14 replies to this topic

[first_mini_chris]

Dont have a great deal of space around my garage, once I get a Mini and want to try to price up stuff that I'll need.

 

Is a gasless mig welder such as - https://www.machinem...gas-mig-welder/ sufficient for all welding jobs I'm likely to encounter, floor, sills, wings etc?

 

Thanks

 

Chris

[Ethel]

Don't know that particular model, but on paper it will be up to the job. You could get one that can be used with gas or gasless. The minimum power setting often matters more  (30amps is ok), a more powerful machine tends to mean less chance of waiting for the welder to cool down.

[sonikk4]

My personal feeling on gasless is if you are not an experienced welder you will end up with poor welds. Buy either a Gas Mig or a combination one as mentioned by Ethel.

 

Most of the the Hobby welders by Clarke are more than capable of welding anything on a mini and more. If you are on a budget but can stretch to a bit more then buy a 135TE Turbo or even a 151.

 

Still punting with mine after at least 10 years and its still going strong. It does get hammered as well. When it dies i will buy a Porta Mig but this is on a different level price wise.

[Jgguinness]

I have a GYS Smartmig 162 and it’s absolutely brilliant. Got it second hand, but it had done no work. Think I paid £200 for it.

[first_mini_chris]

Ok thanks guy, Yeah I have no prior experience welding so when I get find a Mini I want to buy I'm gonna have to practice a bit before touching it.

 

Is there any good resources that people would recommend for tips / tricks on welding?

 

Thanks

 

Chris

[sonikk4]

Ok thanks guy, Yeah I have no prior experience welding so when I get find a Mini I want to buy I'm gonna have to practice a bit before touching it.

 

Is there any good resources that people would recommend for tips / tricks on welding?

 

Thanks

 

Chris

http://www.theminifo...se-for-welding/

http://www.theminifo...nd-outer-sills/

http://www.theminifo...ips-and-tricks/

http://www.theminifo...nnet-boot-gaps/

[sledgehammer]

watch the duty cycles on any small welder - sometimes takes ages to cool down , & keep em blown out - dust gets em hot

 

I put 2 fans inside my welder case , now it never gets hot enough to reach the thermal cut out

 

sometimes putting it on the floor with a fan blowing on it helps - but they can be a pain if you want to crack on with the job

 

as above the gasless welders are good for small jobs , but can give a lot of ******* in the weld area , this has to be thoroughly cleaned to inspect the weld bead

 

& loads of practice - I've been welding commercially for over 20 years & still have a practice at the start of a batch 
 

try it out on some thicker plate to start with , then reduce the thickness as you get it smoother

 

best of luck

[first_mini_chris]

Thanks guys

[sonikk4]

watch the duty cycles on any small welder - sometimes takes ages to cool down , & keep em blown out - dust gets em hot

 

I put 2 fans inside my welder case , now it never gets hot enough to reach the thermal cut out

 

sometimes putting it on the floor with a fan blowing on it helps - but they can be a pain if you want to crack on with the job

 

as above the gasless welders are good for small jobs , but can give a lot of ******* in the weld area , this has to be thoroughly cleaned to inspect the weld bead

 

& loads of practice - I've been welding commercially for over 20 years & still have a practice at the start of a batch 
 

try it out on some thicker plate to start with , then reduce the thickness as you get it smoother

 

best of luck

 

Of the back of this because the 135 is fan cooled it keeps on going. I have never had it thermally cut out on me, ever!! 

[1984mini25]

Is there any good resources that people would recommend for tips / tricks on welding?

 

http://www.mig-weldi...uk/tutorial.htm

 

http://www.mig-weldi...-techniques.htm

[sledgehammer]

I can't say ******* slag ******* S L A G

 

wasn't anything rude - just a crust that shields the weld pool from oxygen

[Bat]

Hi,

For bodywork welding the lowest setting is really important, that's one of the reasons the portamig is so good it goes down to 15amps.

Cheers 

[Cooperman]

Gasless is not ideal and a power rating of at least 130 amps is desirable with a good range of setting available.

 

Remember, you can't weld steel to rust nor can you weld to a pained surface.

[absx2]

Wise words from Cooperman.

I would say don`t buy a secondhand welder as its false economy as the torch and liner is almost guaranteed to be had it and the speed control units don`t last forever and give intermittent feed speed.

So basically you will give up trying to learn to weld and have to pay an absolute fortune for an experienced person that will end in you selling the abandoned project on as the labor costs can quickly get out of hand. 

You can get a brand new Sealey gas/gasless 150 amp Mig delivered to your door for 200 quid and thats 8 hours welding at mates rates

Oh, and use gas even if its CO2 blagged from the local pub  so much nicer.

Edited by absx2, 04 June 2018 - 08:47 PM.

[Jgguinness]

Wise words from Cooperman.

I would say don`t buy a secondhand welder as its false economy as the torch and liner is almost guaranteed to be had it and the speed control units don`t last forever and give intermittent feed speed.

So basically you will give up trying to learn to weld and have to pay an absolute fortune for an experienced person that will end in you selling the abandoned project on as the labor costs can quickly get out of hand. 

You can get a brand new Sealey gas/gasless 150 amp Mig delivered to your door for 200 quid and thats 8 hours welding at mates rates

Oh, and use gas even if its CO2 blagged from the local pub  so much nicer.

Cant agree with this totally.  Indeed I bought a SIP thing second hand and couldn't get away with it and ended up selling it on.  I bought a second hand GYS Migmate 162 and its been great.  It hadn't been used much, liner is fine, wire roller unit again fine. Torch shrouds and tips are consumable items and although I've got spares in stock that I've bought from BOC, I've only changed about two shrouds max.  Its done plenty work on my Defenders plus other project builds that I've done.

 

Buying second hand can be risky like anything, but at half price im happy.  

 

Bat, I didn't know about the Portamig going down as low as that, very interesting.  I see not even some of the ESAB or Miller machines go down as low as that, wouldn't mind having a look at one of those.