Cheap welders

[JackTar]

Are those cheap 100 amp stick welders from super cheap etc okay or are they too lower amperage for a beginner to learn on? Is it generaly the higher the amps the easier they are or does it not matter? I have watched some instructional vids on youtube and they say it is hard to strike with a low amp welder.

[sharky]

What are you planning to weld ?
Personally I hate 'em apart from when you have huge thick stuff to weld.
Prefer my mig.

[JackTar]

Mig is with gas yeah? What do they go for around 4-500 without gas? Just tube steel, sub frames shit like that.

[Tony OW31]

quote:Originally posted by JackTar

Are those cheap 100 amp stick welders from super cheap etc okay or are they too lower amperage for a beginner to learn on? Is it generaly the higher the amps the easier they are or does it not matter? I have watched some instructional vids on youtube and they say it is hard to strike with a low amp welder.

The amperage you use is dependent upon the material you are welding.
Why are you going for a stick welder, a mig is far more versatile in inexperienced hands. Usually the better the quality of welder, the easier it is to use. Personally I would look for a quality used welder rather than a new chinese cheapo.

[Tony OW31]

quote:Originally posted by JackTar

Just tube steel, sub frames shit like that.

Relatively thin walled tube like subframes etc can be very difficult to weld with a stick, especially for someone who is new to welding.

[thepj]

quote:Originally posted by Tony OW31


quote:Originally posted by JackTar

Just tube steel, sub frames shit like that.

Relatively thin walled tube like subframes etc can be very difficult to weld with a stick, especially for someone who is new to welding.


as a newbie to welding i agree i'm always blowing holes everywere!!!

[sharky]

This is the one I bought...from Bunnings...They keep a good stock of wire and gas bottles....and it was about $750 from them.

http://www.justtools.com.au/prod1312.htm

Oh and DON'T buy the SIP range from Repco...they're crap.

[sen]

Someone here should do ASF welding classes.. I know i'd be there :D

I'd love to be able to weld subframes, shit like that.

[Mishdog20]

mate ,if i was u, i wouldn't waste my time with a dirty od stick welder. Yeah they are cheap, but if you try to weld anything under 3 mm, a stick welder will not be of any use.ive done heaps of welding over the years, including 10 weeks of welding and thermal, and its near on impossible to weld thin shit with a stick. I bought a second amp gasless mig from a clearing sale, and thats all ive ever needed. 30 bucks a roll, from bunnings, and it'll weld a shitload of stuff off 1 roll. The only pro with a stick is that it will weld through a small amount amount of rust and paint, but a mig will just laugh at it. I recon personally a mig is the go for ya mate, heaps easier to weld with and better for small stuff.

[Deano]

personally i would buy a small 150 odd amp inverter arc (must have hot start) we have them for about $400 then i would buy the tig kit ($250 odd) and you have yourself a tig welder that will do your thin stuff and an arc welder when you want to weld your work bench or gate.

tig is so much better for what you want to do than any thing else.

[BANDITROD]

^^^^^^^^^^^yeah what deano said thats what i have mate and it suits everything i do at home

[Hillsy]

I've got a little CIGweld 110Amp MIG that I run with gasless wire. It's quite capable of doing most jobs on the bike / around the shed. The flux cored wire gives a bit more splatter than a gas set-up, but it's OK if you get decent wire (LiquidArc is good), and it's dead easy to set up and use at any time.

Trade Tools has small MIG's on special from time to time for around $300-350. They're OK value for money. The biggest thing to look for in a MIG is the wire feed rollers and surrounds - the cheaper ones are made of plastic which gets brittle after a while and breaks. Look for a decent quality metal roller / pressure wheel assembly and you'll find the rest of the machine will be decent quality too.