Arc welder

[Lewis]

Getting fed up with my mig welder. If it hasn't run out of gas then the wire has gone rusty or if its non of those its too windy to do any welding anyway and having to shine everything up with the grinder gets tedious, so was wondering whether the arc welder route was worth venturing down?
Doesn't need to be anything massive or fancy just a decent one for doing gate hooks and repair jobs ect.. My current mug is a Sealey Supermig 160.
Any deals around?
Cheers.

 

[Nearly]

@TomWeldingSuppliesDirect sent me an inverter the size of a toaster for £150 plus vat-ish.
The leads feel a bit lightweight after a heavier welder but good machine.

 

[Greenbeast]

yeah arc is definitely good for farm stuff, i've got a cheapy £40 thing, blows 13A fuses so i put a 16A plug on it, can't do delicate stuff easy but fine with 3.2+ rods

Saw one of those little inverter welders in the Ag store the other day, couldn't believe my eyes!

 

[Bury the Trash]

Getting fed up with my mig welder. If it hasn't run out of gas then the wire has gone rusty or if its non of those its too windy to do any welding anyway and having to shine everything up with the grinder gets tedious, so was wondering whether the arc welder route was worth venturing down?
Doesn't need to be anything massive or fancy just a decent one for doing gate hooks and repair jobs ect.. My current mug is a Sealey Supermig 160.
Any deals around?
Cheers.

Inverter ?-yep ,so good,use one all the time.(about 200 amps) - good thing is they will go on small rods down really low amps .dc is nicer to weld with than old ac.avoid tig complication for lower cost (if you dont need it) also i would get a generator friendly/long extension lead friendly one.

 

[puntabrava]

I have one of these for gate hinges ect, is a good little welder and good duty cycle and will run at the end of a long extension cable http://www.kemppi.com/inet/kemppi/kit.nsf/0/B60F3918084F9F47C2257D5E003528E4?opendocument

 

[drumeldry]

I have one of these for gate hinges ect, is a good little welder and good duty cycle and will run at the end of a long extension cable http://www.kemppi.com/inet/kemppi/kit.nsf/0/B60F3918084F9F47C2257D5E003528E4?opendocument

That an inverter welder then,

 

[Lewis]

Definitely needs to be usable with extention cable and were only on single phase electric if that has an influance.

 

[wdah/him]

go invertor, we have two three hopefully when other comes back fixed for doing site repairs, mig never leaves the shed and when we have three invertors i would think mig could be parked unless for big jobs. 2.5 rods for farm repairs in 2.5 box and 3.2 for everything else. i wouldnt buy any less than a 160 amp to allow for duty cycle at 60% to be 100amps

 

[Pan mixer]

I use the inverter all the time, a Cemont 160 amp, it will weld continuously with 3.25s and is OK on 4mm without cutting out. I had a Sealey cheaper one but burnt it out in a couple of years of bodging. The Oxford is parked under the bench and rarely gets used

 

[TomWeldingSuppliesDirect]

Got plenty of 160/200A stick inverters in stock, doesn't look like you're too far from away from us.
Feel free to pop in if you fancy it and we'll sort you something out along with a cuppa

Tom - WSD

 

[jamesy]

Had a Butters inverter welder, was an awesome wee thing to use. When it gave up the ghost I couldn't get another locally so bought an esab one. I never use it unless I have to cause I find it terrible compared to my old butters

 

[Dave W]

If you can use a mig then look out for an old big industrial spec mig.

Old fashioned quality never wears out

 

[Bury the Trash]

Had a Butters inverter welder, was an awesome wee thing to use. When it gave up the ghost I couldn't get another locally so bought an esab one. I never use it unless I have to cause I find it terrible compared to my old butters

first inverter i had was a butters inverter (red one) first mine was good too - he capput though i think i cooked him using long extension leads.did fair bit of work though i they was foreign - butters just imported them i think.-when i got mine the coolin fan was fitted backwards

 

[multi power]

Nothing wrong with ark welder, I have a sip and I weld thin stuff with no bother, I mean by thin stuff that anybody else I know would mig

 

[manhill]

Very pleased with the 175 A inverter I got from Oxford welding Suplies. Comes in a good case with leads for around £200.
Anyone got any comments on hobby wire welders using flux cored wire instead of gas cylinders?

 

[highland-man]

I have a buddy arc 180a stick welder , its a cracking wee thing although i must admit i rather my mig welder which is an R-Tech 250a but also has the option of stick welding although it sits in the shed and only gets used for mig welding.

 

[TomWeldingSuppliesDirect]

Anyone got any comments on hobby wire welders using flux cored wire instead of gas cylinders?

The GYS Smartmig 142 is a good hobby MIG that'll run flux cored wire on reverse polarity.
Flux cored MIG isn't my favourite by any stretch of the imagination, it often produces spatter and can give off some nasty fumes too. Not too bad if you're doing thicker work around the farm but for general fabrication etc Gas MIG is best.

 

[wr.]

http://www.saracendistribution.co.uk/
Give Saracens a ring in Hereford and ask for John Mapp. I had a GYS200 off them a couple of months ago to do the interior of a new cattle shed. I've not bothered with the mig since. The inverter is my best workshop buy for years.

 

[Shotnik]

I have read that welders produced in Germany are of high quality. Don't know if it is helpful, but here's https://schweissgeraet-testsieger.com/inverter-schweissgeraet-test/ a good choice, you can pick an arc welder for instance)))

 

[Helg1]

Hello welders,
I have a question for those of you who have been into this for a while. Are there any good informational websites on welding machines with a wire filling system? I stumbled upon one comparing different welding machines but it is in German. Is there anything like this ( https://schweissgeraet-experten.com/ ) one in English or maybe Russian?