Hobby car welder

[tony.]

Hello everyone,

I did go through some searches on the forum before posting, but I do apologise if this may have been posted before and is a duplicate. I am looking for some clear direction and advice please.

This is a father-son project:
We have a rusty car that requires some welding on its body and a bit on the chassis. My father used an arc welder in his youth, but nothing for many years, while I haven't touch a welder ever. I've read that for car body and chassis, a MIG welder is ideal. He's a bit overwhelmed by how to set-up the settings properly on a MIG welder, so I said I'll do some research on this. I've also read stories of people not using the right welder and being put off welding, which we'd like to avoid.

Our budget is not great, but looking at something in the £100-£300 area. Happy to go second hand on marketplace if I would know what I should look for please.

On a side note, I've read on a thread on this forum that this would be a very good first welder, that would do a good job for car welding:

Professional 140A Gasless MIG, TIG and MMA 3-in-1 Welder Non Live Torch model 230V No Gas with Mask & Welding Wire

This model has 3 functions, working as MIG, TIG and MMA welding PRODUCT NAME; * 140 Welder 140A With Accessories. For greater welding control the wire is only live when trigger is used Cheaper models have permanent live feed wire making it difficult to set the wire in the correct starting...

dirtyprotools.co.uk

I've also read a review on this forum of this welder here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/332425324277 ... It looks like a very good option, although dearer than the one above. Is it worth the difference?

Yes, I did read about the R-Tech 181 that has automatic settings, but that's more of a dream machine, out of our budget for now.

Thank you all in advance,
Tony.

 

[Mark 2]

Tbh, that's a low budget, the use of the word 'professional' and £100 should tell you all you need to know.
See if your local lidl still has the mig. They may have wire and semi decent helmet as well.
Welcome

 

[tony.]

Thank you, I'll have a look at Lidl, is this a "seasonal" offer?

 

[Smallfry]

Just to echo what Mark 2 has said, you may be disappointed with this. A very experienced welder may be able to do decent welds with it, but a novice can be put off for life. They other thing is, how long will it last. This is a problem with cheap machines. Especially now that they are mostly electronic.

When I bought my first MIG in 1984 or 5, it cost a lot ...... TBH I can't remember the figure, but was about six weeks pay back then ! I still have it incidentally, plus another bigger one I bought twenty years ago. Although I am apprenticed body and paint back in the 1970s, I got out of it, and it has only been a hobby to me.

Personally, although the modern ones are easier to use and set up, being mostly automatic, if you are on a limited budget, I would suggest buying an older used transformer model, as they tend to last better, and you can get a PROPER professional machine, which will yield better results.

You also need lots and lots of lovely practice too !

 

[tony.]

Yes, I understand what you mean with the "professional" one for £100. I'll drop that swiftly from my list, thank you.

Would this ebay one fall into the same category?

200 Amp MIG IGBT Welder, Gas/Gasless, Best Seller on eBay, 240v. Blackline Tools | eBay

DC current, fan cooled, thermostatically protected, suitable for gas MIG/MAG or flux (gasless) welding wire.If you are using flux cored wire for gasless you do not need to reverse the polarity, just install the wire and weld.Also suitable for welding low carbon, low alloy, stainless steels...

www.ebay.co.uk

A reputable member of this forum did a nice review here:

Review - Blackline 200 Amp MIG MAG MMA (ARC) Welder

Bought this from an ebay seller https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200-Amp-MIG-IGBT-Welder-Gas-Gasless-Best-Seller-on-eBay-240v-Blackline-Tools/332425324277?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 Turned up within two days so they must hold decent UK stocks and it was very well packed...

www.mig-welding.co.uk

Cheers,
Tony.

 

[Cobbler]

Hi Tony, welcome to the forum, lots of good advice on here. You don’t say where you are, but I was going to put my Clarke 160TM up for sale, it’s like brand new, in perfect condition with a spare torch. I’ve just replaced it with an RTech as it’s not so heavy. If you are anywhere near Gloucestershire, you are welcome to try it.

 

[Islander71]

I bought a Rohr 200 amp welder which appears unavailable now. It is probably very similar to the Blackline machine ( both are Chinese made inverter welders), and have been very pleased with how it welds. If turned up to near full power it does need a 16 amp plug, but most car welding could be done with a 13 amp plug on. I think you'd get on fine with the Blackline.

 

[tony.]

Hi Tony, welcome to the forum, lots of good advice on here. You don’t say where you are, but I was going to put my Clarke 160TM up for sale, it’s like brand new, in perfect condition with a spare torch. I’ve just replaced it with an RTech as it’s not so heavy. If you are anywhere near Gloucestershire, you are welcome to try it.

Thank you kindly!
Sorry, for my lack of location we're based in Edinburgh, so I can't travel so far for the welder...

 

[tony.]

I bought a Rohr 200 amp welder which appears unavailable now. It is probably very similar to the Blackline machine ( both are Chinese made inverter welders), and have been very pleased with how it welds. If turned up to near full power it does need a 16 amp plug, but most car welding could be done with a 13 amp plug on. I think you'd get on fine with the Blackline.

Good, thank you for sharing this. Glad to hear.

 

[tony.]

For the BlackLine welder, would 50a (minimum) not be a bit too much for welding thin car body parts?

