Advice on a buying my first welder

[eddie49]

the blue wire is connected to the L/+ bit and the brown one to the other connector. surely they should be connected the other way round

It looks like Uptime really don't know anything about mains plugs...!
Yes, they have got those two pins the wrong way round, the brown ( Live ) wire should be on the pin marked "L/+".
When you swap to a normal 13A plug, wire it in the standard layout ( brown Live via fuse, blue Neutral, green/yellow Earth ).

 

[Stupoty]

If you intend to run your welding machine off a standard 13amp socket, I'd suggest using one of these fly leads which is designed to allow you to plug a 16amp plug into a 13amp socket. I used one before I had a 16amp socket installed.

https://www.toolstation.com/fly-lead-socket-convertor/p47166

Thats what I do for my welder if I need to use it any place there isn't a blue cee form 16A . It's fine 120A and below if I remember and if you do draw too much for too long the fuse will blow and all will be well

 

[Fluxia]

After a long(ish) wait I received my regulator yesterday and today I managed to so some "welding" for the first time. Nothing good of course but at least I saw some sparkles
I burnt the tip at some point while I was trying to join two penny washers. I did not manage to join them (just a lot of spatters and no weld) and I thought that maybe the washers were made of stainless steel (?). Is this also what caused the backburn?.... Anyway...I got some scrap mild steel from a local metal constructor and tried on that, but I suppose I need to do some research about how to find the right settings - as the result wasn't good (the weld had no penetration at all.

I must say I am quite happy with this welder so far. Not that I can give an opinion about performance (see above ) but having seen some tutorials about R-tech it looks like the parts inside are very very similar. I may be wrong, I am not experienced.... but I have the feeling that this welder is going to be good. I d like to thank Eddie49 for his advice:

This inverter MIG and MMA ( Arc ) set is a lot cheaper - 155 Pounds :
https://www.uptimewelding.co.uk/upt...-160-amp-igbt-with-torch-and-accessories.html
It has been reviewed on this Forum:
https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum...igbt-160-amp-mig-welder-mma-euro-torch.88278/
I have one, it's been fine. Usual caveats apply about reliability, guarantee, and customer service.

I am also planning to practice arc welding and I would like a suggestion about which sticks to buy - are the screwfix E6013 2.5 good for general use? are they good for anything else than mild steel? (ie stainless steel?).

Eddie 49 I have read in the manual that I would need to change the yellow wire inside and connect it to the negative connector. Just want to double check with you (if you have used the welder for arc welding).

Cheers!

 

[eddie49]

The Uptime 160 will arc weld without any further changes. Just switch the selector from MIG to MMA, connect the Arc welding leads ( electrode holder to the positive - lower- Dinse socket, "Earth" clamp to the negative - upper- Dinse socket ), insert a 2.5mm 6013 rod in the electrode holder, dial up 70 - 100 Amps, and orft you go.
Basic arc welding tutorial: https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/learning-arc.htm
The Screwfix E6013 rods will work, the quality can be hit-&-miss depending on the batch you happen to get, most people consider 3.2mm rods ( 110 Amps ) easier for a beginner.
For comments and advice about your initial MIG welds, please post some pictures here... we promise not to be too harsh. Best to start with simple straight beads on 2 - 3mm bright shiny sheet steel at around 70 Amps. ( 30 to 40 Amps per mm, or 1 Amp per thousandth of an inch ). Don't forget to shut off the main valve on the gas cylinder when you finish welding - do not rely on the gas solenoid valve in the welder.

Regarding the "Manual" and the yellow cable: these welders are normally shipped set up for solid wire with gas, i.e. the MIG torch is positive, and the work return clamp ( "Earth" ) is negative.
Inside the MIG wire spool compartment, the black cable with red heatshrink ends, connected deeper inside to the finned aluminium heatsink, is the positive welder power output. This is bolted to the back of the positive - lower - Dinse socket.
The black cable with black heatshrink ends, bolted to the heavy track on the inverter printed circuit board, is the negative welder power output. It is bolted to the back of the negative - upper - Dinse socket.

