Choosing the right welder

[Tamcox]

Hello,

Need some advise please,


I have the chance of a oxford RT 300 for about £200 or what about this one

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/84600/Power-Tools/Welding/Fan-Cooled-Arc-Welder-250A

Just want something which can weld up to 1" thick in one pass, with out keep stopping.

Thanks,

Tam

 

[zzr1200]

Hello,

Need some advise please,

Just want something which can weld up to 1" thick in one pass, with out keep stopping.

Thanks,

Tam

There isn't a Arc Welder that is operated by hand that will weld 1" plate in one past.

 

[clem dog]

As Zz says one pass for one inch is not possible!! V out the gap and multiple passes are the answer, But snowy is the guy to see about that, he said in a post rcently that he considered quarter plate thin!!

You would deffo be better with the oxford than the air cooled for duty cycle as i would imagine that it is 100% duty cycle at max amps. Also it will be there long after the aircooled is long gone!

Be careful that the oxford is not 3 phase if you do not have a 3 phase supply!

HTH Gareth

 

[Tamcox]

Ok Thanks,

Whats is your opinion on the welder from screwfix,I want something that will weld 100mm x 100mm thick walled box section without having to V them out just butt them and weld,

Will this welder do the job without keep stoping.

 

[clem dog]

A quick google threw this up

http://www.amazon.com/250-AMP-Welder-Machine-Accessories/dp/B000GQZYXQ

Similar witha 10% duty cycle = lots of stops methinks!

 

[clem dog]

Have a look at this thread about duty cycles on an air cooled!
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=12091

 

[zzr1200]

Its not the size (100 x 100) but the thickness thats the problem.

I'd go for the Oxford, if you have the mains supply single or three phase.

Installing the cabling/fuse box/plugs/sockets for the mains supply may well cost more than either welder, work out all the costs first.

PS> even if you wanted a full penetration weld on 10 mm plate, you would still have to prep the plate edges and have a root face gap, then root weld and cap.

 

[oilcooled :)]

take the oxford defo cause if your planning to take weld 1" thick and you buy the air cooled you might want to also take up smoking while ur waiting for the damn thing to cool down when it overheats every 10 mins

 

[Tamcox]

Its not the size (100 x 100) but the thickness thats the problem.

I'd go for the Oxford, if you have the mains supply single or three phase.

Installing the cabling/fuse box/plugs/sockets for the mains supply may well cost more than either welder, work out all the costs first.

PS> even if you wanted a full penetration weld on 10 mm plate, you would still have to prep the plate edges and have a root face gap, then root weld and cap.

ok, Thanks, Lost the option of the oxford (waited to long and its sold)

what I am trying to craft is a Rear bale spike for my Tractor,Something like this.

So what welder would you suggest for this kind of application??

 

[GeorgeB]

what I am trying to craft is a Rear bale spike for my Tractor,Something like this. So what welder would you suggest for this kind of application??

I agree with suggestions that an oil immersed welder like the Oxford would be best in terms of welding 1" thick steel, hour after hour (or even for 10 minutes).

A more modern transformer-based, 'turbo' air cooled set of the same amperage as an Oxford (like 180A or 250A) would do almost as well in terms of penetrating the steel but is likely to have a much lower duty cycle, so you'd need to allow perhaps 10 minutes cooling for every 1 or 2 minutes welding if the welder is set on maximum output. I could live with that, in preference to accommodating the bulk of an Oxford but it's a personal choice.

It might well be worth waiting for a suitable Oxford to come up on eBay, if you have the space to house it.

But for an assembly like the red bracket you show, I know my 130A Cosmo buzz box would join those box sections together because it's nowhere near an inch thick. Or I could probably use the 75A MMA DC inverter I have. I'm sure that has enough power for a bracket like that, but again, not for 1" thick metal.

 

[clem dog]

You would still be better to wait for an oilcooled welder for that type of work. Much better duty cycles. That aircooled on the google link had a 10% duty cycle. Now what amps that was at and what ambient temp it was measured at is still a mystery!!

Keep an eye for listings on ebay as they can go for quite handy money on there.

