Welding,welders,and equipment

[muddymart]

Right where do we start here then

IS there a certain knack to welding or could it be picked up pretty easy after a couple of practice sessions?
And is it a mig welder i require or is there more to get me started?
Any tips and suggestions would be gratefully received.
Martin

[Sheddy]

I just bought a Clarke 151TE from Machine mart.

Read a few articles on the web, had a few practices and away I went.  Its not a mystic art m8.

The 151TE gets top marks in a few reviews.

[dave_2A_2.25Turbo]

Ther is a knack - but it's one that can be learned.   Some people pick it up quicker than others..What type of welder?  What do you want to weld??

[muddymart]

Id have to have a look on the web for welders then or eblag, is it a mig welder i require,

I just want to try something different, doing my own work eg body panels.parts etc...

a lad where i worked before made some nice gear for 4x4's,steering guards,bumper protection,steps,

[Hangover]

I'm sure there was a thread not to long ago about this.
Kev

[steanlol]

B&Q have got an offer on at the moment for there 170amp mig welder , gas/gasless , for 90 odd quid , i paid £160 for it a couple of months ago when it was on offer , should be £190 .
I rate it as a machine with plenty of power and should be ample for most jobs but it all depends on what you want to weld and how thick the steel is . also your better off getting a large refilable bottle from B O C or another gas supplier than messing around with the small throw away ones , will work out a lot cheaper in the end depending on how much welding you'll be doing .
I prefer tig welding as i am better at making it look neater but plenty of practice and a good mig weld is as strong as you will need for most things .

[Eeyore]

I prefer tig welding as i am better at making it look neater but plenty of practice and a good mig weld is as strong as you will need for most things .

A good MIG weld should be no worse than a good TIG weld, stick weld, plasma weld...... and all of those can be done badly.......

My one recommendation would be to find a local collage etc and do a short welding course - it could pay dividends. A bad weld can look exactly the same as a good weld from the surface if you get the parameters wrong...

....its all about penetration!

cheers
 8)
Eeyore

[Bulli]

Eeyore is right, its difficult to tell how good the weld is without expierience. Im looking at doing a college course, ive had one of the gas/ gassless ones form B+q for ages and found it great...but i need practice and lots of it to get a strong nice looking weld everytime.

[sparkes]

Yes a course is a good idea and well worth the money. But the most common fault in home welding is the old favourite preparation.

Many people who weld just once in a while do not understand that the metal needs to be very clean in order to get a good weld.

Steve

[Ja1983]

i use an arc welder inherited from my dad, he gave it up as a bad job years ago, i think i`m capable of getting good results, but its definatley about preperation! and lumps of rust/paint can get into the weld bubble as its forming and that will make it mis-form and be pretty much useless. an arc isnt too bad for burning thru some failry scabby stuff, a mig is best on cleaner and thinner metal.

my opinion welding is about getting a good deep/thick weld without making a hole! higher rated the welder, generally the better the weld (small welder would be working harder and more prone to power lapses etc than a bigger one working at half power.

buy the best you can afford, but have a go with someone elses before you decide to invest.

as i said, my dad coulnt get the hang of it, but my first go i wrote my name on a piece of steel beam an an almost perfect fashion!

[V8MoneyPit]

PM sent Martin.

[rollazuki]

I use a NU-TOOL 150 amp turbo fan welder. Its a top welder, I love it.
Try to get one that can take a full size gas bottle, those little ones work out VERY expensive.
Dont get a gasless one, theyre crap, the wire is crap, the weld is crap IMHO
Get a mate who can weld to show you the ropes and practice. Get scrap steel and run beads of weld all over it till they come out nice.
The main thing is cleanliness, ensure all your surfaces are ground/sanded clean. The second most important is getting the machine set right.
 Get a welding mate if poss to get you under way then experiment.

Once youve got the hang of it, a little practice will make you a decent welder

[Reaper]

All of the above is good advice so I have little to add except to say I started welding with a stick welder when I was 12 years old then progressed onto oxy, I did a college course when I was 21 and learnt a hell of a lot. I now weld with a 185 Mig and Tig welder and can only reiterate the above. When you buy one get the best you can afford, make sure it will take the larger bottles of Co2 as the disposable ones are a waste of time, practice a lot on scrap metal, see if you can find a local college doing a beginners course (well worth it), make sure the material is as clean as possible and remember with welding as in life penetration is everything  :lol:

Good Luck

[rollazuki]

He said 'penetration'

Arf  Arf  Arf :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

[Range Rover Blues]

I'm paying about £68 this year to rent my argosheild bottle, really ought to take it back (it's empty :oops: ).

Do a college course, you'll get to use someone else's machine, not that they will let you near the TIG I think but you can do a couple of your own jobs during the course and see what you think.  I paid "24 for an 8 week course a couple of years agao, just to get access to their big MIG set.

[muddymart]

well after 15yrs driving looks like im back off to college to learn !!!