Discussion
Hope this is the right forum!
Bought a cheapo arc welder for a project a few montane back and I couldn’t get a tune out of it. I used to weld frequently so was very disappointed. Fast forward to the NEC show and a company called Noz-Alls in Cheltenham took the time to chat and offered to help. Took my welder down there and we tried it with my rods and then theirs, still rubbish. Switched to one of theirs and it was perfect. Long story short brought back a mig as for twice the price it’s more versatile, no bother about rods getting damp and it’s a lot less messy. Having never used one they took the time to set it up and let me have a few goes. This welder is quite automated after you select wire size, material thickness etc. There is a manual setup as well but it seemed perfect for what I was doing.
If anyone is looking for some really helpful guys selling welding kit I can’t recommend them enough. As for Amazon and welders, IME don’t bother.
Bought a cheapo arc welder for a project a few montane back and I couldn’t get a tune out of it. I used to weld frequently so was very disappointed. Fast forward to the NEC show and a company called Noz-Alls in Cheltenham took the time to chat and offered to help. Took my welder down there and we tried it with my rods and then theirs, still rubbish. Switched to one of theirs and it was perfect. Long story short brought back a mig as for twice the price it’s more versatile, no bother about rods getting damp and it’s a lot less messy. Having never used one they took the time to set it up and let me have a few goes. This welder is quite automated after you select wire size, material thickness etc. There is a manual setup as well but it seemed perfect for what I was doing.
If anyone is looking for some really helpful guys selling welding kit I can’t recommend them enough. As for Amazon and welders, IME don’t bother.
VeeReihenmotor6 said:
Heard good things about R-Tech welders. I have a Sealey SuperMig 140, perhaps I haven't got to grips with it but find it difficult to get the settings right to weld automotive metal. Someone told me to try 8mm wire instead of 6mm but haven't got around to that yet.
I had a 30 year old Sealey and replaced it with an R Tech MIG 180 - night and day improvement from the newer inverter tech. They've just upgraded that model now to digital controls too.Btw it will be 0.8mm wire in place of 0.6mm.
For the OP - I sympathise, I've only ever tried ARC (stick) welding after learning to MIG and found it an immensely frustrating experience. Probably worthwhile if you have heavy gauge metal to stick together but for typical automotive stuff any MIG is going to be a better bet, but get a proper gas supply (e.g. Hobbyweld) so you aren't worrying about gas consumption from pricey disposable cylinders.
You'll find 0.8 much easier to get on with.
And +1 for a proper bottle.
Your first job could be making a bottle trolley - or a trolley with shelves for the bottle & the mig!
If it doesn't have a eurotorch consider swapping using one of the conversion kits.
Did that with my machine mart one & the difference was night & day.
Regret I hadn't done it years before.
And +1 for a proper bottle.
Your first job could be making a bottle trolley - or a trolley with shelves for the bottle & the mig!
If it doesn't have a eurotorch consider swapping using one of the conversion kits.
Did that with my machine mart one & the difference was night & day.
Regret I hadn't done it years before.
carlo996 said:
Not blaming Amazon, I took the gamble based upon the reviews. What I would say is it's worth paying more and using a local supplier.
You trusted reviews on Amazon? NEVER do that! See: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-65881800John
tapkaJohnD said:
carlo996 said:
Not blaming Amazon, I took the gamble based upon the reviews. What I would say is it's worth paying more and using a local supplier.
You trusted reviews on Amazon? NEVER do that! See: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-65881800John
paintman said:
You'll find 0.8 much easier to get on with.
And +1 for a proper bottle.
Your first job could be making a bottle trolley - or a trolley with shelves for the bottle & the mig!
If it doesn't have a eurotorch consider swapping using one of the conversion kits.
Did that with my machine mart one & the difference was night & day.
Regret I hadn't done it years before.
Cheers & cheers chrisch77 more motivated to try 0.8mm then now. I have a 10L MIG welding bottle from GAS UK attached to a trolley with the welder however I am still using the Sealey torch, i'll check out the eurotorch. I have been disappointed with my efforts, even aftert mastering getting the metal work cut with the required gap.And +1 for a proper bottle.
Your first job could be making a bottle trolley - or a trolley with shelves for the bottle & the mig!
If it doesn't have a eurotorch consider swapping using one of the conversion kits.
