New to Arc Welding

[flinny01]

Hi Everyone,

I am completely new to all types of welding. I would like to be able to make bicycle racks and very basic repairs to my defender. Is Arc welding the way to go? I am planning on doing lots of practice first before going anywhere near the truck, on lots of bits of scrap metal. What is the deal with different Amp welders? Why go for 250A over 150A for example? and anything I should bear in mind when shopping around? I have pasted a few links to welders I am looking at. I dont want to spend too much, but If I can get all my metal from scrap yards etc, it should pay for itself eventually!

http://www.screwfix.com/p/160a-fan-cooled-arc-welder/25924

http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=133264

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-...NYXY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1304712559&sr=8-2

Thanks

Adam

 

[brightspark]

ark welders are fine for anything over a 1/6th thickness of metal but for thinner materials the amperage isnt low enough and would burn through the metal . a mig is the way forward for bodywork or gas welding gear but u probably wouldnt want the hassle and price of renting bottles and learning to gas weld its handy to have all 3 types if u can warrant the use

 

[Wozzaaah]

None of those welders are any use to you whatsoever. To be honest, they're probably the worst 3 machines we've ever been asked to comment on.
As BS says, get a mig, about 150A will do you, certainly no less if you're doing landy repairs.
Do your homework to avoid buying rubbish, there's a lot of it about, especially on Ebay.
Avoid SIP, Draper, Wolf, Silverline, Giant if at all possible.

 

[NeilH]

save your money. those welders are so bad they dont even do what they were designed for.

ive got a 140 amp one nearly identical to the silverline one you posted.

its worse than useless.

 

[bluebobtail]

As Wozzaaah said get a mig.
The arc is just no good for Bodywork stuff.
Have a read of this http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=20

Loads of different machines with ideas of faults etc.
Good luck with your search

 

[technomaster]

I wouldnt use stick on bicycle racks. Because its just a pain in the butt to weld pipe with stick. I would go with mig or tig welding.you need to choose a good welding machine.

 

[Dazbo666]

I'd avoid the Kende brand in particular. I had the Kende Mig welder in the past and the spec was so low, it was worse than useless.

For a budget mig/arc welder that's still worthwhile and useable, personally I'd recommend the Clarke range from MachineMart ;D

 

[flatmajor]

Hi, get ya self a mig, they are alot more easy to use if new to the game. clarke are a good product, sealey are not too bad but they are cheap.

 

[zardoz]

ark welders are fine for anything over a 1/6th thickness of metal but for thinner materials the amperage isnt low enough and would burn through the metal . a mig is the way forward for bodywork or gas welding gear but u probably wouldnt want the hassle and price of renting bottles and learning to gas weld its handy to have all 3 types if u can warrant the use

Well most Arcs wont weld anything below 1/8" but i have a Stel Max 130 in my small collection of welders and it starts at a measly 5 amps! Arcs are often seen as the bonedhead way to weld. But it takes just as much skill to run an Arc metal pool than any other type of welding.

That said. If i were a learner id get meself a small MIG and sign up at this years night classes for Welding and get my city & Guilds, (or your equivalent) as you can practice for hours and get an expert opinion.

 

[Wozzaaah]

Well most Arcs wont weld anything below 1/8" but i have a Stel Max 130 in my small collection of welders and it starts at a measly 5 amps!

Bet you won't get a rod to strike up at 5 amps though.
Think the current range on 1.6mm rods is around 30-50 amps or so.

 

[zardoz]

Bet you won't get a rod to strike up at 5 amps though.
Think the current range on 1.6mm rods is around 30-50 amps or so.

A challenge eh? Right im off to the shed tomorrow with a rod out of the oven and give it a go !

 

[Wozzaaah]

Look forward to the photos George...oops, I mean Zardoz!

 

[PTvor]

1.5mm to 2mm MS can be welded with an arc but you need good fit up and good rods and it's very tricky. It warps and drops in holes very easily. Definitely interesting and worth trying.
If you are going to use an inverter try rod positive and rod negative.

But if you'd got a lot of metal like that to weld or you were welding something you couldn't afford to mess up, there are more suitable welding methods.

 

[keith19]

Of course you can weld 1.5 to 2 mm steel with a 1.6 mm rod! But you need a very steady hand. How we managed it one-handed when conditions meant using a hand shield instead of a flip lid I really cannot remember.

Sometimes you can manage it with a 2 mm rod, but conditions have to be right and you have to be fast. And the rods have to be of a decent brand.
We used to arc in floor pans for Morris Minors back in the 70's and 80's, when the gas plant was busy elsewhere. (As a result half the time was spent with the chipping hammer and grinding back!).

The steel used was usually 1.6 mm, or 16 gauge, and you knew the difference when occasionally someone had bought in cheapskate 1.2 mm or 18 gauge pans!
I certainly wouldn't want to use arc on anything less than 1.6 mm, though. When the first cheap migs came along it was so much easier, even though I think our first was a workshop SIP, all the boss could afford at the time.

 

[penetrator]

Well most Arcs wont weld anything below 1/8" but i have a Stel Max 130 in my small collection of welders and it starts at a measly 5 amps! Arcs are often seen as the bonedhead way to weld. But it takes just as much skill to run an Arc metal pool than any other type of welding.

That said. If i were a learner id get meself a small MIG and sign up at this years night classes for Welding and get my city & Guilds, (or your equivalent) as you can practice for hours and get an expert opinion.

Whats this metal pool bull, you can run a 4mm rod on 45 degree 200amps on 2mm metal , if you like i'll put up a pic tomorrow, call me a bone head but anyone can pull a triger.