If you have three phase supply maybe you should speak to Zardoz as i beleive he had an oxford oilcooled for sale lately that was 3 phase.

A 180/200 amp welder would be a nice enough size for that sort of work as you will have better weld with a bit of prep and multi runs. Thats where the duty cycle comes into play. Burn a few rods in multi runs with an aircooled and have a smoke/cup of tea till it cools. Use the oilcooled on the other hand and stop when you are finished.

But in this case get some gloves as itll probably get quite warm!


Hope this helps

Gareth

 

[Drains]

Tam, you can do the work you want with any weld set that will manage a 100% duty cycle at 80A.

You are not doing 1" welds, you're welding 1" material. You can do that with multiple passes with a 2.5mm rod, no bother. 2.5mm 6013's need about 90A, but as you have to change rods and chip the slag, you won't be working the machine for 100% of the time


Admittedly it would be easier and quicker with 3.2's, but you'd need a 100% cycle at around 120A for that.

If I were doing that job I'd use a 7018 rod at 3.2mm, but you need a good open circuit voltage for 7018's (the Oxford will do it, the screwfix one not). 7018's have a better tensile strength.


Edit. Buy the screwfix one. But don't buy screwfix rods. You can use 6013's, 3.2's, that transformer will run them all day.

 

[Tamcox]

Hi Drains, Clem-dog,

Thanks for all your help and advice,which I am very grateful,

I do have a real cheapo 130 amp arc welder ,But wanted to get a better rated one,so hence my plea for help??

There is quite a few on ebay which I am keeping a eye on,If i am successful I will have run a independent supply for it ,which is not a problem as I have just put in a 16mm feed to my workshop,

what brand of rods should I be looking out for???

Thanks,

Tam.

 

[mgarym]

100x100 seems a bit too big for a bale spike
mine is 70x70 with 50x50 braces and it's heavy enough
to attach to the tractor
make sure you get a weld in sleeve for the spike
the spike on mine has got a bit loose over the years

 

[Tamcox]

100x100 seems a bit too big for a bale spike
mine is 70x70 with 50x50 braces and it's heavy enough
to attach to the tractor
make sure you get a weld in sleeve for the spike
the spike on mine has got a bit loose over the years

The reason I am using the 100 x 100 is because most of the ones I have seen are that size and the other is a mate gave me some off cuts which are the right length

I take onboard what your saying about the spike and I was going to reinforce the box on the front and back.

Thanks

Tam

 

[Drains]

Tamcox. Brands of rod - almost any! There are lots around, BOC, Oerlikon,Lincoln, Esab, Murex, Nexus etc etc. You can go for "white box" rods from probably any of those suppliers, (or many others), or you can go up a grade to branded rods in brand boxes, with trade names.

The ones to avoid are anything from Machine Mart or Screwfix. If you can find a local welding supplier, just ask for 5kg of 6013s in the size of your choice. Whatever you get should be usable.

Re the type of welder - if you can get a deal on an Oxford, it'll serve you much better than a Screwfix jobbie, though that would do what you need.

 

[Tamcox]

Hi Drains,

Let you know how I get on regards the oxford,

Just one thing though,Would that 130 amp cheapo be man enough to run the 6013- 3.2's

Thanks

Tam

 

[clem dog]

Tam 3.2 rods need 140 amp so not really. You could run 2.5s as Drains has said they need round 90amps . Go into 180 amps and you can run 4mm rods.

If you are not on a budget what about an inverter! Much smaller and lighter, better duty cycles and some even have a TIG facility, if you gets bored

 

[Tamcox]

Tam 3.2 rods need 140 amp so not really. You could run 2.5s as Drains has said they need round 90amps . Go into 180 amps and you can run 4mm rods.

If you are not on a budget what about an inverter! Much smaller and lighter, better duty cycles and some even have a TIG facility, if you gets bored

You're not a mind reader are you

I have just pm matt on a Lorch H140 MMA which I think the maximum is 3.2, and the price is fairly reasonable.

which would be ok what what I would need, ( I think )

 

[clem dog]

Also with the dc you will be able to run special electrodes of you ever need to!