Good starter welding

Before anyone mentions it, I dont plan on using the included face shield, will get a proper mask.

Also, since I plan on doing the welding outdoors, is there any way of getting a temporary protection against wind/ protect outsiders from the welding light?

I was thinking I could build a "dissasembling" workshop. A couple of boards of treated wood boarding that I can attach in the corners with a mechanism to make a small enclosed room. With an added ventilation hole/extractor that I can add. Something like that that I can set up within a few minutes. Would this work?

>>1174938
>I've had MIG training
can you get the same machine you trained on?

>>1174950
Its been over a year. I remember they kept complaining about our welder breaking so I'll probably find something else. Im guessing sticking with mig would be better than attempting to learn arc welding though?

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>>1174938
>£39.99
That thing is only good for fixing exhaust in da hood and hippy lawn art.

You can use flux core mig (no gas) outdoors without issues with wind.
Save the money and use it for at least something like this
https://www.harborfreight.com/welding/mig-flux-welders.html

Harbor freight is shit, but was quick search.
I have a small miller 160 for home use (pawn shop find, $500 with a full bottle), I use a miller 302 at work. Although I've been looking at a miller 252 for home since my Lincoln is in storage on the other side of the country.

>>1174938
You are in the UK so you have 220v standard correct? Don't fuck around with low amp stuff you have 220v. That may be an ok machine for laying some metal turds, later to be ground flush. I would not trust it with anything structural or pretty and forget aluminum entirely. If you want to stick weld aluminum you need DC and adjustable amperage.
I have no idea what the UK market is like, but if I were you I'd look into a cheap Chinese DC inverter like this.
>https://www.amazon.com/Technology-TIG140-Maximum-Voltage-Adaptive/dp/B00TEOZ7YW

>>1174938
fuck that lidl shit right off, it's a waste of money. if you can only have one welder it should be a mig with gas.

clarke pro90 mig if you're only going to do carbody and exhausts (it can weld down to 0.5mm but only goes up to about 2mm, or 1mm alu)

180 amp mig is about the biggest you can run on a house plug. go ask mig-welding.co.uk what the best one for you is. protip: it won't be a draper, sip, sealey or seigen.

mig isn't perfect for alu, but i don't put much weight on your 'aluminium would be nice' because if you're hemming and hawing on the welder you're going to die of shock when you see the cost of argon compared to CO2.

>>1175137
I don't plan on doing car body welding, though I might do projects like go cart frames. Ill definately check them out, guess my suspicion was correct.

Any reason why Gas instead of flux core? Is it that big of a difference?


Thanks for letting me know though, I was actually looking into a sealey but I guess ill avoid that. Still quite young so might as well invest into something proper.


Yeah, to be honest, I prefer working with alu in normal scenarios but I've done some aluminium welding before and realize its a pain in the ass, so mild steel will have to do.

>>1174938
youtube budget welder reviews,

the guys at Tig time did a segment on budget welders.

They sell their own version of a Lincoln I think it was.

>>1174938
I might buy one to fuck around with for electronic projects (I can claim the VAT back anyway)

The Transformer will probably be too small and have Aluminium windings = I imagine the duty cycle will be shit.

They do an Inverter one as well, with a low 80 amp.


https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/Non-Food-Offers.htm?articleId=2890

Can anyone explain whether that'd be any better value or not? Is it worth the price difference or are they both shit?

>>1175151
tigtime, ask them

>>1174938
It kind of depends on what you weld. You can't weld thin (car body) steel with a stick.
I have said it before and I'm going to repeat myself. Get a used (three phase) pro welder. They can be had used for around 300-500€. My latest acquirement is a 350A water cooled mig/mag. It cost me just 50€ for the machine and 150€ in parts.
The old one I broke was a ESAB 250A mig/mag. In full working condition, 400€ if I remember correctly.
Keep your eyes open on forums, Facebook groups and whatnot. Eventually you'll find a nice deal.
I'd go with Kemppi, ESAB or the like. Kemppis are just quite expensive.

