ScotJebus
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| posted on 12/3/07 at 09:38 PM |
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yes tig is a 2 handed job if you are useing filler wire, but its not really hard to set it up with magnets or something, and you want the best setup
you can get. the better the setup the end result is far better, and thats from my teachers at college they will struggle to get the weld good if the
set up is crappy they can do it but they have to really give it a good go.
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flak monkey
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| posted on 12/3/07 at 09:43 PM |
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You can TIG tack with one hand. Depeding on the joint type you dont always need filler wire (mainly lap joints and butt joints on thick plate). You
could get away with tacking chassis tubes without filler though. You would need some when fully welding though.
David
Sera
http://www.motosera.com
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Neil P
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| posted on 12/3/07 at 10:41 PM |
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Why do they provide welders that cannot be run on domestic circuits?
I have a Clarke 195 amp MIG. If I use it on full power it blows the fuses in the plug in under five minutes. What good is that to anyone? I recognise
the good point made elsewhere on this thread that it has a better duty cycle at the lower powers. Still frustrating though.
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Peteff
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| posted on 13/3/07 at 12:20 AM |
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Why do they provide welders that cannot be run on domestic circuits?
Because people are gullible enough to buy them ? I have a 170 amp which will comfortably weld 8mm plate and not blow fuses. In 8 years it's only
blown one plug fuse and that was welding upside down and getting the wire stuck and the shroud full of spatter.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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JoelP
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| posted on 14/3/07 at 08:02 PM |
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its ever so simple to put in a higher power outlet anyway. These 150+ amp welders, do they supply them with a 13A plug? If so it should work with it,
but if theres no plug then you must be meant to put something better in.
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Wadders
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| posted on 14/3/07 at 08:11 PM |
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Agreed, ditch the plug and use a 20amp supply.
Al.
Originally posted by JoelP
its ever so simple to put in a higher power outlet anyway. These 150+ amp welders, do they supply them with a 13A plug? If so it should work with it,
but if theres no plug then you must be meant to put something better in.
[Edited on 14/3/07 by Wadders]
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davie h
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| posted on 14/3/07 at 08:37 PM |
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does that mean that you couldnt run a 150 mig from a normal socket if so is the clarke 135 any good for the chassis
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Wadders
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| posted on 14/3/07 at 08:59 PM |
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A 150amp welder will run from a 13a socket, just not at full power. You wont need 150 amp to weld a locost chassis
]Originally posted by davie h
does that mean that you couldnt run a 150 mig from a normal socket if so is the clarke 135 any good for the chassis
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JoelP
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| posted on 14/3/07 at 09:45 PM |
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if i put my 130ish amp one on full power it blow holes big time in 16g tubes, no need for that much. 
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Nisseven
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| posted on 15/3/07 at 09:29 AM |
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This subject always seems to atract a lot of interest. From my point of view you will get what you pay for. Only trouble is that if you have never
experienced a good welder you will not realise that your cheapie is no good. Most of you would not buy a Lada as you know they are rubbish so why
waste money on cheap welders? A good welder will most likely last you a life-time and will be money well spent. Mine is 250 amp BOC and runs of a
25amp single phase outlet. I have a dedicated line from the switch board in the house to the garage and have no trouble running it flat out, granted
you do not use all this power most of the time but I know that it is not being overloaded. BOC welders are rebranded Kemmpis and are very good
machines. What some of you should be looking at are the new inverter migs. They are incredibly small and light with very smooth arc characteristics.
Our BOC welding rep reckons that you can use them with CO2 and get a weld that looks as good as ArgoShield. We have one at work for on site work but
use it with gasless wire so don't know if that is true but I do know that is a smooth machine. Would be good foe an amature as well as the wire
speed is all set automatically, all you do is select the thickness of material and the type of weld you want and it sets both voltage and wire speed
accordingly. I appreciate that many of you are on tight budjets and I must admit I'm one, but I've never regretted spending a little more
for quality and in the long run have saved money.
Bruce
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MikeRJ
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| posted on 15/3/07 at 11:37 AM |
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I've used a decent industrial MIG, and the most notiecable difference was the quality and consistency of the wire feed compared to my Clarke.
That said, the Clarke is light years better than some of the cheap SIP welders, and more than adequate to make an excellent weld, providing the
operator skill is sufficient i.e. no amount of build quality in the welder can compensate for the operator!
Someone mentioned about the gas bottles being cheaper in Halfords; make sure you compare like with like! MM sell the high capacity bottles which cost
a little more but last way longer. It's the only ones I buy. I know I should really sort out a proper CO2 bottle and regulator, but getting
hold of the bottles seems difficult, at least around here.
[Edited on 15/3/07 by MikeRJ]
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MikeRJ
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| posted on 15/3/07 at 11:39 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Neil P
Why do they provide welders that cannot be run on domestic circuits?
I have a Clarke 195 amp MIG. If I use it on full power it blows the fuses in the plug in under five minutes. What good is that to anyone? I recognise
the good point made elsewhere on this thread that it has a better duty cycle at the lower powers. Still frustrating though.
They supply them because they are intended to be used on higher current supplies. It's simply impossible to run a 195Amp welder at full power
from a 13 Amp supply, if you need that much current then you will have to install a higher current circuit for the welder.
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Peteff
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| posted on 15/3/07 at 03:02 PM |
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Synergic mig.
The one Nisseven mentions would be ideal, the rep at my supplier was playing with one but it was an industrial unit at £3000 for pipeline work. You
programmed what gas and how thick the material and it set up the parameters and made adjustments on the fly as well, a bit like welding for dummies.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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