What MIG welder?

[caduceus]

I am looking for a MIG welder that is sufficient to be able to weld 38mm mild steel tubing for a chassis repair. There are a wide variety of used MIGs on eBay, but which one is ok?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Welding-machine-weld...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PX-TO-CLEAR-CLOOS-GLC-25...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cebora-Gasless-Mig-Welde...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MULTIPROCESS-INVERTER-WE...

Single phase, three phase, 160amp, 190amp.... I just want to practice welding, and then have a go at sorting my chassis.
All I do know is, I don't want a gasless MIG. Apparently they are st

Any constructive help greatly appreciated.

Regards
Cad

[caduceus]

Andy, thanks for the reply.

The tube as standard from TVR is 2mm thick. But I may rebuild with 3mm. The sections will be cut, a smaller diameter tube will be sleeved inside the existing chassis tube, and inside the new tube. Can you seam weld with the MIG you suggested? Not that I even know yet what seam welding is. I'm assuming it's a run of weld, not blobs..

The welder is something I can see myself keeping. But even if for some reason I didn't, I could move it on via eBay.

My budget is up to the £200ish mark.

Cheers
Cad

[caduceus]

longshot said:

I have a Clarke 160TM welder and I have found it to be very nice to use. Never had any trouble with mine. You can use full size bottles on it too.
A bit pricey but they do have VAT free events at Machine mart.

Over my budget I'm afraid.

[caduceus]

andyiley said:

and a good duty ratio (time on over time off) as that lets you weld for long times.

andyiley said:

If I was welding structural tube (as I have before) I would sleeve internally and externally and drill 4 x large holes through the outer skin of each to plug weld through also.

Where exactly would these be? I'd need a diagram tbh. I have NO welding experience.

[caduceus]

SHutchinson said:

Clarke 135te is a great entry level welder.

A bit pricey, but tempting..

[caduceus]

First off, thanks so much for all the replies gents. Much appreciated.

I've been watching MIG tutorials this evening and there's some informative stuff on youtube. Enjoyed watching it.

Thank you Andy and Crafty for the detailed descriptions. I'll look at them more tomorrow.

That Clarke MIG is now up to £207 already. So I assume it's going to be a lot more by auction end.

Will this one be adequate?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sealey-SUPERMIG150-Profe...

Thanks again
Cad

[caduceus]

Krikkit said:

I have that exact model and it's an excellent unit. 100% duty cycle on the 30A setting (which is more than enough for 3mm steel), easy to set up and spares are readily available from MachineMart etc.

The only thing that isn't great is the regulator - it needs a very fine touch to get the right gas flow, a metered one for about £25 would be a wise investment.

One like this? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Flow-Meter-For-Welding-G...

Thanks for the advice. Appreciate it.
Cad

[caduceus]

I've just been looking again at the http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sealey-SUPERMIG150-Profe... and there only appears to be 4 power settings, which could be an issue. The setting I'd need for 3 or 4mm is going to be 'max' '2' on the Sealey 150. Which means the thermal cut out switch will be interrupting proceedings won't it?

I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and go for the http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151070819775?_trksid=p20... which is £160 more

But, it's a good investment, and will save me money in the long run I imagine (keep telling myself this..)

If I'm wrong in assuming this could someone correct me pls

[caduceus]

Oh ok, that's good to know. Thank you gents for the reassurance.

One more question: I only have a normal ring main supplying the garage, with what looks like 4mm flex. Is this going to be a problem with the amount of current the MIG will be drawing? Blowing fuses on the main board, etc..

Cheers
Cad

[caduceus]

Krikkit said:

The only negative I would say is that it doesn't have a eurotorch fitting, although retrofit kits are available for not much. Haven't found it needs one yet though, the torch is decent.

What is the advantage of a euro torch? I've googled it, but only comes up with how to do the conversion, not why..

[caduceus]

Crafty_ said:

Its a standard, so cheap replacement bits as far as I see.

Got it. Thanks

[caduceus]

Just a quickie.

Which of these two is better?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221694571628?_trksid=p20...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/230920762801?_trksid=p20...

Obviously the Sealey is brand new. But the Clarke has one/two more power settings than the Sealey.
Assuming the Clarke auction ends roughly the same price, would it be a better buy?

Many thanks
Cad