Which Hobby MIG to Buy???

[BO0557]

im new to the site and really new to the uk

im looking for a good single phase mig that will have the balls do all general mig welding + be able to weld some plate up to 8mm.

im in the process of building a car and i need to make some custom bits including a exhaust manifold, complete exhaust and a few bits and bobs in the engine bay.

Ive looked at some of the Clarke range but dont know what would suit my needs best for what i want to do...

open to suggestions..

 

[grizz]

Great thread this.

Hope I get to buy the right machine next.

 

[maz]

Also looking at buying a new welder...

I'm new to this site and wanted to say that reading it the last couple of weeks has been a great help.

And I would be very gratefull to get opinions on which welder to buy:

Aims:
I recently started my own company and would like to get a welder to allow me to prototype certain components and mock-ups. We're designing a bike currently and the ability to build initial prototype pieces and do mods would help speed some of the development on this project and future ones - and I think over time save us money and generate better work.

Background:
I did a 12 week evening welding course last year - which wasn't designed to achieve any certificates but to get us to a basic/intermediate level in the techniques shown.

We did gas, stick, mig and tig. The teacher asked each of us what we intended to weld during or after the course and then advised us which technique would probably be more appropriate for each of us after the course on the projects we intended to work on.

He advised me that tig would be best for my project (it was also a bike) so after we had done the first 4 weeks intro, thats what i practised for the rest of the course. I'm sure I'd need more structured taining to achieve certification level but the teacher seemed to think i 'did nice welds', and I could reliably weld so that his and my vice/bend/reverse bend hammer etc tests would never break at my welds. Ended up getting quite comfortable with tig and enjoying it.

I liked the control and sensitivity of it - but maybe that was a result of that specific machine in the applications i'd practised though? It was in the college workshop and I think was a Miller Synchrowave 250dx on 3-phase supply. Is it considered an 'easy' machine to weld with? Are they're any tig welders in single phase that would be as good? And not mega-£?

I hadn't really given thought to buying a welder at that time, (and hadnt thought of starting my own business yet), and so didn't practise so much with the mig. Now I understand the price difference and am trying to understand if welding the following applications is reasonably doable with a mig or whether i should go straight to spending a lot more on a tig?

Primary Uses:
Welding thin mild steel sheet - 0.9mm
Welding thin wall mild steel tubes together: eg - three (round or square section) tubes meeting in a corner, with each say 20mm section. Or a small section thin wall tube to a larger section much thicher wall tube.
Welding thicker angle and plate - say up to 8mm

Secondary uses:
Perhaps in the future:
Welding Aluminium thin wall - say 1-2.5mm tube and sheet

Also:
Most welding will be in a workshop or we'll put up a wind break around it.
It needs to be single phase because current location doesn't have 3 phase.
3 year Warranty and good support would give peace of wind.
Am looking for a welder that makes life easier for someone not using it and practising everyday - ie. if something £100 more gives a better weld quality i'd go for it.

Thanks mush for reading and any help and advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[BO0557]

Ive been wanting a response from weldequip but still havent got one on a machine that he would recommend to me.

Im still after a SINGLE PHASE, that will be able to be used gas or gasless and also be able to cover most little fabrications. Im building a car and will need to weld some brackets and also an exhaust and some other bits and bobs..

Open to any suggestions..

 

[BO0557]

Can weldequip pm me a price on a Clarke 160en machine

 

[Jaeger_S2k]

Might be worth remembering this is a DIY Mig welding forum?

It's not weldquips place of business but he does frequent it quite regularly, although I have to say he does so in a very unbiased way.

In that he respects the forum and other traders who are registered here who also help with advice and equipment.

In other words it's not his messaging board meeting place.

Why not send weldquip a PM (hit this link) and ask him what you want it's more in keeping with how he uses the board.

I'm no moderator (in fact I get slaps just like any naughty boy

) just think you'll be less disappointed by the lack of response?

 

[BO0557]

Sorry guys will watch what i post in future...

 

[Jaeger_S2k]

Sorry guys will watch what i post in future...

It's not that you've posted anything wrong.

It's just you may not get the response you want and then blame weldquip for it.

No need for an apology.

 

[mill]

How about Wolf Migs offers both gas and no gass? as i do not know hope you mite know soming or some one, going to buy an mig must weld steel and al as well

 

[MiG21]

Have things changed much since you posted this? It was a while ago, and I'm looking at buying a hobby MIG welder with at least a 25-150 Amp range. I'm UK based, but I was hoping that some of these 11/10 welders could now be rivaled in the UK market.

 

[matt1978]

What you need to know before you start asking people or prices, is what is the absolute maximium that you can afford to pay, this way you can establish a budget. Once you have a budget you can then narrow down whats best and available in your budget.

Prices can be as low as £300ish and as high as £1500.

 

[simp]

Hello,
i'm looking to buy a budget mig welder.
has anyone here had experience with fema welders?
thinking of buying the fema t155p. i would be using it mostly for car repairs.
(going to rebuild a 1969 capri)
here are the specs:

the welder seems to be ok for my work, but i'm not sure about the build quality.

 

[Wozzaaah]

Rebadged SIP by the look of it....say no more!

 

[simp]

Rebadged SIP by the look of it....say no more!

Looking at that section of the forum does prove the point
anyway
my budget is about 300 euros and i don't mind buying used machines. but there aren't many for sale in estonia at the moment.
Would be using the welder for automotive repairs, so it doesn't need to be very powerful, but it needs to have a good low range of power. it also has to use gas(as it's easier for beginners?).
If anyone has any recomendations i'm listening.
I have been looking into clarke welders, but can't seem to find one that goes down to 20/25amps

 

[Wozzaaah]

There's only one or two of the very small Clarke machines that go that low but many members have Clarkes which start at 30A and have no trouble with thin panels.