doughie
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| posted on 14/9/06 at 06:56 PM |
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i'm lookin for a welder
mig or tig???
then which one???
250 to 300£ budget - hoping to offset cost when i fabricate bits for my locost....
help
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graememk
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| posted on 14/9/06 at 06:57 PM |
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can you weld ? if not go for a mig
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John Bonnett
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| posted on 14/9/06 at 07:18 PM |
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I'd agree with that, go for a gas MIG. The best advice I can give you is buy the very best you can afford and definitely not an entry level
model. Refurbished professional Murex and BOC MIG welders are available and these are the ones to look out for. With MIG welding consistent wire feed
is paramount and this is where the diy models fall down. Your life depends on the integrity of your welds and for integrity you need power and
penetration not just deposits of pidgeon sh.t. I have found out the hard way and I am only too pleased to pass on my experience to you. Start with
equipment you can trust and all you have to do is to teach yourself. If the equipment is dodgy you have no chance.
John
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doughie
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| posted on 14/9/06 at 07:40 PM |
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cheers guys, have had a sip cosmo 150 for a while and the feed was eratic...
but want something that will be reliable and in price....
tig is a better weld... but mig easier to master...
and what about 3 phase at home???
[Edited on 14/9/06 by doughie]
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JoelP
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| posted on 14/9/06 at 08:59 PM |
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definate mig really, i doubt you will find a tig in that price range. Tig is better but mig is so much easier that you will be making useful stuff on
your first day, nevermind spending ages learning the tig art.
However, if you fancy stretching to say £600 you might well find a nice tig, and if you are commited to the hobby, i guess its well worth having.
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mark chandler
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| posted on 14/9/06 at 09:44 PM |
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A DC only tig set would suit, but you would burn your way through £200 of gas learning the art !
MIG is cheaper and faster but you really need to include in your budget renting a bottle and buying a regulator, disposable bottles are a waste of
time and money.
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JoelP
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| posted on 14/9/06 at 10:40 PM |
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not necessarily so, i have probably spent about £100 on gas in 3 years, in disposable bottles. Not as bad as people say, provided you turn it off
overnight as my welder leaks it out...
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Coose
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| posted on 15/9/06 at 07:57 AM |
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Unscrew the regulator also - that helps no end!
Spin 'er off Well...
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AdamR
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| posted on 15/9/06 at 09:48 AM |
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Disposable bottles are fine if you use C02. I've only used 2 or 3 600g bottles so far and I've got a nearly complete fully-welded chassis
out of that.
If you use argon or C02/argon mix its apparently a different story - the bottles don't last nearly as long.
I'd also like to defend cheapish hobby welders. I learnt to weld on a huge 3 phase industrial machine and sure its slightly easier to get a
decent weld on thick material, but I have had absoultely no problems with my Clarke 155TE on anything I've done for the locost project. If
you're getting pigeon sh!t then you need welding lessons not a more expensive welder. 
[Edited on 15/9/06 by AdamR]
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big_wasa
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| posted on 15/9/06 at 10:51 AM |
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defo Mig to start with. Can not recomend enough renting Argon shield gas.
Welders, I moved up from a Sip 150 to a Butters. The build of the butters isnt the best as the case is a bit thin, but it will do some nice welds
 
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