8 replies to this topic

[DaveVader]

So, I'm going to learn to weld, first thing first, I need a welder.
I was having a look at the DIY MIG Wedlers on MachineMart but could do with a point in the right direction.
I'm planning to learn (know some people that could teach me) over the next few weeks then blast into a small restoration of my mini.
I'm reading welding guides on the internet but just need to know which to buy.

Thanks in advance guys and sorry if this has been covered countless times or is in the wrong section, I just thought I'd post before heading off to work.

[Ethel]

Have you found mig-welding.uk?

[rob#155]

Try having alook here, lots of good advice on this site.
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/

[wassupcrew]

from what they have there on machine mart i would go for the clarke 151 te. i've got that and its great. works well and lasts ok before overheating. a smaller one will just overheat if youre doing a lot of welding

[DaveVader]

ahh yes, I've been reading through, and watching, a lot of mig-welding.co.uk, pretty damn good for tutorials by the look of it!
Cheers, for the tip, Wassup, may be the most expensive (boo) but I can't say price bother's me too much, I'd rather spend more and get something decent than waste a bunch of money :\

[Nic]

the Clarke 160 TM is very good value for money and a great little welder.

[Kam]

I bought a 110E a few days ago secondhand with no instructions and bear in mind I've never welded before let alone held one so had fun trying it out for the first time but it is only really a hobby welder so avoid that one if you plan on doing restros etc.

Pay a bit more a get a whole lot more.

[Sherlock]

I use a Clarke 105EN Gas/Gasless Mig welder, it's turbo cooled, so has a good duty cycle & I find the facility of being able to use gas/gasless very useful if I happen to run out of gas a few minutes before finishing a job. I'm very pleased with it & at just over £150 I regard it as good value for money, but if you have plans to carry out full restorations on a regular basis, it would benefit you to spend a bit more on a more advanced type.

[DaveVader]

The 160TM looks pretty damn good, little expensive but I'm hoping I'll get a lot of use out of it.
I want to get this restoration out of the way and then hopefully move onto bigger things if I can handle it. My plans for this resto aren't very extensive, there isn't much rust at all and I'll be going with a CF front end so that sort of saves me some time on welding a new steel one
I'm hoping it will be a good starting point though, don't want to dive into the deep end too much!
I've always been able to teach myself things if I find it interesting so I'm feeling quietly confident about this. I'll buy the welder on payday and update you all!