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#Post#: 15313--------------------------------------------------
Buying a Mig Welder
DIR By: Series3Joe
Date: March 13, 2012, 4:38 pm
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Im going to have to learn to weld, I seem to have got a fairly
rotton bodyshell to weld up, the likes of which I sharnt mention
:banghead. Its something Ive been meaning to learn for a while
anyway. Im looking to spend up to about £300 quid on one, what
would people reccomend, for welding about 2-3mm steel? I want
one that will take full size gas bottles, as I can get them
refilled for free. We have a murex at work, but thats too big as
John found out when he welded up my bulkhead and it kept blowing
away the metal
Cheers Folks
#Post#: 15339--------------------------------------------------
Re: Buying a Mig Welder
DIR By: Lucy
Date: March 13, 2012, 4:59 pm
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Folk seem to rate the Clarke ones, I've never used one though. I
decided to pay out once and bought a weld wizard which was about
double your budget but a joy to use. Try looking on
www.migwelding.Co.uk
#Post#: 15347--------------------------------------------------
Re: Buying a Mig Welder
DIR By: stuey
Date: March 13, 2012, 5:14 pm
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I got one from Screwfix about 10 years ago now, me and the Mrs
got it for a Christmas present, which she was not too chuffed
about, even if it was to weld up her car! Details I can't
quite remember but welds up chassis not a problem, just the
operator seems to be a problem. However Screwfix don't seem to
have as good a range now, but it was about £150 IIRC which was
at the top end of the budget buy ones at that time. Sorry I
can't seem to remember the exact name, but will have a look at
the weekend if you want?
Uses a full size bottle, needed a regulator and pipe though,
but that was OK as my Dad had a buckshee one kicking around.
#Post#: 15365--------------------------------------------------
Re: Buying a Mig Welder
DIR By: The Rhubarb Cowboy
Date: March 13, 2012, 5:31 pm
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I have a cebora 150 turbo with external bottle variable wire
feed and fan cooled. Cebora seem to have gone up market and I
dont think they make mine anymore. But the Sip ones get a good
right up in practical classics and the like
HTML http://www.welders.co.uk/Product/Mig_Welders/SIP_Mig_Welders/25032
HTML http://www.welders.co.uk/Product/Mig_Welders/SIP_Mig_Welders/25032
#Post#: 15379--------------------------------------------------
Re: Buying a Mig Welder
DIR By: NiteMare
Date: March 13, 2012, 6:04 pm
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i've got an "Ideal 150" made by SIP i think, i bought it
secondhand at least 10 years ago, takes a full size bottle, is
fan cooled and has a multitude of rotary switches/pots to allow
fine tuning along with two grooves on the rollers to grip the
different thickness wires
it's the only mig welder i've ever bought, i personally wouldn't
be looking at one with two or three rocker switches for the
settings as they're pretty crude (i've 5 or 6 power settings i
think along with variable feed speeds and other stuff, spoilt
for playing), i'm not a fan of flux cored wire either as once
you've trapped flux in your weld you've either got a weak spot
or you'll be dicking about with an angle grinder trying to get
it out
unfortunately i can't recommend a specific make or model of mig
as i've only ever used 4 or 5 including this one (this is the
only one i've ever owned)
as suggested above get yourself on the mig welding forum with
your budget and ask for recommendations on there, then cross
check all suggested options with the various makers spec's
good plants cost proper money, mine was 100quid secondhand with
a busted torch and no regulator
p.s.
another suggestion, if you've not had any practice welding i
suggest you see if you can find a course at a local college,
there's nothing worse than having an expensive tool and not
being able to use it, migs you push and paint/weave to get a
nice flowing weld and the cleaner the joint the better the weld
#Post#: 15383--------------------------------------------------
Re: Buying a Mig Welder
DIR By: drumlisden
Date: March 13, 2012, 6:14 pm
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I'm on the lookout for one too. Probably go secondhand in the
hope I'll get a better machine for the money. There's a clarke
165 advertised locally for £180 which i'm swithering about.
#Post#: 15395--------------------------------------------------
Re: Buying a Mig Welder
DIR By: estwdjhn
Date: March 13, 2012, 6:51 pm
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Clarke machines are the best of the "hobby" sized stuff. I've an
old 150EN which is about knackered, but it's 6 years old, has
run miles and miles of weld, and been generally abused to death
for a long time. It's got 6 power settings (it may have 3 rocker
switches, but that gives an adequate power range (30 -150 amps
IIRC)
Run 5kg wire spools as a minimum, the 0.5kg mini rolls tend not
to feed very well.
If you can squeeze your budget some more, I'd think about a more
industrial machine - just check the minimum power settings as
well as the max ones. A machine with a Eurotorch would be a good
start - one of the worst aspects of most of the hobby machines
is that they run silly little torches, for which spares are hard
to get, which clog up with splatter every 30 seconds if your
welding uphill, which tend not to last all that long (my Clarke
is on torch no 2 now, and really needs the tip holder replacing
again)
Is your Murex 3 phase? If it's single phase, I might be
interested in it, which might then mean you could afford an all
singing and dancing new machine, leaving everyone a winner (if I
had the cash, I'd be thinking about one of these:
HTML http://www.weldequip.com/portamig-mig-welders.htm).
I'm halfway
through welding up a narrowboat steel shell with the Clarke set,
and it's starting to get on my nerves as it's not really quite
man enough for the job and hence all the runs are taking
forever...
#Post#: 15431--------------------------------------------------
Re: Buying a Mig Welder
DIR By: Willy Eckerslyke
Date: March 14, 2012, 4:28 am
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In answer to this question in another place, Martin Thaddeus
(who knows his stuff) said:
"If you can find one buy a Cebora 130 turbo.
There is no better budget welder. ~ This is the same machine
which Snap-on ( Blue-point) sold as their own, it was also sold
as a Murex."
I have a SIP Topmig Turbo 150 which is great apart from the wire
feed - and that's crap unless modified/bodged with an additional
spring. Googling "SIP MIG wire feed" shows that it's a common
problem across much of their range so I wouldn't recommend them
as a make.
I had a Clarke 120E for about 15 years, then passed it on to a
mate. It's still working despite him dropping his Landy on it.
#Post#: 15480--------------------------------------------------
Re: Buying a Mig Welder
DIR By: one and two
Date: March 14, 2012, 12:02 pm
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personally I wouldnt touch a Clarke machine or anything from
Screwfix. Cebora 130's are okay but still hobby orientated. Once
you've used a proper machine you can't go back. Using short
burst techinique you should be able to weld a bulkhead up no
problem with a Murex. Indeed I usually weld up bulkheads on
setting 3 on my lorch machine to get correct penetration
#Post#: 15484--------------------------------------------------
Re: Buying a Mig Welder
DIR By: k-j
Date: March 14, 2012, 12:28 pm
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Mines a clarke 150te turbo, briliant for the money
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