The yellow cable is the feed-in to the brass block of the Eurotorch socket. As shipped, this should be on the back of the lower - positive - Dinse socket, and is correct for solid MIG wire with gas. If you wanted to try gasless flux-core wire, you would move this yellow wire to the negative - upper - Dinse socket, and then on the front of the machine you would swap the work return cable from the upper ( -ve ) to the lower ( +ve ) Dinse socket. The gasless MIG wire would then be negative at the torch.
This swap would only be done to change between gas and no-gas MIG welding. For Arc welding, you would simply put the cable with the electrode holder into the appropriate socket, positive or negative, depending on what is the required polarity for the chosen welding rod.

 

[Fluxia]

Thank you very much for advice!! I am glad I asked!
I will definitively post some pictures soon, never mind if you will be harsh, the quickest way to learn is to get feedback from others!! Cheers

 

[Fluxia]

here they are... pictures of some of the beads I have done today (some of them clearly messed up). I was using a steel sheet of 1.5mm, trying amp settings between 50 and 70 and various wire speed (most effective seemed to be with the dial at 11 o'clock). gas pressure was about 11-12 LPM.

 

[eddie49]

That's good !
Obviously some more practice will help to improve things like consistency, torch angle, travel speed, and arc length ( torch height ), but for a first attempt that is very commendable. Did you get a regulator with a needle valve and "Pea Shooter" ? Indoors, you can probably get away with 8 - 10 LPM.

 

[eDJ]

After this post I've ended up buy the uptime as well.
I only ordered today.

My question what auto darkening helmet is ok for this? Max I'm after spending would be £50 not rigid on it though. From the YouTube video comments you can do tig welding from this welder to with a scratch start. I'm hoping I can weld stainless and aluminium. In mig mode not tig. But I would try tig down the line

 

[Fluxia]

That's good !
Obviously some more practice will help to improve things like consistency, torch angle, travel speed, and arc length ( torch height ), but for a first attempt that is very commendable. Did you get a regulator with a needle valve and "Pea Shooter" ? Indoors, you can probably get away with 8 - 10 LPM.

Thank you!! clearly these are my best attempts. others were not so good i.e. the one you can see at the bottom right. It looked like I could not maintain the arc on these ones and I am not sure if it was the arc length (torch too high), or the amp setting too low... it would just pop and spatter. I also tried to decrease the wire speed to have a less thick bead but that did not work very well.

 

[Fluxia]

After this post I've ended up buy the uptime as well.
I only ordered today.

My question what auto darkening helmet is ok for this? Max I'm after spending would be £50 not rigid on it though.

I am glad this post will also help others deciding. As for my helmet I bought it from Aldi for £22 It works fine (although I have never tried another one to compare). I find that pulling it up and down can be a bit fiddly (I have to tighten it often) . I saw they have it in LIDL as well and it's cheaper - probably same quality. The welder comes also with its own mask (hand held).

 

[Fluxia]

Did you get a regulator with a needle valve and "Pea Shooter" ?

I got this one https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/22-8mm-A...ig-Valve-Regulator-Welder-CGA540/163954239704

 

[Fluxia]

The Uptime 160 will arc weld without any further changes. Just switch the selector from MIG to MMA, connect the Arc welding leads ( electrode holder to the positive - lower- Dinse socket, "Earth" clamp to the negative - upper- Dinse socket ), insert a 2.5mm 6013 rod in the electrode holder, dial up 70 - 100 Amps, and orft you go.

I have tried arc welding today. found it a little bit more challenging. Firstly, I am not sure what the "inductance" knob was doing. I tried different settings, but I failed to understand the difference.
At times the electrode got stuck to the metal, not sure if that's because I got too close?
I was using the 3.2 mm electrodes and set the voltage at 110v. Am I supposed to leave it at 110 or do I need to increase it for any reason?

 

[Yamhon]

I have tried arc welding today. found it a little bit more challenging. Firstly, I am not sure what the "inductance" knob was doing. I tried different settings, but I failed to understand the difference.
At times the electrode got stuck to the metal, not sure if that's because I got too close?
I was using the 3.2 mm electrodes and set the voltage at 110v. Am I supposed to leave it at 110 or do I need to increase it for any reason?

