MIG welder recommendations

[DanMK7uk]

Sorry not specific to mk7, but probably fair to say they and welders have something in common lol

Im after a MIG to learn on, cheap one as will only be for patching the vans when needed…

What recommendations do you have ?

What about gasless flux core ? Would they suffice ? Iv read not so good for thin metal as can blow through??

Cheers !

[metalworker0]

Multiples of choices these days

Mine is a Denmark made one, a migatronic,

Had the cheap ones ..clarke 100e years ago ..ok but made birds nests of wire at the rollers , because of cheap bad design, had to take relays apart as it bunt the points ..and full setting made the ceramic insulator crumble at the tip.

Both of these are transformer welders

Now these days we have inverter ones ...I know nothing of the reliability of these ..but as they are full of electronics id be scared to buy one .

As a general rule the cheap ones have a built in welding torch cable

The more expensive, have a euro torch ,...the whole cable can be quickly detached..

Gas-less or flux core,.,never tried it . but supposed to be better in the wind .. if working outside wind is your enemy ..even a light breeze can blow the shielding gas away and make you make a crappy weld

As you know the cheaper they are ...well they are cheap because of poor cheap parts within

Duty cycle ..how long it takes to recover from being used at higher power setting for longer period of time - if machine is fan cooled, that would help.

larger machines will weld thin stuff very well and are more robust ...larger tips and torches and take bigger wire reals

welding wire for thinner metals is 0,6mm or 0.8mm you need different tips for each and you need to turn the wire drive roller around.

i say if you are going for one that uses the big bottles make sure the machine is on a trolley with position for bottle

Fees ..i pay BOC something like £145 a year just to rent a a bottle...exchange bottles are maybe £55 argoshied - a mixture of argon and co2

i can go a couple of years without using it . been renting bottles off BOC for over 30 years .depots where you exchange the bottles used to be dotted about everywhere ...now they are not ...nearest 20 miles away.

You can weld with pure CO2 - Bit more spattery and you have to know a pub landlord.

all the best.mark

[T350camper]

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I bought an entry level gas-less MIG, mainly to repair my 1981 Datsun. Taught myself how to weld with the help of youtube. Practiced on scrap metal and learned how to weld thin old metal after some trial and error. The whole kit with the electronic welding mask etc was less than £200

Never going to win any prizes but the welds are strong enough. So far I have not had any problems with it, and don't need to worry about buying and refilling bottles. Make sure you work in a well ventilated area as the flux core cable does produce some fumes. There is a great set of youtube videos called 'Tim Welds' which gave me the instructions I needed to get going and learn what I was doing wrong.

[DanMK7uk]

Cool mate and its possible to weld thin stuff without blowing holes is it ?

[T350camper]

There is a technique I sort of learnt after exploding lots of things (like a child in a chemistry lab )

With the machine on it's lowest possible setting and the wire speed practically on zero. Begin by starting to tack on the new good metal and then blend it across to the old thin stuff. Short tacks to prevent melting right through. Then move to another place. Gradually fill the gaps until you're happy there is enough. It doesn't need to be a complete seam weld unless there is liquid to contain.

When letting in new steel, try to get some that is not too dissimilar in thickness. I got some 0.8mm steel, which is still thicker than the 0.5 Japanese rubbish the Datsun was made of in 1981. Transits are made of slightly thicker stuff, but if you try to weld thicker than 1mm onto thin old metal it will be difficult to get penetration without blowing the thin metal away. You can go over the welds with a grinder to tidy them up before filling or painting etc. This is the new front valance I made for the Datsun (no chance of getting parts for this).

Like I said...not going to win any awards (and there are people on here who are professional welders and will probably smile at my efforts, but I only taught myself last year).

Practice a lot on old scrap first. Begin with thicker metal...it's so much easier to weld without blowing through. Also, the fast reacting welding masks at Machine Mart (other suppliers are available) work really well and are inexpensive.

[DanMK7uk]

Thanks for the pointers

Good work on the Datsun, I suspect grinder and paint will make me the welder that I aint !
Lol

Cheers

[van_man]

Like I said...not going to win any awards (and there are people on here who are professional welders and will probably smile at my efforts, but I only taught myself last year).

I'm not a pro welder, but I've been melting metal together for many years (MIG, TIG) and while I could pick apart your welds, you could probably pick apart mine too.
Most important thing though is that you got out and did it, you set yourself to it and learned a bloody handy new skill, that alone is worth a lot of respect in my eyes.

I also have a Datsun, a 260z 2 seater, currently in the long process of an electric conversion using a Tesla small drive unit mounted in place of the diff and fuel tank.
Rough estimates are it'll be about 100kg heavier than stock, but the ever-evolving battery tech may change that, along with increasing the range.
Previously it had a L28 turbo, then a RB25DE, but I just can't leave it alone

[T350camper]

Thank you, van-man

I inherited this little Datsun Cherry (my dad left it to me) and it has sentimental value. Totally standard and still drives very well. It has no power and the brakes are milkbottle tops, but because it weighs about the same as a half-full coke can it doesn't really matter

Your Datsun project sounds interesting.

[metalworker0]

Cool mate and its possible to weld thin stuff without blowing holes is it ?

a backing strip ..will prevent blow through when you replace panel