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Gas-less MIG welder?
gsand - 3/11/03 at 08:22 AM

They are cheaper and less hassle than getting gas all the time. What are they like and are they worthy of building a strong locost chassis?

Nuff Said.


ChrisW - 3/11/03 at 08:55 AM

A pile of crap. I bought one thinking it couldn't be as bad as everyone said. It is!

Chris


David Jenkins - 3/11/03 at 10:25 AM

Funny you should say that...

I used to think gasless MIG was a waste of time - until I put some effort in and got it set up correctly.

The reason I moved to gasless was that I'd done most of my welding and just wanted to do the occasional job here and there, without paying the rental on a gas bottle. It does work, but it's not as neat and tidy as 'gassed' welding. I'm still having some issues with maintaining a smooth feed, but it's good enough for my purposes. The only downsides are the fumes (can be quite choking, and smelly) and the powdery deposit that needs to be cleaned off. Oh - and the wire is very expensive!

I suppose you could build a chassis with it, but if I was starting another one I'd probably use gas again - life is hard enough without adding another complication.

cheers,

David


Ben_Copeland - 3/11/03 at 12:12 PM

I've used gas-less..... nowt wrong with it. When you know how to set it up and use it properly.


mangogroove - 3/11/03 at 01:51 PM

Get you gasses from these boys Visit local pub first nip round back and retrieve one purple top cylinder and £11 @ http://www.towsure.co.uk/ for the fill and that s a half size bottle. http://www.welduk.com/ is the company to ask if you need help advise I found them to be ealy good and the are aimed at us weekenders instead of a company


http://www.towsure.co.uk/


Lars - 3/11/03 at 07:57 PM

i've used gasless, seems strong enough. David's description is right, however i have not used one with gas yet, and i was struggling a bit with distortion.


David Jenkins - 5/11/03 at 09:15 AM

Forgot to mention - gasless has one huge advantage in one situation - where you're trying to weld in a draughty garage or car-port.

Trying to do the same with a 'gassed' welder runs the risk of the gas shield being blown away from the weld pool.

BTW: I've realised why my wire feed was poor - I'm using 0.8mm tips, and most cored wire is 0.9mm! Doh!

Anyone know whether the hole in the tip is exactly the same size as the wire, or is it 'wire size plus a bit'? If it's the second option, does anyone know what the 'bit' is?

cheers,

David


Alan B - 5/11/03 at 02:49 PM

Always wondered about gasless MIG....

Shouldn't it just be M welding.....after all the IG bit is gone....


Alan B - 5/11/03 at 02:51 PM

quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
......Anyone know whether the hole in the tip is exactly the same size as the wire, or is it 'wire size plus a bit'? If it's the second option, does anyone know what the 'bit' is?

cheers,

David





Not certain, but I think it's around plus 0.1 mm


Mark Allanson - 5/11/03 at 07:43 PM

Should be MIF Welding, metal inert flux?

Alan, the hole has got to be bigger or it would bind, or the wire a bit thinner. We used to use 1.2mm stainless wire with special tips, we reamed them out with 50 thou gas pipe reamers, about 2 1/2 thou clearance


Alan B - 5/11/03 at 08:04 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Mark Allanson

.......Alan, the hole has got to be bigger or it would bind.......




That's why I said plus 0.1 mm.......or did I miss something?


Mark Allanson - 5/11/03 at 08:13 PM

Alan, what I meant was that I have never given it much thought, but 0.8mm wire may be made to fit a 0.8mm tip, or a 0.8mm tip is made to fit 0.8mm wire. The clearance we used on heavy stuff was 0.05" which is 1.27mm for 1.2mm wire.

Sounded clear as mud as I wrote it, probably worse when you read it!


Alan B - 5/11/03 at 09:12 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Mark Allanson
Alan, what I meant was that I have never given it much thought, .........


Me neither to be honest....I think we are saying the same thing.......the wire is very close to nominal size, and the tip holes are just slightly bigger than nominal for clearance....

That IS what we are saying, right?.....


Mark Allanson - 5/11/03 at 09:57 PM

probadobalobaly?


David Jenkins - 5/11/03 at 10:09 PM

Mark / Alan,

Sound like 0.95mm or 1.00mm should fit the bill?

DJ


ChrisW - 6/11/03 at 08:35 AM

quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
I used to think gasless MIG was a waste of time - until I put some effort in and got it set up correctly.



Guess I'm just poo then

Chris


Ben_Copeland - 6/11/03 at 08:38 AM

I'll have your welder then


David Jenkins - 6/11/03 at 08:48 AM

quote:
Originally posted by ChrisW

Guess I'm just poo then

Chris




I still prefer to weld with gas - but it's not worth paying for bottle rental for what I've got to do. Because of that I've tried to live with the alternative. Hopefully when I get the tip hole the right size then life will be even easier.

David


ChrisW - 6/11/03 at 09:17 AM

Going to convert mine to run on pub gas and see if that makes life easier.

Chris


Peteff - 6/11/03 at 10:39 AM

A long time ago I saw a place selling fluxed wire for use with CO2 which was supposed to give results comparable to Argon /CO2 mix for a reasonable price. I don't think it ever caught on as it's easier to get gas now with small suppliers willing to deal with the public on a cash basis. There is a one man outfit near here who does pub size cylinders for £10 exchange and sells all the consumables cheaper than the BOC depot as well. I still use Energas at Derby as they are handy.

yours, Pete.