Recommend me a mig welder please

[bobk]

Gas/ no gas , 3 phase or single ? not professional but farm use , thin stuff and biggish stuff . good all rounder , thanks

 

[czechmate]

The no gas option looks attractive Howard (not needing gas) but it’s much more spattery, so more difficult especially on thin stuff, plus BOC even stopped selling the gassless wire due to the health risk.
For here, I bought a cracking little Lincoln from BOC, but Lincoln is a professional brand with a price to match. Oh, I specifically picked the one I have for single phase convince, it’s plenty powerful enough

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Go for a gas one - I assume you guys can buy the bottles? Hiring them is expensive, compared to buying a bottle of arcoshield and just buying the gas. If you aren't welding a lot then the hire racks up.
Any of the brand name ones are good but some good value to be had on less-well- named welders, like Strata make some great kit alot cheaper than a Miller or Lincoln.

Really depends what you mainly want it to do.. having one dedicated to alloy, a big one and a little one is quite good.
If you are going to want to Tig weld, then get a tig, rather than buying a cheaper welder that says it can tig and then never using that feature - buy more amps instead.
I'd go for a nice compact inverter job from somewhere established if it were me

 

[Hilly]

Largest single phase Oxford .

 

[suffolksmallholder]

Which Mig welder

My old stick welder has finally died and I would like to move to a Mig as I've a few projects in the pipeline, can anyone recommend a good mid range welder. I see you can get gass-less ones now, anyone had experience with these?

thefarmingforum.co.uk

SS

 

[bobk]

The no gas option looks attractive Howard (not needing gas) but it’s much more spattery, so more difficult especially on thin stuff, plus BOC even stopped selling the gassless wire due to the health risk.
For here, I bought a cracking little Lincoln from BOC, but Lincoln is a professional brand with a price to match. Oh, I specifically picked the one I have for single phase convince, it’s plenty powerful enough

Right , so no gas is better avoided ? how long would the bottles last ? don't want a contract but the disposable bottles are quite expensive

 

[czechmate]

Right , so no gas is better avoided ? how long would the bottles last ? don't want a contract but the disposable bottles are quite expensive

I’m still on my first bottle
Back in the factory we could use a bottle in a week. You need to watch what you are doing with the regular or you can waste loads.
Here, you just pay a deposit (quite large) like the old calor days, with no rent, it’s perfect, I don’t know if anyone offers that in the uk these days?

 

[Pistonbroke]

Right , so no gas is better avoided ? how long would the bottles last ? don't want a contract but the disposable bottles are quite expensive

I am looking as well. Most machines I have looked at will do gasless by changing settings so no need to buy a different machine. Some gas firms do a one off deposit for the bottle and just pay for refill as and when

 

[suffolksmallholder]

Go for a quality machine. Pay good money for it. Learn to weld properly on a short college course. Simples. Happy safe welds. Not forgetting half the job is in the preparation. MIG will not do shitty farm trailers like a good arc machine will, unless you do a LOT of cleaning.
SS

 

[czechmate]

Go for a quality machine. Pay good money for it. Learn to weld properly on a short college course. Simples. Happy safe welds. Not forgetting half the job is in the preparation. MIG will not do shitty farm trailers like a good arc machine will, unless you do a LOT of cleaning.
SS

Absolutely

 

[Exfarmer]

Go for a quality machine. Pay good money for it. Learn to weld properly on a short college course. Simples. Happy safe welds. Not forgetting half the job is in the preparation. MIG will not do shitty farm trailers like a good arc machine will, unless you do a LOT of cleaning.
SS

That is the not the only issue with a mig, they do not operate well on a windy day outside either

 

[Pistonbroke]

That is the not the only issue with a mig, they do not operate well on a windy day outside either

Is that the reason for gasless wire?

 

[suffolksmallholder]

Repaired this little five ton trailer using basic tools and a Parweld inverter welder that I bought having read good reports about it on this forum. I went to evening classes at Maidenhead Coillege 30-something years ago and it is one of the most useful strings, apart from my trade, that I have.
SS

 

[suffolksmallholder]

That is the not the only issue with a mig, they do not operate well on a windy day outside either

Ah, so true! I have a small SIP mig. I swapped some Thames Sailing Barge timber for it 20 years back https://raybelcharters.com/. I used it a couple of times but I prefer the versatility of arc.
SS

 

[MrNoo]

As above, I use Agroshield as opposed to pub gas, currently running a couple of Vintage Murex Mig's from 1980 vintage, three phase and have a modern R-Tech that is yet to be used.
If you have three phase it's well worth getting a 3ph welder, normally a higher duty cycle/higher amps and it's also less attractive to the Caravan Club types as they are less easy to sell on.

 

[Suffolk Serf]

That is the not the only issue with a mig, they do not operate well on a windy day outside either

Too true, I find a little inverter arc welder perfect, most of my welding is glueing snot back to crap upside down in a gale using generator, for example when the axle parted company from the chassis of a feeding machine last Sunday morning. Back up and running in about an hour.

 

[bobk]

Too true, I find a little inverter arc welder perfect, most of my welding is glueing snot back to crap upside down in a gale using generator, for example when the axle parted company from the chassis of a feeding machine last Sunday morning. Back up and running in about an hour.

Which rods are you using ? currently on some white box which are ok / average , normally use Oerlikon ,

 

[czechmate]

Which rods are you using ? currently on some white box which are ok / average , normally use Oerlikon ,

orlicon are the bees.
I was going to write, not that many days where gas mig works outside. Can get by a bit by turning up the gas - it remember to turn it down.
It all comes back, back in about 81, we invested in shed loads of lockable regulators, saves us a fortune, as the guys kept turning the gas up

 

[Nitrams]

What are the views on multi process welders is it best of 3 worlds that way or a bit of a compromise?

 

[Exfarmer]

orlicon are the bees.
I was going to write, not that many days where gas mig works outside. Can get by a bit by turning up the gas - it remember to turn it down.
It all comes back, back in about 81, we invested in shed loads of lockable regulators, saves us a fortune, as the guys kept turning the gas up

I learnt welding at about the age of 8 with my fathers brand new Oxford welder and a box of oerlikon rods
Always stuck with them. The big secret though with rods is to keep them in airing cupboard.
The welder died after 40 odd years and eventually replaced with an Oxford mig