Another for the Welding Stig

[Lewis]

I know this question seems to come up every other week but here we go again

I have decided that I want a Mig for welding tube and plate, just for doing brackets and the odd bit of tubework on the 90 and 110. I dont really know what amperage I want, but have been looking at 160 - 300amp machines on ebay. I have a gasless 160amp already but its a bit of a pain in the ar*e to use and set up, so I want one that takes the large bottles preferably

I dont really have any skill at welding but have successfully stuck things together in the past, so I want something fairly easy to use (if there is such a thing).

What can you guys recommend and how much should i spend sensibly? - its an open wallet at the minute but I dont really wanna go near 500notes unless I have to

Oh yeah, its got to be single phase too

Cheers

Lewis

(Edit: Thanks mods for acting so quickly as to save my embaressment )

[mpb]

Lewis go to

Central Fasteners (Staffs) Ltd

Unit 14, Airfield Industrial Estate, Hixon, Stafford, Staffordshire ST18 0PF

Tel: 01889 270163

there on the edge of the airfield.

I got a 180Amp Butters Single Phase Mig from them last year. They dont stock Butters any more but they had some nice looking machines in last time I was in there. They offered some good advice aswell. They also stock all your welding consumables aswell.

HTH

[Warthog]

Purchased one of these awhile ago. Purchased due to a friend has, had one running day in dayout for a couple of years and its been faultless.........!

http://www.rotecweldingequipment.co.uk/aca...211_welder.html

[FridgeFreezer]

Could do worse than look for a big ugly 2nd hand one, I got lucky and bought Jez's spare Butters which is ~200A and good for almost anything that doesn't require a grown-up (happily we have the Stig and the 450A 3-phase welder at the lab for sticking big things together). It runs from a 13A plug happily enough and is far sturdier than anything you'll find in Halfords - everything's designed to be fixed / serviced rather than thrown away.

[SOA 93]

I

What can you guys recommend and how much should i spend sensibly? - its an open wallet at the minute but I dont really wanna go near 500notes unless I have to

Oh yeah, its got to be single phase too

Cheers

Lewis

Lewis, have a good look around this site http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/ especially the equipment forum, I plan to upgrade soon, its gonna be a nice Portamig

Andy

[LandyManLuke]

Saving up for a portamig too, they look nice, plenty of people report back on them with good things to say.

[Lewis]

Cheers MPB, i'll head over at the weekend and have a look at what they've got

Fridge, thats exactly the kinda thing i'm looking for, rather than spending on a new clarke or sealey I would rather have a secondhand butters or cebora

Does anyone have a website for PortaMig?

Thanks

[LandyManLuke]

There isn't a website for PortaMig, however MTA sell them under their own brand.

WeldEquip on the mig-welding.co.uk forum does what seems to be a good deal on them. £549 inc Vat for 210A, 4m euro torch, regulator and delivery.

I can send you his blurb for the portamig welders (there's 180A and a higher model too) when i get in, or you could go on the forum and ask for it.

MTA page here

I went and looked at a Esab origoMig C200 yesterday, but at £559 ex vat ex regulator it's quite a bit more expensive.

[dollythelw]

good toy HERE Lewis.

dont be in a rush to buy unless you need to be - new generations of Butters arent as tough as the old school Butters/NBC rigs but still worth hunting down. secondhand commercial can be a good move as you get a much higher spec rig for your money. brand new hobby migs are IMO good for very light duties and are considerably less durable

[dollythelw]

thats not bad pennies for the spec Luke

if you get stuck for a Reg Im sure theres a spare one I can find to get you going

[LandyManLuke]

The PortaMig or the Esab? Cheers for the offer of a Reg.

Ultimately, it might come down to the choice of colour - Yellow (Esab), or Red (PortaMig). Also, which one would be easier to pimp? what colour neons would be suitable for either? Is it worth adding go-faster stripes?

[dollythelw]

yellow works for me

Ive worked ESABs for donkeys. tough bits of kit. Ive not run Portamigs so not really in a position to comment. lack of bells and whistles can be good in terms of more quality of the base functions of the unit (better quality transformer, wire feed unit etc) but look carefully at duty cycles to give a better idea, it could be the manufacturers are using cheap guts but making a nice profit.

something to consider; you will always be able to get spares for an ESAB. Swedes make great porn, decent funiture and like ABBA I cant see ESAB ever going out of fashion. I think both could be pimped to the max - slam em on the deck and get some spinners on there

Wheres my flared welding smock? I need to groove baby...

[Lewis]

good toy HERE Lewis.