 

[Cobbler]

Thank you kindly!
Sorry, for my lack of location we're based in Edinburgh, so I can't travel so far for the welder...

Ok , it was just a thought, it’s too heavy to post, give the postie a hernia

 

[CompoSimmonite]

I had a Clarke 100E for many years as my "starter" MIG. Restored many cars with it and only upgraded to a larger machine when I needed a longer duty cycle. FWIW local college has 100E's for students to learn the basics which must reflect on their useage.

 

[dave h 2]

For the BlackLine welder, would 50a (minimum) not be a bit too much for welding thin car body parts?

You want 30A min really.

 

[Richiew]

The fifty amp label has been discussed before. It is not accurate.

You can trust Eddie49 on here to know what he is talking about.

which MIG should I buy?

Will do :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

www.mig-welding.co.uk

 

[JOEPRO]

I bought a Rohr 200 amp welder which appears unavailable now. It is probably very similar to the Blackline machine ( both are Chinese made inverter welders), and have been very pleased with how it welds. If turned up to near full power it does need a 16 amp plug, but most car welding could be done with a 13 amp plug on. I think you'd get on fine with the Blackline.

For the BlackLine welder, would 50a (minimum) not be a bit too much for welding thin car body parts?

I have a Rohr same as blackline. And a R tech MIG 180. IMO the blackline is great value for money and welds every bit as smooth as the R Tech. Note R tech have great support and a 5 year warranty.

In regard to the amps, I do alot of car bodywork welding with both welders. And realistically since thin bodywork is welded in a series of tacks to prevent warping, I find myself using more like 80 - 100amps for a tack with good penetration. (Otherise too low amps and you'd get proud welds with little integtry)

 

[Dragnet]

I've been doing car work with a secondhand Sealey 130XT Turbo, and welded most of a house clad in 3mm weathering steel. This name suggests it would go to 130A, but if it does it won't do it for very long. The ratings plate says 50A - 105A (15% duty cycle). It can blow through but it's been fine on 0.9mm sheet for the sort of bodywork tacks that are normal, as JOEPRO says. That was £50 on Gumtree, though I bought new parts like liner and fittings.

I have got fed up after several years with the torch length and coarseness of the settings, so treated myself to a secondhand larger welder. £125 got me a working (tried before buying) Eland 200 with a Eurotorch connector and a 5m torch cord, so I can leave it in the corner and still get to where I need to weld. It's a transformer machine from several decades ago, which means it's large and heavy but very robust. Crucially, the relative lack of complexity in the circuitry compared with a modern inverter welder means it's likely always going to be repairable, which I can do myself if necessary. If you have the space, or don't need to lug the machine around a lot, I would strongly advise spending something around what you're planning on spending, but get a secondhand semi-industrial machine that would have cost many times your budget when new. It can take a bit of looking, but you'll find it much less angsty than using a cheap rebadged Chinese machine that may break immediately and be irreparable.

 

[eddie49]

Despite the name, the Dirty Pro is actually not a bad machine! It offers a lot of features in a very small, light, and very cheap package. It is the size of a shoebox and costs 100 Quid! It has a short permanently-attached torch ( not a Euro-torch ), but that does have a narrow gas shroud, which is good for access into confined spaces.
(When using flux-core gasless wire, the shroud can be removed anyway.)
Like the "automatic" R-Tech 181, it is a synergic MIG. This means that both the DC output voltage and the wire speed are controlled by a single dial, which is calibrated from 0.5mm to an optimistic 5mm of material thickness. The programmed wirespeed/voltage ratio can also be fine-tuned or "trimmed" with a -1 / 0 / +1 voltage control. In addition. the welder has full manual control, with dials for wirespeed and volts.

This inverter welder, and almost all others in this class, can also be used for Arc ( MMA ) welding. This option allows thick material, such as chassis, angle iron, shelf brackets, engine stands, etc. to be welded using stick electrodes.

At a third of the price, the Dirty Pro is not as powerful or robust as the BlackLine 200, which has a good reputation. One slight difficulty is that on the BlackLine reversing polarity of the torch from positive to negative, to allow use with gasless fluxcore wire, is not straightforward, but this can be fixed quite easily.

Another brand to consider in the 140-Amp category is StaticArc.

For a simple, cheap and reliable transformer machine, buying secondhand is quite a safe bet. If this is an option for you, post links to offers in your local area ( such as eBay, Gumtree, Facebook ) and we could advise if they are suitable.

There is a lot of advice for the first-time buyer in this thread:

Thinking about a Draper / SIP Mig welder

Hello, I've just registered to this forum, it seems to be the go to place for advice after spending weeks savaging the internet for information... Thinking about buying a MIG welder to mainly work on car bodywork, would like the option for welding 5/6mm steel and also the possibility of...

www.mig-welding.co.uk

Please be aware that learning how to fix a rusty motor vehicle is a special and difficult sub-set of general welding skills - which are already tough enough to start with. Cutting out rust, fabricating and fettling sheet metal patches, then welding them in hard-to-reach areas under a car is a steep learning curve, and requires many tools apart from just a welder. The metalwork is probably already 80% of the job. The actual welding is the last 20%. Oh, and then comes the grinding it out and starting all over again...

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