Hello & Help

[Sigy]

Hi Everyone, First of all I'd like to say what a great forum with all the Tips and Advice. I've just bought my first welder off ebay and then I found this site. Maybe I should have found this site first "Too Late Now" Hopefully, I've done ok as I resisted the cheap Makes with all the cheap extras and bought a 2nd hand Sealey Supermig 150/1 for under £100. Have I made the right choice? Now I know you're going to ask what I intend to weld, and as I told my brother "any two bits of metal that aren't moving to start with Later on the intention is to repair my son's go cart and when I become more confident maybe convert it to take a battery & Motor! and then a classic car. I did a bit of gas & Arc welding at college decades ago and tried a mates Mig last year for the 1st time (He did set it up for me though, I just pointed & Pressed), but I did ok.

Now for the Help;

The 150 only has 4 settings on it and I read that this maybe too powerful for car body work, is that right?

As I intend to buy a new reel of wire should I start off with 0.6mm to help wire? (Better for thin metal?)

Do you need to change the Tips if you change the wire thickness? (I know you have to change the feed roller)

The welder comes with an "argon pipe with regulator but no bottle". What bottle can I use with this regulator? i.e can I use CO2 or is this solely for Argon or Argon / CO2 mix? and what should I be using?

Finally, where can I get a rent free bottle from around Stockton, Darlington or middlesbrough without spending a fortune?

Thanks in advance for all your help and advice and I look forward to your thoughts

Sigy

 

[the snooper]

you will have to chance the tip for .6 wire, you can use Co2 or argon / Co2 mix and it all depends whether you have a regulator for a disposible bottle which by the way is a very expensive way to weld, you could try to get hold of a pure Co2 pub bottle and regulator to go with it

 

[Sigy]

Regulator

Cheers For The Info Snooper. Although I have yet to pick up the Mig the Regulator looks like it has a dual gauge, i.e contents and Pressure and looks too large for a Small disposable bottle. I am right in thinking that the CO2 Regulators for pub bottles are of a different connection than normal Mig CO2 Bottles?

Cheers

 

[cumbriasteve]

The small disposable tend to have a simple turn valve regulator and not one with guages on it.

I think you may have a proper regulator for Co2 bottles, as you mention..pub bottles, which are way way cheaper to run than the disposables.

 

[Laird13]

Hi just bought a new supermig 150 myself haven't used it yet as still working on a gas supply. but just to let you know the regulator I got with it fits co2 pub size bottles and also has adapter to fit argon mix bottles aswell. hope this helps.

 

[Sigy]

Gas Supply

Hi just bought a new supermig 150 myself haven't used it yet as still working on a gas supply. but just to let you know the regulator I got with it fits co2 pub size bottles and also has adapter to fit argon mix bottles aswell. hope this helps.

Thanks for the info. I didn't know where to turn for gas either so I ended up with the BOC option as it's a quick cheap outlay. The rental is £18 / year but if you take it back after 6Mths you'd get £9 back (so I was told) so this gives me time to hunt around to see if I can get a better deal, but get practicing in the mean time.