Hi guys ..can anyone recommend a half decent mini welder and accessories .. that will weld steel/ ferrous stuff , TIG /INVERTER/ARC etc... that they have used with success and are available in the UK .. and useful for a hobbyist like me ... for minor stuff etc lamps,...vapourisers, tiny runs and small spots etc .. there are many for sale but any good ... thanks for advice .. I am not connected to any commercial organizations ..... Alb
Hi alby I had clark mig welder for 30 years was ok but not great it finally packed up So i got a SIP synergenic autoplus only 130amp and does stick and mig and no gas mig i really like it does anything i have asked of it Find it so much better than the clark but was old but it was never great. Like you say that many out there spoilt for choice but use and cost will influence your choice. Cheers pete
I would avoid anything overly cheap and cheerful, although reasonable results can be obtained by cheapies, its not until you try a "better" machine you realise how much you have been struggling.. My tuppenceworth is to keep an eye out for an older "good-name" unit that ideally you can see working beforehand. A low-ish output high frequency (HF) start TIG is brilliant for smaller/thinner stuff, it can also be used for heating parts/nuts etc before removal and also for brazing steel, as well as all the usual welding. AC is beneficial for aluminium, but that is a lot more practice and you need a bigger machine as it wicks away the heat so much quicker. For general welding around the place, a DC Arc or Inverter welder is just the ticket, smaller units will burn 2.5 rods, thats enough for general garage/garden etc repairs. You can get scratch-start TIG kits for conventional DC welders, but they take practice and can be a bit of a menace (but we all have to start somewhere), scratch start does have its fan-base though. MIG has its fanbase and theres a massive range of styles/complexities/prices of units available. Try before you buy and practice. Again, buy the best you can afford or a reasonably-well specced older machine with some bells and whistles. For Soft Soldering and Silver Soldering a soft blowlamp/MAPP Gas lamp is plenty, I use a gas-axe with a smaller torch on oxy-propane as thats what I have in the workshop, but i've done perfectly good repairs with an iso-butane blowlamp in the past. For Brazing, a small blowlamp is at its limit to get things up to temperature and (depending on thickness) you need to venture into the hotter/bigger side of things. Selection of filler/flux is also important, you get silver solder/bronze blends that melt/fuse at lower (its all relative) temperatures and are ideal for "permanent" repairs/creations. Soft solders for fount repairs/pump tubes etc etc, there are a few variants and temperature ranges that affect the way they behave/how they are "worked". Paired with the correct flux for the correct material/scenario they work well. Use with a soft blowlamp or decent sized soldering iron. I would say avoid anything with a mains lead that fits in the palm of your hand.... Caveat Emptor.... Alec.
Good advice For me, if you are going to buy new then make sure it’s from a uk seller with no quibble returns inc. the postage Its true that you get what you pay for ; I bought a budget dc inverter and tried it with a 2.5 low hydrogen rod.. didn’t have the power to light a candle messaged the seller who sent a return straight away.. lesson learnt basically its similar to hifi or amplifiers ; you need what is called ‘headroom’ to get a decent weld/musical note so if its a bigger amperage machine it will also be fine for lower amperage work (very basic analogy there :-) i have a set of bottles, oxy, acetylene, propane that I got a while back, there are places where you can buy the bottles not on the never never like BOC.. you save money in the long run and they are near st helens have had a 185 sealey mig with a euro torch for years.. they are ok but SIP are a good make and as folks have said you can see the second hand price reflected in a good make Have used Thermal Arc stick/tig inverters and they are excellent, easily as good as esab or lincoln.. run a 3.2 double coated rod all day long I have watched these for a while, reviews are good
Thanks guys all great advice there ...the selection out there is bewildering .. looked at a Parkside Inverter flux cored wired welder around 88 quid ..LIDL stores ... made by Einhell of Germany I believe seemed to tick all the boxes but not made my mind up yet ..
A fellow welder bought this welding machine, it's impossible to adjust, and the welds are terrible. It's better to get this brand's arc welding machine. It makes beautiful welds with 2.5mm rods.
