Section : General

Welding, which set should I choose? 

Posted By : Jason Foster, 26-Jul-2005, 10:41am

• Welding, which set should I choose? 

  Posted By : Nigel Gibbins, 26-Jul-2005, 11:17am

  I first used a 100 amp MiG welder but this was not really up to the job... (this was borrowed) ...so when I bought my own I wanted more. I now have a 180 amp jobbie (MiG) and it is excellent.
  
  I would reccomend a MiG welder if you are a novice welder (they are easier to use) however, if you know what you are doing them you may prefer an Arc welder...

• Welding, which set should I choose? 

  Posted By : John Fannon, 26-Jul-2005, 12:39pm

  Jason
  
  I've been looking into this too and the SIP Migmate 130 Turbo was recommended in practical classics some time ago for DIY repairs, it's about &163;170-&194;&163;200 for a kit depending on where you look.
  
  http://www.toolstation.com/?r=f&feature=85991
  
  The main benefit with this one seems to be that it can be used gasless (as supplied) or with an optional gas bottle adaptor. The benefit of gasless being that if you're welding upside-down on a windy day, the welds should still be ok.
  
  John

  • Welding, which set should I choose? 

    Posted By : Nigel Gibbins, 26-Jul-2005, 02:06pm

    Advice I've been given and my advice to you is to avoid the gass-less systems...
    
    ...I can't remember the exact reasons though, but that's what I was told and it's advice I used.

    • Welding, which set should I choose? 

      Posted By : Willie Cameron, 26-Jul-2005, 04:42pm

      Hi Jason
      Last year i borrowed a migmate 105 to learn to weld my spitfire,which was ok, but i bought the migmate 130 from halfords and it is a far superior machine for learning compared to the 105 , halfords price is a round &163;150. it comes with a small co2 bottle, which are quite costly, so i use a large co2 fire extinguisher with a regulator and it works fine and lasts for ages,you also get a spot weld attachment that fits the end of the welding shroud and is excellent at making spot welds.
      
      regards willie cameron

      • Welding, which set should I choose? 

        Posted By : John Davies, 26-Jul-2005, 06:35pm

        No argument with the above, but I would make sure that the welder you choose does have a cooling fan. Without it, the overheat cutout will stop you welding after a while and take hours to cool down again.
        
        For much pro. advice applicable for the home welder, see http://www.lincolnelectric.com/knowledge/
        
        John

        • Welding, which set should I choose? 

          Posted By : Colin Lindsay, 26-Jul-2005, 11:07pm

          I've had the MigMate 130 Turbo system for ten years now, it's an excellent machine for home car work and definitely value for money.

          • Welding, which set should I choose? 

            Posted By : Chris Taylor, 28-Jul-2005, 06:56pm

            For a novice, and for thin metal like body panels, it has to be mig every time. The cooling effect of the gas shield does much to prevent heat spread causing distortion, and makes burning through thin metal much less likely. It's also much easier to learn to use and to operate in tight corners. Nothing can really help in windy conditions, but mig works just as well upside down, and the gasless system will tend to drop slag on you so I see no real benefit in any of the gasless types.
            The real issue is how much welding you will do, and on what thickness of metal. Even a 90 amp minimig will be enough for "our" body panels and chassis outriggers, but once you have one of these machines you will find other jobs around the house/garden which may well involve thicker metal. 120 -130 amps should be plenty for almost all domestic situation, and above that you have difficulty drawing enough current through a 13 amp plug. If you don't expect to be welding often, for long spells, then you probably don't need a fan cooled version, although it is true that they take a long time to cool down if the thermal trip cuts out.
            Everyone seems to complain about the cost of disposable bottles of CO2. I've always found they last long enough for me, and at least they are readily obtainable at any machine mart, Halfords etc. They do cost a fair bit more per litre of gas, but if you don't do THAT much welding, you won't use that much gas and at least you don't have the capital expenditure on the bigger bottles, regulators etc.

            • Welding, which set should I choose? 

              Posted By : John Fannon, 26-Sep-2005, 10:40am

              
              I'd just like to add something to this post which may be of use to others looking at buying a welder.
              
              I bought the SIP Migmate 130 DP for &163;199 only a few weeks ago as it was recommended in practical classics. I came to use it this weekend and could not get it to work properly. It turned out that the wire wasn't feeding properly and was getting tangled inside the machine!
              
              I've wasted 2 hours (and a dry weekend) trying to get the bl**dy thing to feed the wire correctly. After using up half the wire reel re-feeding the thing I gave up. It seems to be struggling to push the wire through the torch and then gets jammed, resulting in twisted wire insird the machine.
              
              I've just googled "SIP Mig Wire Feed Problems" and there are quite a few people who've experienced similar problems with SIP welders.....so it's not just me!
              
              I'm going to try and get a refund on this one and get a different one....anyone got any suggestions for a better quality Mig welder? I can spend up to &163;300, but it needs to run off a 13A socket.
              