>>1175145
>why Gas instead of flux core
big spools of solid wire and a big bottle of gas works out cheaper if you weld a lot.

good quality fluxcore wire like NR211MP has to be imported into the UK, so costs a fucking ridiculous amount per pound (AND puts down less weld per pound because of the weight of the flux)

as for shit quality chinese fluxcore wire from ebay, it makes you look like a bad welder even when you're a good one.

>>1175163
How much would you say is a good amount to spend on a used welder? Don't plan on doing car body repair just things like square tubes to make frames.

Also, wouldnt a three phase converter cost a decent chunk too? I mean I have 1K in savings in total that I'd be willing to part with. Well, I say savings, I mean student loans, but oh well.

Part of me thinks I should just buy a few tools that are great that will last me decades, the other part of me wants the flexibility of different tools (tool for every job) that might not be as good for now.

>>1175164
I mean i'd consider myself a "weekend welder". So definitely going to use it a decent amount per year, but won't necessarily be a daily thing so idk how the costs work out. Ill definately look into a gas/no gas welder though, plan on doing projects like this full time when I graduate so may as well

>>1175164
>NR211MP has to be imported into the UK
lincoln wire is good stuff but theres gotta be a decent domestic mfr for gasless flux core

>>1175166
>How much would you say is a good amount to spend on a used welder? Don't plan on doing car body repair just things like square tubes to make frames.
Personally I had 400€ as my max price and shopped accordingly.

>Also, wouldnt a three phase converter cost a decent chunk too?
I see. We have three phase at every house. Your mileage may vary.

>>1174938
I think parkzone has gone down hill, and stick welding is allegedly (havent done it) hard to learn - thats without shitty kit.
>>1174943
this will compound it (tho i wouldnt worry about wind on stick - as i understand it it's like lfux core, except the opposite)

>>1175388
cont
In a downhill kart race event thingy this year, and designed an overly complex build so recently got myself the SIP T166. Tried it with flux core... i don't know how people use it. A bottle of hobbyweld 5 (90% ish argon, 8% co2, 2% o2) is £65 deposit and 35 for the gas - all up through a conected supplier that setup cost about £400 (with regulator... well 460 as 2 regulators & refills... I knocked the bottle over. Fuck me is 150bar draining to 50bar next to your ear loud. seriously. SECURE YOUR BOTTLES)

>>1175392
cont (wtf has post length been made mega short?)

seems to be going well. My weldings is a bit shit, but not got much practice; one of our team members has had a few lessons and she's doing pretty well

>>1175166
Student house? Not the place to learn to weld.

where abouts are you?

>>1175398
Dont live in student housing, renting a small house around london with a few people. Got a decently sized back yard for my area (around 5x10m)

>>1175388
I mean would my idea of using some sort of wind shield work? Would rather not weld indoors but cant set up permanently outdoors.
>>1175392
my experience is only with flux core, though our issues with the machine was because they cheaped out and kept having to replace parts. Actually, thinking back at it they said it was flux core but it might have been gas.

What do your local shops sell? You want to go with a brand they you can easily get service and parts for as well as consumables. Personally if you can only pic 1 welder I'd go with a mig, just far more versatile.

Not sure if they are available in your area but I bought a Hobart 210 MVP last fall and have been very happy with it so far. Hobart seems to be upper mid range, solid machines just missing some of the fancy features such and infinite amperage and digital displays

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>>1175405
>I mean would my idea of using some sort of wind shield work?
These sorts of fire resistant shaded curtains exist, but they aren't cheap. When I got my first welder I was considering making some out of re bar and heavy cotton canvas or fiberglass tarp. I was going to put eyelets on the ends of the re bar and bolt them together so that they would break down for easy storage. Instead I just use stick or flux core outdoors. I've tig welded outdoors on clear days with no problems. Lower amp (under 150) arc light isn't as intense after about 10 yards. You wouldn't want to stare at it, but prying eyes won't have their retinas scorched if they catch a glimpse from a distance.

