Welding machines

pvr · Post by **pvr** » Thu Apr 07, 2022 12:28 pm

Need to do a few bits to machinery and do some welding.

Never done it before, so .... what equipment should I buy?

Southwestz4 · Post by **Southwestz4** » Thu Apr 07, 2022 12:43 pm

Depends what meta you want to weld really
Arc for thick steel
Mig for thinner steel
Tig for aluminium
I have donea lot of arc and mig ...never used tig

Rucky · Post by **Rucky** » Thu Apr 07, 2022 12:55 pm

Old school Oxford Oil filled Arc / Stick welder - second hand for all jobbing type welding.
Will weld a socked or bolt onto a wheel stud for removal type work - heavy guage metals

Bodywork and sheet steel fabrication then a hobby type MIG welder that runs to about 140 amps to be all round .
Will do tacking welds and seam welds in light guage metals

If you have no training then you will need a steady hand and a lot of practice

pvr · Post by **pvr** » Thu Apr 07, 2022 1:13 pm

Nothing car related but yes, welding a nut to a metal plate for a tractor bit. I also need to weld a bit of metal to my gates underground to get a new "stop point" in place as the old one has rotten away.

Don't have 3 phase power by the way, so either gas or through standard domestic power.

Rucky · Post by **Rucky** » Thu Apr 07, 2022 2:51 pm

Oxford single phase.

pvr · Post by **pvr** » Thu Apr 07, 2022 9:24 pm

What would you need to check for when getting used? New is rather expensive for the few times I want to use it but don’t want to buy something cheap that doesn’t work either

Pondrew · Post by **Pondrew** » Thu Apr 07, 2022 9:51 pm

pvr wrote: ↑Thu Apr 07, 2022 12:28 pm Never done it before, so .... what equipment should I buy

Before deciding on the equipment, I would get a welder to show you the ropes TBH. Welding, either TIG, MIG, or oxy/acet is a bit like bricklaying, looks easy but is all about practice. You will use an angle grinder more than the welder to start with.
I remember when I was being taught to weld; the words "pigeon sh*t" was mentioned an awful lot.

Tom2207 · Post by **Tom2207** » Thu Apr 07, 2022 9:59 pm

I actually weld a fair bit ,,,
first is decide what you are likely to be welding , and work from there ,,,
cheap and cheerful, just buy a stick , all round a migs hard to beat , value for money hard to go past an oxford , or even a sealey supermig ,,, Tig in anything but basic dc starts to get expensive , and although it looks like the magic bullet , it really isnt Ive an EWM and it was the price of a decent car, it welds very nicely , but I still reach for my mig for most things.

markplant · Post by **markplant** » Fri Apr 08, 2022 9:09 am

Is there no mobile welding service in your area,

pvr · Post by **pvr** » Fri Apr 08, 2022 4:59 pm

markplant wrote: ↑Fri Apr 08, 2022 9:09 am Is there no mobile welding service in your area,

No idea, but I would want to use it whenever and not plan it. Especially with the tractor equipment I often think it would be great if I could just weld this, that or the other

JamesClements · Post by **JamesClements** » Wed Apr 13, 2022 5:29 pm

Iv got a Mig welder dead easy to use it was actually my Dads he probably had it 20 years but for general purpose stuff its pretty good. Iv used it for similar jobs - nut welded on a plate, some sump pan repairs and a few bits on motorbike frames it will partly depend on material as well

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