This is what the postman turned up with today



Bought of ebay US for $100 posted - cost me another £17.50 in duty and stuff, so a lot cheaper than the equivalent Ready Welders

With a spool of flux wire (it won't take gas) and 1,2 or 3 12V batteries, I should have a MIG welder I can use in the field

There is a wire speed control, but no power control, so some experimentation with wire speed and number and quality of batteries will be necessary.

There are two electrical connections, a power connection, and a smaller one which I assume is the earth for the wire feed motor.

Alas it didn't come with tips or a shroud, but I believe the Tweco stuff is resonably easy to get hold of.

Be a useful thing to have around I reckon.

why mig? tigs gotta be better but not as cheap granted.

'cause I can't TIG

Why would T.I.G be better?

By the look of moglites truck it has been Migged together anway!!!

because it looks like that little thing would stick fag papers together you can get a lovely little tig plant no bigger than a car battery that'll push 160.expensive though.Plus i'm a tig welder and i've got a few in the workshop!

Why do you say that ?

Its only a spool gun. Surely it depends on what power source you hook it up to. ie 1,2 or 3 vehicle batteries

i'm sure you'll get it going good.power source is all important as you know let us have an "in the field use shot !"

What are the options for battery powered tig?

And what about just carrying some manual metal arc rods and using them with a set of jump leads? Not as easy to use but cheap and compact.

stick leads work for me LR90.the mans got a mig though!Altinator power for the TIG i think.Stick leads are very easy and cheap as you said,gotta be able to weld especially in a muddy hole!

PPW
These look good.
££ but good

IF you are talking about inverter tig sets yes they are small and no i wouldnt say £150-£200 for a 150amp scratch start tig IS dear?

I am also a TIG,MIG,MMA and gas welder! (with £1000,s worth of welders in my own workshop)


Chris

PS the pic is only of the spool feed for the mig.

Trev - arc rods are a possibility, but my arc welding isn't up to much
However - you need different rods for things like axle cases etc.
With arc, to weld an axle case, you'd have to preheat it, weld it with a fancy rod, and then insulate it to allow it to cool slowly.

Not really practical in the field

With a MIG - just burn it in

Eh northernchris you sure your not a southerner? £200 up north could buy you a plant hire company!!!

I'm also well versed in all welding disaplines but have found that i'm a natural TIG welder....expensive,unable to work in the cold and like working in breweries and chocolate factories!

I've read somewhere about a high output amp for car stereos that will put out 150 amp,more than enough for mig,tig and mma.

Lovin this thread.

its a DC welder, can be used either with 24v car battery as a power source or as a spool gun for a mains powered welder - hook it to a TIG and have MIG facility,

For in the field use you can't beat em, they are easy to use and the ready welders I have handle 275amp at 60% on flux cored or 100% with gas, hot start ones are less fun to use but cold start is childs play

They also MIG ally quite happily

TIG in a muddy field? erm

Andy - Ive got some tips that should fit yours, sort you out when you bring the box up

Andy - that looks fab!

I'd looked at these in the past but ruled them out as too expensive - but yours looks promising!

I've experimented a little, stick welding with my jump leads. The reason most people go for 24v isn't so much for the higher current delivery, it is that it is less effected by rust & crap on the surface.

If you are welding clean metal, 12v works fine. I reckon it was delivering about 80-100A on 12v with 2.5mm rods.

Mig would be wonderful by comparison!

Si

Andy - I think I've got a 5kg roll of ali and a little tank of Argon (with tube adapter) knocking around if you want to give it a try with that? If it works, I might even have a job for it!

Al.