Assistance prior to purchase

I agree with Alex mate, we got a cheap MIG for the workshop at work cos some peolpe couldnt use the ARC, i think they paid about £150 for it. They may as well of bought a bif tin of superglue and now that mig is in the skip and they're getting us a propper one (£1000's worth)

. You get what you pay for. For delicate work you need control and cheaper rigs will not give you that, they will just blow holes in your work, For larger work you need penetration and the cheaper rigs wont give you that either. It will look pretty but will provide little more than gaffer tape :roll:

My advice would be to look out for a better MIG/TIG second hand

am only planning on light fab work ....(2-3mm thick at the most)

Light fab work cheap MIG skip ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I would have had that :roll:

I would get something like this and do some practicing on scrap

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Cosmo-Arc-200-Wel ... .m14.l1318

well that one has a buy it now of £60 and is plenty for what you need.

well i bought a new one from ste, so now i have a spare if you are interested

That one scared me :oops:

donation to viewtopic.php?f=32&t=18682
and fog express

sorry its a mig

Andy I never used it just wasnt happy learning on it, want to learn on one of then gasless wire mig thingys though as had a go on one and it was easier

Carl,
The link you posted wasnt as good as the 180 amp fella Ian found. Only 5 rods, thats a ten minute practise :oops:

. Rods die real easy, knock the flux off theyre gone, get them damp, theyre gone. We had lots of little cookers that warmed them when we used lots of stick, well worth warming them up, just not hot!

Rods are useful, you can bend the rod to get it tight bits, I hate them, but they are much more flexible. Gassless MIG, wouldnt contemplate one.

Worth remembering you push wire and drag stick, also the penetration which is the key is in the line of the stick and your gentle pushing into the joint. Most welds will benefit from being clean, free from contaminents, warm, (preheat with blowlamp) Clean all slag away between passes, it also allows the welder to cool as it will get hot.

Ta muchly Alex ...

It wil lsave you lots of rods spending a bit of time with someone with experience. Its just impossible to explain on the net about weave and lead, its very intuitive, but hard to explain. Drawings wont help either.

On a side note, get a bit of sunblock, wear safety specs under the visor, put a clear glass infront and behind the tinted (its cheaper to replace) Hold the screen as close to you as poss, it reduces the contrast and you will see more of the weld pool. Move the peice and youself as often as possible to ensure the rod falls naturally at the right angle into the joint rather than stretching. Oh and dont wear anything flamable and spotles are a swine down your boot, earhole, nostril or any natural fold in a joint.

Alex you forgot the belly button.
There must be a law of disproportionate odds for where spatter will land.