MIG Welder advice

[jakam04]

Im starting a new project... a 4wd project being a LN106 Hilux 4x4.

As a part of this project, Im keen to learn how to weld so I can build an offroad tray for my Hilux. Im in the market for a welder and have found the welder attached below

http://www.asfphotos.com/upload/1290609444.jpg


Has anyone used one of these welders? as in this brand? It is a tad cheaper than some on the market and just want to ensure that Im not buying cheap(ish) shit that wont last two weld strokes.

If anyone also has any welding advice for my impending tray build, feel free to drop some wisdom into this thread lol...

Ta


Jarrod

[Redmohawk]

You get what you pay for with welders mate, I have two cheap ones similar to that one sez 100 amp on it the other 200 , the second must be a joke the first 100 is prob closer to the mark. Gasless migs have there place and can do a good weld if your keen to work with them and learn how to get it right, but a good gas mig will always beat a gasless cheapo unless its outside on a windy day. Even then my 250 amp gas i can just crank up the amps a bit and turn the gas right up if i "have" to weld out in a wind just use alot more gas and have to be more in tune with the weld lol

If your using it a few times a year for little jobs go for it, a bottle of gas is about $80 here atm for steel and about the same again for bottle rent each year. So in a few years I will pay as much as a cheap O mig in consumables alone.

[jakam04]

Cool thanks mate for your quick reply. This welder is listed as a Gas/Gasless welder so the gas option is still there. How much am I looking for a mid range system that isnt going too far for a noob to welding... no point going top of range if Im not a tradie or a regular user.

Jarrod

[Redmohawk]

Mate, go to a welding supply shop and ask around for a good secondhand Boc welder or something if you want a good one at a cheap price or keep hunting ebay , aim for something around 195 amp that takes large rolls and has room for an E size cyl . Will last forever and you might pick one up on ebay for around $500 if your lucky but it might take a while to find one.

If your going to just weld up your tray and be done with it , beers and a mate with a welder is the cheaper option, even better if he teaches you then leaves it to you to weld it lol. Or just get the gasless, dont by into the gas "option" on those little welders will cost you another $80 for a regulator and with there low output its not really worth the bother unless your doing thin stuff alot as they dont have the grunt to weld much above 4mm for any amount of time. You will end up burning its guts out lol

[cutcat]

Hey Jakam, get yourself a CIG welder. They are good quality and will last for years. Bunnings have them(well used to). The cheapos will let you down with crap handpieces and drive wheels.
Gasless wire leaves really messy welds with tonnes of spatter. If you are welding an alloy tray you will need a quality machine.

[craig]

You need a good one 2nd hand or new because when you start welding you won't stop. You will be welding all sorts of shit around the place. Won't take long and you'l wonder how you got buy without one.

[jakam04]

These are the sort of tray that I was considering attempting to build for my Hilux. Im making it out of steel as Ally might end up more expensive as well as less forgiving for a newby like me to welding.

http://www.asfphotos.com/upload/1290631548.jpg


http://www.asfphotos.com/upload/1290620846.jpg



Jarrod

[LKC73]

quote:Originally posted by craig

You need a good one 2nd hand or new because when you start welding you won't stop. You will be welding all sorts of shit around the place. Won't take long and you'l wonder how you got buy without one.

Yep, know that feeling craig... :D

Oh Jarrod, good luck with it mate, welding gets addictive. I was lucky and got given 3 gasless welders over the years, burnt out 2 of them, and the last 150amp is going strong. Good trigger, wheels and use's the smaller rolls of wire.

[Gitzy]

I gots me 1 of each of these Jarrod, I can't comment on the gasless mini migs but I would buy a decent little CIG Arc welder from Bunnings or Gasweld and if your going to weld together tray setup like that, lightwight RHS, tubing and sheet would be a doddle to make and light as, not as light as alloy but still light.. I can do some magic stuff with a Mig but just as good stuff with an ARC, they work great in the right hands.. The little I can say is that I haven't heard good things about little gasless ones or cheap migs, you might get frustrated with results..

PS.. Lincoln Electric fckn Rock..

http://www.asfphotos.com/upload/1290669090.jpg


http://www.asfphotos.com/upload/1290690697.jpg

[LKC73]

Dam you Gitzy! I want one.... Actually, what i would really like to learn is TIG welding, now there is an art.

[K6Thou]

A bit out of the square but have you considered an inverter stick welder ?

Basically a stick welder with TIG capabilities, they can be had reasonably cheap now days (CIGWELD 170 AMP for around $400) and with a steady hand the stick can produce some really nice, strong welds and the TIG gives you the option of ally and stainless.

[RevHead]

i just updated from a 25yr old mono mig to a new uni mig 195 its excellent

[Deano]

might no of a lincoln 170t mig for sale secondhand, i used to sell these machines. they are bloody brilliant.

[Ansen]

you can pick up a brand new lincoln 180 with wire and some time s helmet for about $1000 15 amp and they are as tough as nails left mine in rain for 3 days accidentally and goes like a train..

[Deano]

quote:Originally posted by K6Thou

A bit out of the square but have you considered an inverter stick welder ?

Basically a stick welder with TIG capabilities, they can be had reasonably cheap now days (CIGWELD 170 AMP for around $400) and with a steady hand the stick can produce some really nice, strong welds and the TIG gives you the option of ally and stainless.


they are a scratch start tig and usually you have to buy the tig kit seperately so add another couple of hund for the reg adn handpiece. they also usually have a manual gas control and are only dc so no ally option unfortunately.

[Tony OW31]

quote:Originally posted by ansen

you can pick up a brand new lincoln 180 with wire and some time s helmet for about $1000 15 amp and they are as tough as nails left mine in rain for 3 days accidentally and goes like a train..

For that sort of money you can get a Kemppi minimig 150 which makes the Lincoln feel like a chinese pos.

[scotty]

and dont forget gasless wire is way more expensive than a gassed system.

[RevHead]

gassless wire cost me here in macksville $128 a 25kg roll compared to gas wire $38,,,3 months rental on the gas bottle $40 ,then a full bottle of argo sheild is $130//and the welds are so much better with gas ,

[Ansen]

just flog gas from work ,argosheild ,and you can do alloy with lincoln 180 you need SuperGlaze 4043 0.035 wire ,though they mite not look as pretty as tig ,but wateva floats ya boat