>>1175145
when it comes to wire solid wire with gas shielding mostly just produces a nice looking weld with minimal splatter. there's also less smoke which makes it easier to see the weld plug less nasty shit to inhale. the downside to solid wire is that you need to to be working with pretty clean materials so you should be grinding off and rust, paint, mill scale ect. also isn't very good for outdoor welding as wind can blow the gas away but it's fine on a calm day or even slight breeze

flux cored wire is very similar to stick, lots of splatter, smoke and the need to chip off slag. benefits are being able to weld dirtier materials so it's good if you just need to make a quick fix on something and don't have time or want to clean up the material. also more penetration which makes it good for thicker materials but not so good with anything thin. being self shielded it's also better for windy conditions

really both have their place and if you're gonna buy a mig welder it's best to get something that can use both. flux core wire is more expensive then solid but with solid you have the higher initial cost of having to buy a gas cylinder. you could rent one to keep the initial cost lower but long term costs will be higher. as for the gas itself it isn't exactly cheap either but it does last a long time(don't buy a baby cylinder) unless you're doing a lot of welding

>>1175590
now when it comes to stick vs wire machines stick is similar to flux core in a few ways like more splatter, smoke and having to chip off slag. most also consider it to be harder then mig welding. stick machines are generally cheaper to buy so initial costs are pretty low but electrodes(the sticks) can be pricey and overall will cost more then wire. stick generally sucks for thin materials but where it can really shine is being able to weld cast iron, stainless, and even aluminum even if it isn't perfect at it. i've never welded stainless(toxic as fuck) but mig is generally better for aluminum while stick really shines with cast iron. you CAN get nickle wire to weld cast iron with a mig but it's very expensive and i've never tried it so no idea how well it works

basically what it comes down to is what you want to do and how much you're willing to spend on the initial investment. really if you're doing fabrication mig is probably better especially if you already have experience welding. for the beginner just looking to fuck around and get a feel for it without spending a lot of money stick is probably better even if it is harder to learn with. whatever you get do yourself a favor and get something from one of the big brands. not only will they perform better but they'll generally last far longer. it'll be easier to find parts and consumables when needed and you're more likely to find shops that'll work on them if something happens

>>1175500
I have looked up the curtains and realised how expensive they are, hence why I'm thinking just get some wood board (I'll figure out a way around the fire hazard) and build myself a little "shed" that I can put up when I need it. Maybe use some sort of plastic/get one of those small plastic sheds and set it up as a small welding station with ventilation.

I don't need a curtain I guess, bit out of my price range. Just need something to keep wind from coming in and the arc from shining out

>>1175500
Would I be able to use something like the black plastic sheets they use in gardening, or would that reflect/let light through. I won't be using it heavily enough to justify a proper curtain

Take a look at the Miller Millermatic 211. It is a pretty solid machine for light welding.

>>1175792
>1k
>light welding

Should I really be raising my budget??

>>1175783
You can use anything sparks will bounce off, and you only really need to shield your immediate work area where you are actually welding. I sometimes use some sheet metal scrap clamped to the work. (Chinese visegrip style clamps are nice to have. I'd only break out my Bessey clamps for heavy work.)

If you need a portable MIG I'd get one with no less than 180 amp output and runs on single phase. Many industrial machines are single and three-phase so I study before buying used.

Hobart is made by the Miller parent company and make good machines too. ESAB have some good machines but mine are older so I've not kept up with the model numbers. I'm not a brand whore and have Thermal Arc, Miller, ESAB and Lincoln.

OP should go to real welding forums where vast info awaits you. migwelding.uk is good and they know what's available there. The Miller forums and weldingweb are fucking wonderful. Go there for info suitable to any skill level.

Make yourself a nice LOW ROLLING RESISTANCE welding cart. You'll be glad you did. You can see many examples on the forums. You can have a separate cart for your gas cylinder then buy longer gas hose/clamps/fittings (they aren't expensive) so your hose will reach your machine when the cylinder is parked next to it.

It's easy to set up for mobile welding and very convenient where ever you weld.

http://weldingweb.com/forumdisplay.php?10-Welding-Projects-amp-Pictures

>>1176247
Miller is about the most expensive you can get. A 211 isn't exactly light weight either, more of a mid range machine that can weld around 3/8 in a single pass. That is about the size you'll likely want tho, should be more then enough for diy fucking around but still big enough for the occasional project with thicker materials

Look into Hobart, owned by miller but much cheaper and still solid machines

>>1174938
You are in the uk?

>>1174938
I love those little chipping hammer/brush combo dealies.

>>1177640
yeah I am