              Regards
              
              John

              • Welding, which set should I choose? 

                Posted By : John Davies, 26-Sep-2005, 11:32am

                John,
                I have the same problem but it's usually an indication that I need a new tip, and may be that I need a new drive wheel! That shouldn't happen on a new machine, but check that the little copper tip has not acquired a blob of weld at the opening. Also that your drive wheel is set to the correct wire size, I think yours may be turned over to use either 0.6 or 0.8. No doubt you've been fiddling with the drive wheel tension, which is a pain to get right.
                Otherwise take it back!
                
                John

                • Welding, which set should I choose? 

                  Posted By : John Fannon, 26-Sep-2005, 01:14pm

                  
                  Yep....spent a couple of hours messing about with the the tension, re-feeding the wire, detaching and attaching the tip and checking that the wire goes through the tip without friction....but no...I managed one weld about 2" long in two hours!
                  
                  This isn't very good for a welder that's supposed to be useable straight away out the box. I don't want to be fiddling about with it all the time, so if it's a common problem it's going back!
                  
                  Anyone got any experience with the clark 130 migs? Also I've read Cebora are a good make, but there don't seem to be many places stocking them in the UK.
                  
                  Cheers
                  
                  John
                  

                  • Welding, which set should I choose? 

                    Posted By : Vin Poonwassie, 26-Sep-2005, 02:25pm

                    Hi, I've got a clarke 90, it's lots of years old and have had to change the tube that the wire goes down a few times in it's life. The stage it's at now is that I need to make darn sure that I have the hose a s straight as possible (even with a new wire feed tube) otherwise it will stick in the hose (not the brass nozzle, which wears by the wire cutting a slot in it over the years and has been replaced). Incidentally, Machine Mart sell two types of wire feed tube, normal for a cuople of quid and teflon for abot 15 quid.
                    
                    The reason for the increased propensity to stick after all these years after changing the bits in use are beyond me, but it has paid for itself many times over, I'm guessing you just got a bad one with a poor route through the main hose.

                  • Welding, which set should I choose? 

                    Posted By : Willie Cameron, 27-Sep-2005, 10:18pm

                    Hello John
                    I have the sip 130 turbo as well ,i also encountered many of the problems you have mentioned,i went on the net for advice and this was a great help for me ,because like yourself i thought that i could start welding straight out of the box,so here is some of the tips that i was offered, and the helped me learn to use my mig welder,first hold the torch and liner as straight as possible,then press the trigger the wire should run free, if it tangles within the machine, then your wire speed is too fast or you don't have enough tension on your wire feed wheel,if all is well,pull the trigger again,then hold the wire that exits the shroud lightly with two fingers,the wire feed should stop,if it does not stop then you have too much tension on the wire wheel,the liner inside the machine to the shroud can also be damaged if you had a molten blob at the shroud end and if you have pulled the wire through the liner from inside the machine,another main problem is not holding the mig torch as straight as possible and holding the shroud too close to the work causing splatter to block the tip thus preventing the wire feed,causing a birds nest inside the machine, i thought there was something wrong with the sip130 turbo when i first started to use it and i was going to return it to the shop ,but now i think it is a great machine adequate for my needs,also try this link,it is quite good http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/ i hope this advice helps.
                    regards willie cameron

                    • Welding, which set should I choose? 

                      Posted By : Philip Brammer, 27-Sep-2005, 11:21pm

                      Hi John. I've had a SiP migmate 130 for 2 years now but set up for gas. It's an excellent welder and I have had few problems with it. As Willie suggests check the tension by stopping the wire flow with finger and thumb and adjust the thumb wheel to suit. Are you using 0.6 or 0.8 wire? Also are you using gasless wire. Make sure the tension wheel is set for the type of wire you are using. Keep posting cos I know how frustrating it can be!! Adrian is a welder so I hope he posts a reply

                • Welding, which set should I choose? 

                  Posted By : Philip Willcocks, 28-Sep-2005, 12:36pm

                  Also check that the wire hasn't oxidised because of damp storage. This can cause the drive wheel to lose grip and the wire fouling in the guide tube.
                  It can also cause problems with poor electrical connectivity resulting in an intermitant spark.
                  

                  • Welding, which set should I choose? 

                    Posted By : John Fannon, 28-Sep-2005, 02:12pm

                    
                    Thanks everyone for the advice. I've spoken to SIP who reckon that the plastic liner has become kinked in the box resulting in the wire not feeding correctly. They're sending me a new liner, so hopefully I'll be able to finish the welding job this weekend.
                    
                    I've taken note of the advice on wire feed tension and will try adjusting this as well.
                    
                    Seems like this welder is probably a good one, but just packaged badly leading to the above problem. I'm still a bit frustrated that I've wasted 2hrs last weekend and now have to spend some time sorting it out this weekend before I can start welding!
                    
                    Cheers
                    
                    John