Cheers Jez, I'm already watching that one in MyEbay

How much should I reasonably be expecting to pay - I dont want to spend a fortune and then find out i dont use it - I am a total beginner idiot remember

Also - I'm kinda in a rush - got next week off work and I wanna spend it teaching myself to weld tube for my wing bars - bought three roll cages on sunday to cut up for practice

Luke - cheers for the link, its the top end of my budget though and i'm not sure i couldnt get more if i bought secondhand

Thanks

[dollythelw]

potentially right up to your budget Lewis - if you get stuck and you are REALLY in troub then drive down an borrow the spare NBC thats in semi-retirement in the Lab

if you run single phase rigs get a 16amp "blue" connector wired in, domestic plugs have a bad day dealing with high inrush currents.

[Mark]

Another vote for butters:

This one came from eBlag for £200 in as new condition, so the deals are out there, but you may have to be patient. Remember to do a search for welder without limiting the categories on eBay - mine was listed in the musical instruments section (I'd like to see the welding stig get a tune a out of it... )

Cheers

Mark

[Br00n1e]

heres another

[Lewis]

I've just been offered a BritWeld 160(ish) amp industrial Mig for £225, it has a euro torch and runs off a 13amp plug, does this sound like a bargain or a rip-off? Are BritWeld any good or to be avoided?

Jez, Thanks for the offer, I may hold you to that

[dollythelw]

nope - not used one, it may be a rebranded unit, got a picture?

[Lewis]

Sadly not - its just from a guy at work who seems to know his stuff - his other two machines are murex. And I couldnt find any pictures or specs on google to show him so that he could say "yeah its that one" etc

[dollythelw]

take it for a test. wind it up to flat out on something chunky and drop it down to see how low it will go on tinfoil and still give a good result.

Check the general condition of the unit but pay particular attention to;

Wire feed rollers (and can you get spares) ie - are they scabby, worn, pitted, missing teeth - does the tensioner work nicely, what size wire are rollers for?

Wire feed control (does the speed control give a smooth 0-flat out),

Wire feed motor; is it silky smooth or sound like its in pain?

Gas solenoid; turn the gas up high on the reg and click the trigger like its Zulu dawn and make sure the gas solenoid cuts off cleanly (and can you get spares),

Check the condition of the lance and the gun (good haggling point),

Earth cable and clamp, usual stuff. if in doubt take a pic and fire it down.

If the guy isnt happy to demo it then walk away.

If you do buy it treat it immediately to a new liner, new tip (unless mint), new shroud, get a tub of tip dip and put fresh wire on. just because a rig can take a 15kg roll dont instantly fit one - unless you are laying a lot of weld down and the welder is going to live somewhere nice just buy a half roll. The logic being that you have a higher turnover of reels and the wire is less likely to get scaled up.

hth?

[Lewis]

Thanks Jez, massive help - thats just the kind of thing I needed to know

[FridgeFreezer]

Also check:

- The wheels; Will spinners fit on or will you need to get custom-made bling?

- The colour; Does it clash with your workshop, is it pimpin' or will yo bitches be laughin' at yo broke weldin' ass?

- Room for subs and amps; If you can't get a 1000W sub and CD-changer in what's the point?

- The alignment of the Welding Chakras; If the Chi cannot flow smoothly then walk away. Approx. 3 minutes of gentle humming in the lotus position followed by laying down a fat weld at maximum volume should reveal the Chi flow to your inner self.

Should it be of any use, when I got the butters I had to replace the euro-torch connection and used a universal euro-torch upgrade kit designed for hobby migs with fixed torches, cost about £35 and works great so handy to know if it needs a repair there.

[SOA 93]

Cheers MPB, i'll head over at the weekend and have a look at what they've got

Fridge, thats exactly the kinda thing i'm looking for, rather than spending on a new clarke or sealey I would rather have a secondhand butters or cebora

Does anyone have a website for PortaMig?

Thanks

Cheaper Ceboras are not that highly rated, butters are trading on their name at the low end, both are made down to a price, as Jez says older is better.

Portamig are made to order, they come with a heavy duty wire drive, copper wound transformers (not banks of capicitors) high duty cycles, and if you by from Weldequipe 2 years warranty(on everything) , quality regulator and quality 4m torch. Downside is you have a 2 week wait.

Don't underestimate Clarke in your price range, Many of the big names in this price range are just that 'big names', don't be fooled.

If you are thinking of fabbing things like winch plates ie. 6mm or 8mm plate etc. then you really need 200A.

I'll no doubt be strung up by the welding police for the above heresy

I'd take Jez up on his offer, borrow their spare see how you get on, then have a good look around before you decide.

[Lewis]

Hmm, the welder in my department at work seems to think all Ceboras are cr*p, I was always told that they were good peices of equipment.

I've seen a portamig on ebay : here, does it look any good to you?

[dollythelw]

when did they start hiring welders at your place? He's entitled to his opinion but I dont think all Ceboras are carp, Ive got an 1835M and its a good bit of kit, not sure I would spend out on thier MIGs though

the portamig looks good, going from SOAs post they seem to have all the right stuff in the right places