aerosam
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| posted on 30/7/08 at 07:04 PM |
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Gasless MIG is hopeless
I tried out my gasless MIG on some offcuts of my chassis steel. And whilst welding on the face of the tube it's actually quite tidy, however
when I try to tack 2 tubes together its useless!
It only has 2 power settings and on the low setting it can't penetrate the steel, but on the high setting it just blows straight through.
Obviously I need a better welder, but what? For the cost of a decent MIG welder from machine mart around £250 I can get a DC only TIG off ebay.
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/151te-turbo-mig-welder/path/diy-mig-welders
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Rehmann-TIG160-inverter-TIG-welder-2-years-warranty_W0QQitemZ190238516735QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item190238516735&_trksid=p3286.
m14.l1308
I Like the thought of a TIG as I can do really thin stuff with it. But how much better is a TIG going to be for building my chassis? How easy is it
to learn compared to a MIG?
Thanks
Sam
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britishtrident
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| posted on 30/7/08 at 07:38 PM |
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Gasless works fine seldom produces a really pretty weld but it works.
The book 1.5mm tube welds nicely on gasless.
I would start by checking your wire feed is running freely.
When the feed rollers are adjusted correctly the wire should exert a bit of effort if you stop it with the palm of your hand. The wire feed speed
control also alters the arc voltage this is the really control that you need to experiment with.
The Clarke 151 Turbo is a very good welder.
TIG welding isn't as easy as MIG if you have never welded before, TIG is more like gas welding but nicer !
[I] “ What use our work, Bennet, if we cannot care for those we love? .”
― From BBC TV/Amazon's Ripper Street.
[/I]
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ecosse
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| posted on 30/7/08 at 08:04 PM |
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As already said, the clarke is a decent welder, although gasless welding can take a bit of practice to get right, but is perfectly capable of
producing a good weld, so keep practicing and you'll get there  
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aerosam
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| posted on 30/7/08 at 09:00 PM |
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just for reference the one I have is a Clarke 85ENB.
Can someone post a couple of pics of welded box section so I can see what I should be aiming for?
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Triton
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| posted on 30/7/08 at 09:20 PM |
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ummm not convinced, gasless migs all sound a bit mickey mouse to me...imho that is having spent 20 odd years fabricating/getting burnt etc...
My Daughter has taken over production of the damn fine Triton race seats and her contact email is emmatrs@live.co.uk.
www.tritonraceseats.com
www.hairyhedgehog.com
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Dangle_kt
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| posted on 30/7/08 at 10:02 PM |
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I'd normally point you in the direction of mig-welding.co.uk, which is an excellent forum for this type of question, and has some great
tutorials for MIG welding...however it seems to be down tonight.
Check it tomorrow mate.
TIG is a very fine art - not the for newb. If you can't tack two peices of steel togther on a mig with two settings then all the nobs etc. on a
TIG will frighten you half to death!!
TIG is exceptionally tidy and looks very impressive when done well, however for your purposes MIG should be more than enough and far easier to
master.
Post up a couple of pics of what you can manage to do, and ask for advise - I suggest you do so on the MIG forum as there are far more knowledgable
people on their (although some of them are on here too)
Welding is not as easy as I thought, but I can now arc weld box section to a pretty high standard - it really is a case of taking your time,
practising LOADS and then going on to tackle a project where the quality of your welds will be the difference to you living and dieing (like if you
chassis falls apart on the motorway!!)
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Mr Whippy
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| posted on 30/7/08 at 10:17 PM |
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sorry but that welder is no good, my gasless ones were only ever about £150, had 8 power settings and rated at least 140 amps. The welds were just
fine if a tad hot for chassis work. Welding is not something you can pick up in a few weeks, its an art like drawing. I've been welding up old
cars for almost 20 years and am still getting better. Buy a better machine and have some patience, you'll need it.
Fame is when your old car is plastered all over the internet
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owelly
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| posted on 30/7/08 at 11:21 PM |
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I bought a Ferm welder from Screwfix just to finish a job quickly (my Mams car!) when my big BOC unit popped. The welder cost £179 and it has been
brilliant! Far better than I ever expected.
Tips for using cheap crappy welders:
Never leave the wire in the machine if you are leaving it for more than a couple of days. It goes rusty and causes all sorts of feed problems and
causes the tips to burn-out.
Don't over tighten the roller. They are often plastic and if you overtighten them, it puts extra pressure on the flimsy plastic bits which cause
them to bend which causes problems!!
Avoid extension leads! If you must use one, use a heavy duty one, as short as possible and always unroll it fully.
Keep the shroud clean.
Keep the hose as straight as possible.
Use a bright halogen lamp to light your work.
If you make a mess of the weld, grind it off and do it again. Don't blather more weld on to make it look good.
Use a good face shield or helmet. I have a flippy helmet, an auto darkening helmet but I use the cheapy little hand held thing more than the others.
It's better for getting into small places and it's good to get up close to see what your doing.
Cover your skin!! Sunburn from welding hurts! and make sure others can't watch!
Clean the metals well before welding.
Have a bucket of water handy and chuck a couple of rags in the bottom. Ideal for quenching your burnt fingers. You will burn your fingers! The rags
are for putting out small fires!
Feel free to pick through my ramblings and if your opinions differ to mine, I don't really care!!!
http://www.ppcmag.co.uk
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BenB
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| posted on 31/7/08 at 10:08 AM |
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Top tip- wear some mechanics heatproof gloves
Nice and flexible, no sun-burnt knuckles, no problems touching freshly welded material etc etc...
these are what I use
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aerosam
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| posted on 31/7/08 at 08:14 PM |
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I use big leather gauntlets to protect my hands when i'm welding, they are very heatproof but quite stiff.
I spent an hour practicing today and i'm getting better. But the main problem Is penetration, ie. as the weld starts there is none but as I move
across the joint it improves and is quite good by the end.
Still think I need a better welder though.
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