Lets talk about migs

[Docktor]

Ok, sooo I got me another mig, it a 200 amp fugger, works tops with gas. Now I been talkin to some blokes, I am jack of the bottle rent for how much I use it, n got told to use gasless wire and reverse the polarity ?? sounds like shit to me so anyone enlighten me ??

Doc

[JackTar]

Can't you just buy a bottle and get it filled up, I know it costs more short term but I'm pretty sure you can buy them.

[Redmohawk]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ what he sez is it mate buy a bottle if you hate the $80 rent and just get it filled , gasless wire is ok for quick little shit jobs but its a pain in the ass for anything nice , more splatter , a slag to clean up , and just doesnt weld as well as with gas , Does have its avantages in a windy enviroment if your stuck outside welding with a mig .

I've used alot of fluxed gasless wire in the past , you can do a good job but , gas is just the way to go mate! If you buy a bottle (ebay) There are mobs that will sell you the bottle and then fill it for you to in sydney. Remember you have to get it tested etc to keep it in compliance etc still works out cheaper just a little more stuffing around is all.

[pappas]

Yeah I've got the gassless wire. It's not bad, takes some getting used to. The welds are quite messy in comparison but they do the job. It's also good for welding outside if you have to. You'll definately need to buy some spatter gaurd though.

[Docktor]

Ohhh u can buy a bottle ? http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Welding-Welder-Argon-MIG-TIG-Gas-Cylinder-including-Gas-/140412820350?cmd=ViewItem&pt=AU_Welding&hash=item20b1419b7e

I was under the impression that CIG or whoever u got the bottle from owns it forever , so thats why ya pay rent. I dont do much mig work but I have a couple of jobs coming up and hate gettin screwed the 50 a month for a bottle that takes me 12 months to empty. But Back to my question... If u use gasless wire do u reverse polarity ?? . Ohh I have a pair of oxy bottles that need filling but i think they are ummm not mine so to speak. Anyone know where I can get em filled ?

[Redmohawk]

Only if you rent em off CIG , the ebay ones listed are different company. So you have found! Yep swap polarity to use gasless. will work eather way but better swaped. Try the same mob for the oxy but i doubt they will, prob send you to owners of the bottles.

[Large]

quote:Originally posted by Docktor

Ohhh u can buy a bottle ? http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Welding-Welder-Argon-MIG-TIG-Gas-Cylinder-including-Gas-/140412820350?cmd=ViewItem&pt=AU_Welding&hash=item20b1419b7e

I was under the impression that CIG or whoever u got the bottle from owns it forever , so thats why ya pay rent. I dont do much mig work but I have a couple of jobs coming up and hate gettin screwed the 50 a month for a bottle that takes me 12 months to empty. But Back to my question... If u use gasless wire do u reverse polarity ?? . Ohh I have a pair of oxy bottles that need filling but i think they are ummm not mine so to speak. Anyone know where I can get em filled ?



50 a month is a bit excessive doc.

40-45 per quarter (120-140 a year)is about the going rate in nsw

[RevHead]

ive been using flux core mig wire for years its easy to use a roll of .8 costs $120,and lasts me 5 months ,i do rust repairs,exhaust work and even made the link pipe for my zorst on my bike with it ,just clean the slag off with a grinder fitted with a wire wheel cheers ,,oh my mig is a trans mig 130

[336LJ]

what exactly does reversing the polarity do? I was in the same boat with this shit with my little welder. fuckin expensive to rent the gas, and nobody around here would just sell it to me unless it was in those little bottles.

[Redmohawk]

Not sure why but it does make a difference probably something to do with the electron flow causing the plasma to flow a particular way.

[Docktor]

hey Large, Its seriously dear as poison to rent bottles here. I dont use it much , only when i get screwed into rust repairs, and seriously not worth the $$ its costing to have a bottle sitting there. sweet , so i can swap polarity , will try that. got me a 120 amper in the shed and found it quite useless so i got this one.

[Deano]

i pay i think $11 or so a month for a bottle that is about 1.2m in height. from supagas

you can get smaller bottles that are about 400mm high. you buy the little bottle filled and have a small reg to suit them and away you go. the reg and conversion kit is about $80 and the bottles are about $30 each.

yes you need to reverse the polarity and also change the roller to a knurled roller so that it grips the wire properly. if you don't change the roller you will get incosistant wire feed and then you will apply more pressure to the drive roller trying to stop it slipping and this will crush the wire cause the problem to get worse.

[sharky]

Those are what I use Deano...last ok...just a pain when they suddenly run out halfway through a weld...
They're relatively cheap and easy...and like you Doc I don't weld often enough to need a big 'un.

[Bastard]

dont kow if ya can do it over there but if your using co2 i went to a local fire extinguisher got what if i remember rightly was a 15lb bottle(about 3and a half ft high and sout 8-10 inch diameter) it was painted black and cost about £20 and about £9.50 to fill up

[Zooks]

$50 a month per bottle? That's robbery.

I rent 4 bottles a year - oxy, acetylene & 2 bottles for my mig (1 for stainless and one for plain wire) and the whole lot costs me less than $50 a month I reckon.

[Docktor]

will give supagas a call tomorrow and see what they can do

[Redmohawk]

Down here in shep its $80 a year per E size cyl local shop.