Here's the Daddy!

[shepsy]

until i found this site i had never heard of portamig but there spec seems spot on

amps ain't worth a light if you haven't got the duty cycle, i needed a constant 350 amps so ended up buying a 550 amp just to get the 350 amp at 100% cycle

a few days ago i thought i stumbled across a nice cheap arc inverter 140 amps, did a goggle on it and found it only had 140 amp at 20% cycle in other words CRAP



sheps

 

[Rail_Head]

Here's the Daddy's son........

Recently collected my new Portamig 231 from weldequip in Burnley.

It was good to put a face to the name!! He's not that scary despite what people say !!!!!

Seriously though top bloke - someone who actually cares about the stuff he sells!

Not been able to crank the 231 right up to max as i'm still working on putting a dedicated supply into the garage.

So only used it on a 13A supply for now. Straight away on using it what a difference a 'real' welder makes !!! (was using, dare I say it, a SiP 130). I choose this model as it still has the ability to do 20A up to 230A which I feel is a good range and should cover most welding I do. I was pleased with the internals of the machine – you can tell they are built with care in mind and not just thrown together!

Full report to follow when the dedicate supply is finished and I get a bit more time in the workshop!! - 3 month old baby still hard work & i'm really getting sick of watching crap ‘phone-in-and-never-win’ tv at 3 & 4 in the mornin!!!

 

[PyroDan]

Hi Rail_Head

Good to see your new toy, I was wondering if you could do me a favour...

The 231 is what I'm saving for, however the storage area I have for it has a door that's only 130cm high... If that is a size X or Y cylinder, could you measure from the floor to the top of the regulator please?

From that picture it looks like I'll be cutting it a little close!

Thanks
Danny

 

[t'rusty duck]

Danny,
assuming that the casing for a Portamig 231 is the same as the one used for a 211, it might well be a tight squeeze unless the bottle you use is the type where the regulator sits horizontallly.
If it's any help, with a 'Midi' size bottle parked on my 211, it's 1.040m to the top of the guard around the valve.
Ken.
( Probably best if I don't post a recent picture, as Weldequip might not be too impressed with the tide mark evident on the bench legs. By the time I'd got a second pump installed and running last Monday, the water was 3 inches deep in the workshop. There was no chance of getting anything out either, since the lake outside the shed had been almost a foot deep at first light... )

Hi Rail_Head

Good to see your new toy, I was wondering if you could do me a favour...

The 231 is what I'm saving for, however the storage area I have for it has a door that's only 130cm high... If that is a size X or Y cylinder, could you measure from the floor to the top of the regulator please?

From that picture it looks like I'll be cutting it a little close!

Thanks
Danny

 

[Drains]

Danny. The BOC book gives approx sizes. I've put in prices too:-
X size is 940mm x 140mm dia. 19KG, 2.4M3 content. £28.14 refill (argoshield light or universal). £51.76 annual rent
Y size is 930mm x 20mm dia. 40 KG, 4.7M3 content. ££37.48 refill, £66.09 rent.
Prices include VAT.


I don't know if the size includes the valve (i'm not at work, so can't check), but as you can see it's the diameter that is substantially different.
My advice, if you want it, is go for the Y. The rental and refill charges are only slightly higher than the X, but you get a twice as much gas

You can always whip the bottle off to get the unit into your store. You wont need to disconnect anything, just take it off the step on the machine.

 

[PyroDan]

Thanks for all that, I hate to say it, but I already knew the cylinder sizes... I have a PDF of them. I'll be going with a Y size. I'm just worried about the total height. To be perfectly honest, I could take the cylinder off getting it out and packing away, but that's what I really want to avoid. Call me a pussy, but high pressure cylinders scare the crap out of me for some reason, even standing next to my 8 bar compressor while it was filling used to have me a little worried. So moving cylinders with the regulator fitted just isn't what I want to do. And taking them off and fitting the cap would be a lot of arseing about I guess... (Never used a big cylinder before)

I was wondering, Do BOC do custom fills? I know they do a size E for oxygen which is only 50x15cm but will they fill one with argosheild? I'm not planning on using it often, couple times a month maybe but it would make storage a lot easier if a Y doesn't fit.

Thanks
Danny

 

[Drains]

You could customise the portamig. Make it a lowrider.

Those arn't big cylinders Danny. 40kg is easy to move.

I doubt that BOC will do a custom fill. The cyclinders must be coloured to suit the gas, and it'll cost you an arm and a leg, whatever.

Even if the cyl has the regulator attached it should make no odds, as you should always turn the cylinder off at the valve when not in use!! There is no danger, at all, unless you take a sledgehammer to the valve to see if you can make a rocket.

 

[Rail_Head]

PyroDan

 

[Rail_Head]

PyroDan
Sorry not got back to you sooner !

(been working away most of this week - anyone else working a Sellafield??)

The height from the floor to the top of the hose (allowing for a good bend radius on the hose) is a tad short of 130cm. This is with a Size X gas bottle. Bear in mind that i'm using a CO2 gauge on an adapter (to run Argoshelid) so this is adding 40mm to the overall height.

So it looks like you will be fine!!

Enjoy the 231 - I am !!!

 

[PyroDan]

That's excellent news! thanks very much for your time.

Danny

 

[solenoid]

Hi can tell me what sort of money the 550 would cost.
Thanks