Mr G Imp · Mar 26, 2023

The time has come where I may have to roll my sleeves up and do a bit of welding myself on the 90 - the main chassis is solid but thinking of repairing floor panels and an outrigger has seen better days.
So any advice on what affordable mig welders are available that would do the job?

It may just be better to pay someone to do it but haven’t had much luck in the past with welders.

tottot · Mar 26, 2023

Have a look at "MIG welding forum" learning section. Lots of good info.

My Old Landy · Mar 26, 2023

Mr G Imp said:
The time has come where I may have to roll my sleeves up and do a bit of welding myself on the 90 - the main chassis is solid but thinking of repairing floor panels and an outrigger has seen better days.
So any advice on what affordable mig welders are available that would do the job?

It may just be better to pay someone to do it but haven’t had much luck in the past with welders.

I have one of these:
https://www.rallydesign.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=22932
I use 0.6mm wire and 5% CO2 gas for the thin stuff (80/20 for thick stuff with 0.8mm wire). The unit is just over £230.

My Old Landy · Mar 26, 2023

tottot said:
Have a look at "MIG welding forum" learning section. Lots of good info.

I am a member on there too https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/
Same user name. I have posted along with others my experience with the blackline 200.

DanClarke · Mar 26, 2023

Lots of decent inverter welders out there.
Ones with quality power transistors/diodes are better than the really cheap Chinese ones.
Many affordable welders will do Stick, MIG and TIG (often scratch start on the cheaper ones).
If you are welding outside where it is windy gasless MIG might be more suitable as the wind blows the shielding gas away. But gasless wire works fine, you just have to knock the slag of your welds.
Lots of reasonably good machines out there for <£300. Around the lower end of the price range it might be better to think of it as a disposable item as some of the cheap ones have no support services and spares can be an issue
I have an R-Tech AC/DC Tig machine that does Stick & Tig and can do MIG if you buy a spool gun and that just about everything (except O A.... NO! The other O A)

That was about £750, it has been very good.
The UK MIG forum is a great resource.

Mr G Imp · Mar 26, 2023

Thanks for the replies, I am thinking gasless mig welder, has to be cheap and able to bring home, plug in and go.
I have found this draper thing in tool station, gasless kit so comes with a mask etc.
https://www.toolstation.com/draper-100a-gasless-mig-welder-set/p10990

any thoughts on this !?

lynall · Mar 26, 2023

I would try and get a gas machine over a gasless one.
Most useful tip is clean the material then clean it again, if it welds crap it is because the material is dirty or you are using a gasless mig

DanClarke · Mar 26, 2023

Mr G Imp said:
Thanks for the replies, I am thinking gasless mig welder, has to be cheap and able to bring home, plug in and go.
I have found this draper thing in tool station, gasless kit so comes with a mask etc.
https://www.toolstation.com/draper-100a-gasless-mig-welder-set/p10990

any thoughts on this !?

TBH I would go for a slightly bigger machine that's gas/gasless capable 150A - 200A.
Those hand-held face shield masks are a joke, budget for a reasonable welding helmet (reasonably decent ones are available at <£50) it leaves BOTH hands free and it a lot safer.

lynall · Mar 26, 2023

DanClarke said:
TBH I would go for a slightly bigger machine that's gas/gasless capable 150A - 200A.
Those hand-held face shield masks are a joke, budget for a reasonable welding helmet (reasonably decent ones are available at <£50) it leaves BOTH hands free and it a lot safer.

The hand held ones are good for limited access situations though.

DanClarke · Mar 26, 2023

lynall said:
The hand held ones are good for limited access situations though.

Yes, I guess so.

lynall · Mar 26, 2023

DanClarke said:
Yes, I guess so.

Piece of cardboard and welding glass works as well.

Kev12 · Mar 26, 2023

My opinion is to make sure you get a fan cooled one (often badged turbo)
I have 2 machine mart migs and the duty cycle on the passively cooled one is terrible, even on moderate settings.

Mr G Imp · Mar 26, 2023

DanClarke said:
TBH I would go for a slightly bigger machine that's gas/gasless capable 150A - 200A.
Those hand-held face shield masks are a joke, budget for a reasonable welding helmet (reasonably decent ones are available at <£50) it leaves BOTH hands free and it a lot safer.

Can I plug a 150/200amp machine into my home plug hole

DanClarke · Mar 26, 2023

Mr G Imp said:
Can I plug a 150/200amp machine into my home plug hole

I have my 160A Tig box on a 16A spur in my garage. But you might need to run a 30A (like a shower cable) to run a 200A machine.

My Old Landy · Mar 27, 2023

Mr G Imp said:
Can I plug a 150/200amp machine into my home plug hole

Put it this way, if they say they are a 200a machine and it runs off a 13a socket they are not quite being truthful. The blackline comes with a 32a blue plug on it. Now if you don't need all the amps then you can run on a 16a/13a supply. It gets annoying when the breaker trips! If you look at the picture I posted I have a dedicated 32a supply in my workshop for the welder. A bit overkill really but if I need to turn it up to 11 it will take it

lynall · Mar 27, 2023

Mr G Imp said:
Can I plug a 150/200amp machine into my home plug hole

Mine is a 250A machine, though I do not use it at that power at home!
I did run a 16a blue commando socket through a separate breaker for the welder and the plasma, as did not want to cook the ring main

You will find bigger machines run better at lower amps than small machines trying to run at capacity, the bigger machines are also normally better built.

Zed. · Mar 27, 2023

some good advice above

I'll add that avoiding a gassless set should be high on your priorities

buy cheap & buy twice....

a good headshield is something that is needed as beng able to see the weld-pool makes life so much easier (also consider space inside the shield if you wear glasses

)

Rich.

kermit_rr · Mar 27, 2023

I got a 13A mig many years ago, gasless but can also take gas. It's done everything i ever needed, though I'm no expert!
I inherited a light activated mask, nothing fancy, but it makes a massive difference

Mr G Imp · Mar 29, 2023

I don’t want to get any extra wiring done on the house just need to plug it in with a normal plug, can you do this with any mig welders?

My Old Landy · Mar 29, 2023

Mr G Imp said:
I don’t want to get any extra wiring done on the house just need to plug it in with a normal plug, can you do this with any mig welders?

Yes in simple terms. If you push the output up it will either blow the 13a fuse or more likely trip the breaker. If you keep to under 150a output then most are fine. I have a SIP migmate gas/gasless (you can just see it in the bottom right of the pic I posted) and that is only used on a 13a supply.

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