welding equipment?

johnnyroper

thanks for all the input it has certainly given me food for thought.

i was looking at small mig welders that are gas/no gas types so will probably opt for one of them.

i know it is something that will take time to master again i did welding at college back in 1993 using mig and gas and was ok at it in the end but not done since,i have loads of spare metal/old panels i can practice on to hopefully get the hang of it again.

optimus_primera

Another bit of advice, try and get longest earth clamp lead you can get.
Also make sure you can get spare torch parts as well, and check what wire sizes it can take.

cyclonebri1

Sorry, stick welding is simply another term for electric arc welding.
I will reiterate again however I do agree that a gassed mig set would probably be best for you but you will struggle if trying to use it outdoors, the slighte3st wind and the shield has gone. The gas bottle supplied with the set will probably last you for 15mins welding:eek:. The old dodge was to borrow a pub sized bottle from your friendly local, but they don't seem to use them now.:(

hubert_cumberdale

i have a 130amp mig welder from machine mart

i have had it about 5 years and just recently replaced the torch and liner and earth clamp and its still as good as it was. Its also a gasless one which is ok but it does weld a little hotter than a gas one. arc welding would be a bit savage on thin body panels unless you know what you are doing

i used mine on my mini and its great

datostar

Gasless is OK if you don't mind the aesthetics. You don't need the shroud on the torch with gasless wire and you'll see what you're doing a lot better without it. Clarke machines have a good reputation for a reliable wire feed. Something like the 90EN which is gas/gasless (earth polarity easily changed over) will cope with light work and if you need to do heavier stuff a cheap arc welder can handle that. Buying a light duty MIG and an arc welder could be cheaper than a big MIG.

boyse7en

Clarke is a good brand in my experience. I've had one of its Gas MIGs for about 20 years, and it still works fine (you just need to replace tips and liner occasionally). It's rebuilt several Minis, a Stag, a couple of motorbikes, plus loads of assorted bits and bobs over the years. Don't use it much now, but it is good to have it for the odd occasion

Limey

I'd definately go gas mig, it's relatively easy to get the hang of and get good results. I rebuilt the rear quarter of my other halfs Mk1 MR2 last year with a 130 AMP sig-sealey. Only problem with the welder that I've found is the wire guide sheath is rather crap and I'll be replacing mine with a good quality one.

For gas look to somewhere like this:

http://www.adamsgas.co.uk/stat_ind_product.aspx?ctrl=argon

datostar

johnnyroper wrote: »

i know it is something that will take time to master again i did welding at college back in 1993 using mig and gas and was ok at it in the end but not done since,i have loads of spare metal/old panels i can practice on to hopefully get the hang of it again.

Back in 1993 I'll bet you didn't use an auto-darkening helmet. They make life a whole lot easier and you can get one that safely does the job from around £50.

johnnyroper

datostar wrote: »

Back in 1993 I'll bet you didn't use an auto-darkening helmet. They make life a whole lot easier and you can get one that safely does the job from around £50.

defo did not have them to use at my college,probably the cheapest the safety people would let them get away with.

will definately be getting a decent one as only get one set of eyes so not worth scrimping on.

Jackinbox99

Another vote for a gas mig from me. I bought one from machine mart many moons ago and have used it no end. I weld body panels, cars etc. pretty much anything with it - use different grades of wire depending on what im welding. Can also weld alloy with the right gas / wire.

I also have an arc welder - you can pick these up very cheap 2nd hand, and are handy for heavier duty welding - i tend to use this when im welding thick metal like gates or garden tools etc. etc.