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[Debs.]

I`m thinking of buying a welder and wondered if you have any recommendations/thoughts on a type and/or rating.
I need it for general steel use (farm equipment and occasionally for farm-vehicle repairs and making some garden sculptures) `no heavy gauge or giant-weld needs!....but it must run off a fused 13 Amp. (or 16 Amp.) circuit outlet as I haven`t a 30 Amp. supply in the workshop.

I learned to traditional-arc/MIG/TIG weld [size=8](too)[/size]many years ago so should have little use problems with any machine.
Budget however is a concern (as usual) so, purchasing a secondhand unit is (always) a possibility.
Any suggestions most welcome........

[Marks DTM Calib]

Well, 130-135 amp is the max you can get from a 13amp socket on a welder and even then the fuse will die every 100 or so goes due to fatigue!

I would recommend a MIG welder every day of the week because they are a lot more versatile but, you have to be selective because the bottom end models can have poor wire feeds.

Clarke actually is about the best of the budget machines with SIP being about the worst

[Marks DTM Calib]

What about a trip to stafford:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/clarke-weld-mig-150te-turbo_W0QQitemZ260251237640QQihZ016QQcategoryZ113743QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Debs.]

What about a trip to stafford:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/clarke-weld-mig-150te-turbo_W0QQitemZ260251237640QQihZ016QQcategoryZ113743QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

  She watches!

Thanks Mark;`friends in Hinckley will surely assist if won.

[Olympia5776]

Well, 130-135 amp is the max you can get from a 13amp socket on a welder and even then the fuse will die every 100 or so goes due to fatigue!

I would recommend a MIG welder every day of the week because tehy are lot more versatile but, you ahev to be selective becuase the bottom end models can have poor wire feeds.

Clarke actually is about the best of the budget machines with SIP being about the worst

[/highlight]Got to disagree with you re SIP.
I've got a SIP 130 migmate which must be about 15 years old now. I've restored four cars in that time one taking three years and countless hours of welding in addition to many other jobs ,all done with it and with absolutley no problems at all ( inc. blown fuses . )
Also have a SIP 3HP Airstream compressor which again has given no problems over the years .
Can only speak from experience.
Don

[Marks DTM Calib]

Well, 130-135 amp is the max you can get from a 13amp socket on a welder and even then the fuse will die every 100 or so goes due to fatigue!

I would recommend a MIG welder every day of the week because tehy are lot more versatile but, you ahev to be selective becuase the bottom end models can have poor wire feeds.

Clarke actually is about the best of the budget machines with SIP being about the worst

[/highlight]Got to disagree with you re SIP.
I've got a SIP 130 migmate which must be about 15 years old now. I've restored four cars in that time one taking three years and countless hours of welding in addition to many other jobs ,all done with it and with absolutley no problems at all ( inc. blown fuses . )
Also have a SIP 3HP Airstream compressor which again has given no problems over the years .
Can only speak from experience.
Don

Think what you like, yes they will do the job but, they have the worst wire feed control setup and motor of the budget brands........

[phil her up]

I've owned a SIP autoplus 130 for years & it just keeps going, but it was struggling a bit welding 3mm to a chassis, if you want to weld 3-5 mm which farm equipment requires I would get  a ARC welder + no hassle with gas bottles or working outside  

[Marks DTM Calib]

Here is a really useful site and this link is to the hobby MIG review page:

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=661

I personally have had experience of 2 SIP welders (one belonged to Matchless and one to my Bros) and a couple of Clarkes, the Clarkes win out every time.

The guy on the forum (Weldequip) who posted this is really good and can provide top advice and spares etc to!

[Marks DTM Calib]

I've owned a SIP autoplus 130 for years & it just keeps going, but it was struggling a bit welding 3mm to a chassis, if you want to weld 3-5 mm which farm equipment requires I would get  a ARC welder + no hassle with gas bottles or working outside  

If you swap the polarity of the torch on a MIG and use flux cored wire you can use them as a basic arc unit.

[Debs.]

Here is a really useful site and this link is to the hobby MIG review page:

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=661

I personally have had experience of 2 SIP welders (one belonged to Matchless and one to my Bros) and a couple of Clarkes, the Clarkes win out every time.

The guy on the forum (Weldequip) who posted this is really good and can provide top advice and spares etc to!

  Smashing linky, thanks!

[Martin_1962]

My dad used to have a SIP - it kept burning bits out and wire jamming.

I used it to repair the Sunbeam and later the CArlton

[Vamps]

I've owned a SIP autoplus 130 for years & it just keeps going, but it was struggling a bit welding 3mm to a chassis, if you want to weld 3-5 mm which farm equipment requires I would get  a ARC welder + no hassle with gas bottles or working outside  

If you swap the polarity of the torch on a MIG and use flux cored wire you can use them as a basic arc unit.

Ohhh, and I thought it was something special tomy Clarke 155EN Turbo welder, not particularly expensive but 'kind' to use.
I think the idea of using is Gasless is so that you can used it outside where the shield gas would get blown away.

[Ken T]

Considering your planned use, I would tend to go for an arc welder, the biggest I could run. I remember welding 1/4" steel(or was it 6mm ?) using a 3 phase arc welder set to about 150A, and using 3.25mm rods. It was a simple job, 3 passes, root, filling and caping. If I had to do that using a 240V Mig welder I would use a lot more wire, and the job wouldn't be as good, as it wouldn't adequately melt the parent metal. I don't think Migs put out as much heat as a decent arc welder. However most people, myself included, buy them for car repairs, and they excell at this. I once tried to weld cills on my Avenger using a SIP 140 and 1.6mm rods ! . As I said underseal convers a multitude of sins!.

If I was rich, I would prob go for one of these  http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/arc-tig-155-power-inverter as not only could you Arc weld, you could TIG if required, which is really fun. Thats how you get really well controlled, quality welds.

Ken

[Debs.]

I just wanted to share with everyone the news that a forum member has contacted me with a wonderfully-kind and generous offer of a welding machine.
I`m delighted and really looking forward to going to meet the forum-member to collect the machine and say a personal thankyou to them for their kindness.
I`ll respect the member`s privacy, so `will check with the OOF`er concerned before saying a proper forum-thankyou....`what a smashing place is our OOF!  

[psychnurse]

 

If i can help a fellow OOF'r then that is just great!!