it's not how high, but how low it goes - you want 25 or 30 amps ideally otherwise you'll be making lots of pretty holes...

[Guess-Works.com]

As for wire size, I've never got on with .6mm just goes too quickly... always used 0.8mm

[sonikk4]

I thought for bodywork it's not how high, but how low it goes - you want 25 or 30 amps ideally otherwise you'll be making lots of pretty holes...

Yes you are right if you are doing a lot of panel repairs say to door skins but you need a decent power range to cover different areas of a car.

Most good welders will have multiple settings to cover most welding applications but if the welder has got a higher amperage it should have a longer working cycle especially if fan cooled allowing you to weld without a thermal cutout kicking in after say 10 mins of welding.

The welder i have got is more than capable of welding thin sheet and thicker sheet but it is also down to experience.

With the wire gauge 0.8mm will last longer and allow you to do thicker plate as well i suppose its just that i have always used 0.6mm so down to personal choice.