Calling the collective...

A friend of mine needs a tig welder (£200 budget) for welding 3mm guttering on the orangery extensions his company builds.

The guttering is made from alloy and he wants to weld them together on site - they have to come in half because they're too big to transport as a single item.

He wants to weld them because they keep getting leaks when they're assembled with an adhesive - and they're really expensive to for him to fix when they leak.

It's only going to be used for about half an hour every 8 weeks or so.

It will need to run from a 13A plug, so I guess a 200 Amp AC unit should be ok.

Any ideas what make model and where to buy it from ?

For welding aluminium, you need an AC TIG welder. So your budget should be in the region of £800 for a UK supplier with warranty. Or a Chinese brand one off Ebay for £400.

200 Amps seems overkill for 3mm material. R-Tech sell a nice 160 amp AC/DC TIG which is very popular.

Don't forget to budget for gas.

and 200A needs more like a 16A supply.

If you find an Ac tig for £200 do share the supplier with the rest of us,

What about a Mig with a spool gun ?

He will not reach his budget, add gas £100 for a decent filled bottle and £50 for regulator to suit.

200amp needs 16amp, cheap one is £400

So he needs to budget for at least £600 when you include consumables, mask etc