I believe inductance only works for MIG mode.

 

[Fluxia]

I believe inductance only works for MIG mode.

Thanks Yamhon!
Maybe that's why I was getting thick beads when mig welding. I left the inductance at 0 (for some reason I thought it was a setting for arc welding). I found this video which explaines in simple terms, but he says that it is also for arc welding(?).
https://www.google.com/search?q=mig...me&ie=UTF-8#kpvalbx=_sy9zXrzWGo2YsAesp6vACg27

 

[Yamhon]

Thanks Yamhon!
Maybe that's why I was getting thick beads when mig welding. I left the inductance at 0 (for some reason I thought it was a setting for arc welding). I found this video which explaines in simple terms, but he says that it is also for arc welding(?).
https://www.google.com/search?q=mig...me&ie=UTF-8#kpvalbx=_sy9zXrzWGo2YsAesp6vACg27

Some machines have one control that does inductance when set in MIG mode and arc force when set in MMA mode.

I've only done MIG and a bit of TIG so cant help much with MMA.

 

[Warrell]

Hi Guys, Sorry to hijack the tread but I purchased the uptime based off this post aswell. Given my current space constraints I need to use the disposable gas bottles (Sorry!) can anyone point me in the direction of a suitable regulator. I have seen this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sealey-REG...isposable+gas+regulator&qid=1586527719&sr=8-1

but the outlet doesn't look right should it not be something like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Generic-Ba...ds=Brass+Barbed+Fitting&qid=1586528226&sr=8-5 ?

 

[Yamhon]

Hi Guys, Sorry to hijack the tread but I purchased the uptime based off this post aswell. Given my current space constraints I need to use the disposable gas bottles (Sorry!) can anyone point me in the direction of a suitable regulator. I have seen this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sealey-REG...isposable+gas+regulator&qid=1586527719&sr=8-1

but the outlet doesn't look right should it not be something like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Generic-Ba...ds=Brass+Barbed+Fitting&qid=1586528226&sr=8-5 ?

First one is correct for what it is, but whether it'll be suitable for your machine, will depend on your machine. If yours is a hobby style MIG machine, it'll probably have a 4mm hose coming out of the machine or left loose internally somewhere, you just push that into the connection with the blue (sometimes black or silver) ring. To release the hose you pull the ring back and pull out the hose.

 

[eddie49]

The Uptime 160 MIG/MMA gas connector is a barbed 8mm ( 5/16" ) panel-mounted tail on the rear case of the machine. It should be connected to a metre or two of clear braided 8mm plastic hose. The other end would fit the brass barbed couplers that you linked to. However, you would need to screw the 1/4" male BSP end of that coupler into the disposable regulator in the place of the "push-fit" connector that Yamhon mentioned. I do not know if the thread there is 1/4", and often these fittings are bonded with a very strong sealant that requires heat and a lot of force to open.
In any case, as as said in my post #10 on this thread:
"Disposable gas bottles ? Just say no! Really, especially for a beginner and on a limited budget, that would be the worst possible choice."

You will be lucky to get 10 minutes usage out of a disposable, this will pass very quickly as you get used to setting up the new welder. It would be like setting fire to £20 notes. Anything is better than disposables, even gasless flux-core wire.

 

[Yamhon]

If the welder is anything like one of mine, the barbed fitting on the back will have a push fitting on the inside, so you can remove the barb fitting and just use the hose or you can get an adapter on Ebay for around £1.50, whatever works.

 

[JacobsMess]

sorry to resurrect this but I've just got my uptime welder and I'm struggling to get a hose for it. Machine mart didn't have anything, BOC sold me a 6.3mm ID hose with screw fittings either end and suggested I cut one end, but I want to be sure before slicing into the expensive hose they sold me.
Above it's mentioned its an 8mm hose, I measured the barb and it looked more like 6mm to me. Can anyone confirm this? its an uptime MIG160