11 replies to this topic

[herpsuk]

Well ive never welded in my life and want a bit of help and advice on this side.

im looking at getting a welder, but the ones ive seen are Arc and Mig. now does anyone know what the differences are between these two?

also which is easiest to use/learn? for a beginner. also what welder would you recommend? and accesories?

also any help, tips and advice would be much appreciated. Want to try and save money and do alot fo the work my self but dont know where to start.

thanks

J

p.s. dont know if im int he right section for this or not.

[blue redtop]

mig is the easiest to use.

[mini13]

you will be best with a Mig welder, the are far better suited to panel work.

a Mig welder feeds wire out of the nozzle which contacts the weld peice and melts due to electrical current, sheilding gas also flows from the nozzle to sheild the weld from the oxygen in the air.

an arc (or stick) welder is simlilar and less controlable, it consists of a power source conected to a consumable welding "rod" which has a coating on the outside that melts and gives of a sheilding gas as the welding rod is consumed, this type of welding is more suited to steel of a few mm thick rather than 1mm thick panels.

[superted87]

search on google for welding guides. they are informative and you will not be dissapointed in the responses of people who have been asked this regularly. just search around and you will find what you need.

as for advice on what you need to do the job -

For a mini there are some times when you will want to re-inforce stuff, and mend your lawnmower, or use 25 mm box etc so you need around 125 amps of grunt to get anything like penetration. A little less for panels but you need enough for some meaty welds sometimes. So that says to me you should have a 135 to make sure you can do whatever you need to on your car. Get a good reliable welder with the facility for gas from a big bottle. dont be shy on money as 2 C**p welders will cost the same as a good one. You do not need arc for minis so go for a nice mig welder form machine mart. make sure you check the bargain area for one that is demonstrated or returned etc and cheaper as a result.

go in and ask them about their range of 115-150 mig welders and decide from their. Also dont buy gas from them , rent it from air products. i have endless ferromax gas for 10.38 a month including the bottle and the fill up is not a lot when i need it. easy. Learn on scraps of 1mm, 2mm and 3mm and your mini should be a doddle after that.

Top tips - buy a little more power than you need (smoother weld, the welder is not straining or going to overheat)

they are called consumables because you should replace them to keep up good welds. so change them !!

get gas from air products and it will improve your welding 100 times.

welding is like a perfect woman - clean , tight and just the right amount of penetration. if your lucky you will hear sizzling bacon also but only with the right tecnique.

practice practice practice.

[Paul Wiginton]

The best advice you can have is dont use the little disposable gas bottles, they last literally 10 mins and arent very good quality gas.
Get an account with BOC and hire a 1/4 size bottle of Argoshield TC. Dont bother with Co2 its C**p.

Paul

[il-barba]

i think that for a beginner an electronic shield would help. dont know what its called but it gets dark as soon as there is the first spark

[Paul Wiginton]

i think that for a beginner an electronic shield would help. dont know what its called but it gets dark as soon as there is the first spark

Speedglas

Paul

[Globule]

Dont bother with Co2 its C**p.

Welding with Co2 makes the weld burn hotter, and warps the metal your welding! I do weld at home with co2 though (only just got the cylinder so havent encountered everything yet!) but if your only doing small patches, and you tack all the corners and weld knowing that it may warp if your not careful, then you can still use it fine! I used argoshield at work and that seems to be the best one to use, has to be rented from BOC though!

[blue redtop]

http://www.mig-weldi...uk/tutorial.htm

[herpsuk]

Thanks alot for the advice guys, much appreeciated. gotta find lots of money now for the stuff

basicly its like a mahoosive soldering kit? am i right? ive done alot of electronics you see so that may help a bit?

thanks

J

[Globule]

Essentially yes, but with mig you dont hold the solder, it comes out of the soldering iron, and it makes a big spark which blinds you!

[pickles]

i think that for a beginner an electronic shield would help. dont know what its called but it gets dark as soon as there is the first spark

Speedglas

Paul

also known as a flash mask