Did that with my machine mart one & the difference was night & day.
Regret I hadn't done it years before.
VeeReihenmotor6 said:
paintman said:
You'll find 0.8 much easier to get on with.
And +1 for a proper bottle.
Your first job could be making a bottle trolley - or a trolley with shelves for the bottle & the mig!
If it doesn't have a eurotorch consider swapping using one of the conversion kits.
Did that with my machine mart one & the difference was night & day.
Regret I hadn't done it years before.
Cheers & cheers chrisch77 more motivated to try 0.8mm then now. I have a 10L MIG welding bottle from GAS UK attached to a trolley with the welder however I am still using the Sealey torch, i'll check out the eurotorch. I have been disappointed with my efforts, even aftert mastering getting the metal work cut with the required gap.And +1 for a proper bottle.
Your first job could be making a bottle trolley - or a trolley with shelves for the bottle & the mig!
If it doesn't have a eurotorch consider swapping using one of the conversion kits.
Did that with my machine mart one & the difference was night & day.
Regret I hadn't done it years before.
0.6/0.8, never really found any difference other than you use less length of 0.8 to do the same job.
Much better to lap weld than butt weld, the more metal you have to sink the heat into the better, it will also help reduce blow through.
carlo996 said:
Hope this is the right forum!
Bought a cheapo arc welder for a project a few montane back and I couldn’t get a tune out of it. I used to weld frequently so was very disappointed. Fast forward to the NEC show and a company called Noz-Alls in Cheltenham took the time to chat and offered to help. Took my welder down there and we tried it with my rods and then theirs, still rubbish. Switched to one of theirs and it was perfect. Long story short brought back a mig as for twice the price it’s more versatile, no bother about rods getting damp and it’s a lot less messy. Having never used one they took the time to set it up and let me have a few goes. This welder is quite automated after you select wire size, material thickness etc. There is a manual setup as well but it seemed perfect for what I was doing.
If anyone is looking for some really helpful guys selling welding kit I can’t recommend them enough. As for Amazon and welders, IME don’t bother.
Just after covid lockdown I bought a cheap inverter welder (I've used a basic buzzbox for many years). Best £62 I've ever spent on a tool - OK, it does the same as the old buzzbox, but is much lighter, easier to strike and more controllable. I could have got one locally for £300, but I was willing to take the gamble, and it paid off.Bought a cheapo arc welder for a project a few montane back and I couldn’t get a tune out of it. I used to weld frequently so was very disappointed. Fast forward to the NEC show and a company called Noz-Alls in Cheltenham took the time to chat and offered to help. Took my welder down there and we tried it with my rods and then theirs, still rubbish. Switched to one of theirs and it was perfect. Long story short brought back a mig as for twice the price it’s more versatile, no bother about rods getting damp and it’s a lot less messy. Having never used one they took the time to set it up and let me have a few goes. This welder is quite automated after you select wire size, material thickness etc. There is a manual setup as well but it seemed perfect for what I was doing.
If anyone is looking for some really helpful guys selling welding kit I can’t recommend them enough. As for Amazon and welders, IME don’t bother.
ps. not bought from Amazon, but via another popular site.
Fastpedeller said:
Just after covid lockdown I bought a cheap inverter welder (I've used a basic buzzbox for many years). Best £62 I've ever spent on a tool - OK, it does the same as the old buzzbox, but is much lighter, easier to strike and more controllable. I could have got one locally for £300, but I was willing to take the gamble, and it paid off.
ps. not bought from Amazon, but via another popular site.
Fair play, luck of the draw and it's my own fault for not sending it back ps. not bought from Amazon, but via another popular site.
That was the third weld today. Took a picture to remind myself it can’t get any worse
Edited by carlo996 on Wednesday 22 November 22:01
carlo996 said:
That was the third weld today. Took a picture to remind myself it can’t get any worse
Edited by carlo996 on Wednesday 22 November 22:01
The weld itself looks fine well done but on the point that I made earlier it is generally best practice to use an angle grinder/file/etc to ensure the area to be welded on both pieces is clean/bright metal.
On your weld in the pic using new steel you did just fine without doing this, the same would not have been true if the pieces were painted/coated/rusted in any way.
Gassing Station | Home Mechanics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff