# Welder for a relative novice



## doctor Bob (17 Mar 2017)

I used to be a farm worker many moons ago and did a fair bit of bodge welding, make do and mend.
I now have lots of little projects around the house and garden where I think, that would be simple if I just had a welder.
Can you chaps point me in the right direction for a portable welder at a couple of hundred and also what accessories are a must, Mask, gloves and hammer I guess are basics.
Thank you.


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## pcb1962 (17 Mar 2017)

Auto-darkening helmet is a must.
I bought both my welders from R-Tech who are an excellent company, but it sounds like your budget is more Machine-Mart.


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## Ttrees (17 Mar 2017)

Interesting to read about the auto darkening helmet being a must ...
Can you buy the glass for these spare?
My glass is barely usable atall ...and have been relying on feel alone
I take it the glass is the only technology in the helmets ?
I have a 250 turbo welder and find it everything I need, 16amp though 
Thanks 
Tom


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## nev (17 Mar 2017)

We* use a portable stick welder/ generator in work for welding handrails, fencing, gates and the like on site. Very handy having it provide power (110v) for the grinder etc and then weld away. Doubt it would be any good for tin work or the like so depends on what you'd like to weld I suppose.
*The place where I work - I don't weld (well)

Edit: Just seen how much they cost :shock: so just a tad out of your acceptable price range


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## n0legs (17 Mar 2017)

Get something with a name on it Dr B, even if it's more than you really need or want to spend. Could you put it through the company.?
Me personally for mig I would go Oerlikon, Hobart, Esab.
I wouldn't know what to advise for stick/mma, I have an old Oxford oil filled that is older than me and will last forever. Only ever had a gasket break down on it..
Some swear by Clarke and some hate them, then some really rate the Sealey stuff and again others hate it. I've used a Clarke stick and that was fine for smaller rods. I've used a Clarke mig (one of the red ones) and to be honest I was glad to put the torch down. 
The BIL had an SIP for years at the body shop and that got hammered by about a hundred different users, but kept on going and going. Only retired it due to an upgrade for mig braze capability.
If I was buying today it would be a Oerlikon mig in single phase so I could use it at home. Already an owner but it's three phase so stays at the workshop, lovely machine though.


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## porker (17 Mar 2017)

Is it stick welding you want to do or Mig?


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## adidat (17 Mar 2017)

Bob you may find my journey into welding interesting, used it for a few jobs now and still quite pleased. The feed motor failed pretty quickly but this was replaced foc and returned within a week.

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/recommend-me-a-mig-welder-t96601.html?hilit=Welder

Adidat


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## bourbon (17 Mar 2017)

for a light duty stick welder. I've got one from Aldi, cheap as chips but does the job for me.


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## graduate_owner (17 Mar 2017)

I went down the Clarke / Machine Mart route because of budgetary constraints. I bought the cheapest of the models that doesn't use disposable gas cannisters, a 160TM I think. They are made in Italy by Telwin, not made in China.
Not having experience of other migs I cannot give a comparison but this one does what I want and hasn't once cut out because of overheating / duty cycle issues. There are loads of positive reviews regarding the Clarke range but at £300 on a VAT free day I don't suppose they compare with the Rtec products I was looking at. As always I suppose it is a case of get the best you can afford / can justify buying, but having said that I am quite happy with mine.

K


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## heimlaga (22 Mar 2017)

My first welder was an old Esab Bantam AC stick welder. They say it is a good AC welder but if that is a good one the rest must be truely awful.

Then I bought a 200 ampere Norwegian made Unitor three phase rectifyer stick welder at an auction. It weighs some 150 kilos so loading it was tough. 
It was probably over 40 yeas old already then and it has given me some 10 years of service since. It broke down once and the manufacturer was of no help so we made some parts and found some standard parts that did fit and made a proper repair. 

If you can find a secondhand rectifyer stick welder which is made by one of the high end makers and still in decent condition it will in all likelyhood be by far the best welder you can get for little money. It should give at least 150 amperes so you can weld a few 3,2mm rods when needed.
If you want a new stick welder the 150 ampere single phase Kemppi inverters have a good reputation.
A 150 ampere single phasde weles should work on a 16 ampere fuse.

Stick welding materials less than 2 mm thick is very difficult and stick welding less than 1 mm thick is totally impossible.
If you want to du that sort of things you neded a MIG with gas bottle and all. Good MIG welders cost significantly more and mig welding can only be done indoors except on very calm days.


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## DennisCA (22 Mar 2017)

Perhaps the best welder in it's price range? ESAB Probably have something too.

http://rapidwelding.com/dynamic/Display ... 02150&zl=1


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## doctor Bob (22 Mar 2017)

All food for thought, I'll post an update when I decide, thanks chaps


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## chaoticbob (22 Mar 2017)

If it's stick you're after, Parweld might be worth a look - I bought a Parweld 160 amp inverter from weldequip for just under £200 about a year ago and it's been fine - handles up to 4mm electrodes without a problem and much more forgiving (and lighter) than the old transformer based boxes. Does lift tig as well with the optional torch, about 75 quid extra IIRC, (+ gas of course).
Rob.


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## Farmer Giles (22 Mar 2017)

+1 for the Parweld xts162, £187 from weldequip and probably others, worth every penny. Far better than my old transformer buzz box, it strikes an arc easy, a pleasure to use and easy to transport. 3 year warranty too.


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## Ttrees (23 Mar 2017)

It seems that the 3.5mm welding rods are cheaper than the thinner ones....
Just so you know ..you go through them fairly fast, especially when your not very good at it.
Thinking of getting a replacement auto darkening screen and making my own helmet, if I can source one for cheap.
Anyone shop around for one ?
I would like to know more about these.


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## pcb1962 (23 Mar 2017)

Ttrees":yugnjv62 said:


> Thinking of getting a replacement auto darkening screen and making my own helmet, if I can source one for cheap.
> Anyone shop around for one ?
> I would like to know more about these.


Seems you can buy replacement inner and outer glass but not the auto-darkening unit itself: http://www.r-techwelding.co.uk/welding-equipment/spares-and-accessories-for-welding-masks/
The whole helmet is cheap enough anyway, if you're really determined you can just buy one and cannibalise it, I have the £55 one here, it's perfectly adequate for non-pro home use.


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## novocaine (23 Mar 2017)

not worth it Ttrees, just buy an auto darkening helmet. anything over 40 quid is good enough , it won't have all the bells and whistles but will do the job. I've got a few these days but my go to is still my parweld (there they are again, lol) that cost 30 quid 10 years ago. 
think this is the modern equivalent (mines a large view though)
. 
https://www.toolstoday.co.uk/parweld-xr ... oCyXTw_wcB

3.2mm rods are pipeline rods, made in the billions and thus, dirt cheap. thinner rods aren't used as much, so aren't made as much.  

learn to stick, you'll be able to weld with anything, learn to mig and your stuck with it forever .

go check out cody at welding tips and tricks on youtube for some inspiration


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## DennisCA (23 Mar 2017)

IMO the most useful all-round rod is the 2.5mm 7018s, then the 3.2 (never seen 3.5mm) and I would have liked to have had 1.6mm ones sometime, but now I got a combined TIG and stick machine so the TIG does thin stuff real good. And learning stick is the best way to go I agree.


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## novocaine (23 Mar 2017)

just been and checked my suppliers costs, 3.2 are the same price as 2.5 for a 5kg pack (6010 or 7018), so not sure where you are looking that has different prices.

edit: just looked at 6013 and they are different prices, ignore me.


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## Ttrees (23 Mar 2017)

Sorry 3.2 rods are what I was talking about....(thanks for clearing that up)
40 quid is still too much for me ..I don't do enough to justify the price ...although all I have been doing is welding for the last good while  
I have other priorities.... so I will carry on welding by feel alone as my glass is completely covered in spatter (still use it, obviously)
and along with that, my stick holder is driving me up the walls as it won't grip a rod properly.
What a combination ...can't see trying to strike an ark, and then the rod grips on to the work when I do (hammer) 

Lesson got drilled home today....I remember pulling my hair out last time ....
Turn the heat way way up for welding high tensile nuts .

If you haven't burned your feet....its not hot enough !
Tom


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## novocaine (23 Mar 2017)

spent 8 quid and get a fixed lens then. 
https://www.toolstoday.co.uk/sip-flip-t ... -mask#tabs
or 2 quid and get a new clear cover.

one of my autodarkens was used without it's cover by mistake, that's now screwed and there isn't anything I can do about it. not a cheap one either.


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## DennisCA (23 Mar 2017)

novocaine":269c09qf said:


> just been and checked my suppliers costs, 3.2 are the same price as 2.5 for a 5kg pack (6010 or 7018), so not sure where you are looking that has different prices.
> 
> edit: just looked at 6013 and they are different prices, ignore me.



You can safely ignore 6013 rods


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## heimlaga (24 Mar 2017)

The clear outer glass cover in a helmet is just a consumable. I go through one glass every two months or so but real professionals are said to go through one glass a week at worst. They are very cheap at welding supply shops.
The dark inner glass in a traditional helmet is also a consumable. I go through one a year or so. They don't cost much either. There are several grades of darkness. Younger people with better eyesight generally need a darker glass.
I still use a traditional non-automatic helmet of the tupe that has a small slot with a lighter glass below the dark main glass. It is good enough for me.

The rod holder is also a consumable. I bought I new rod holder for my Unitor sopme 10 years ago and now it seemt to be a couple of years away from worn out. Rod holders aren't too expensive either.

Welding doesn't have to be super expensive!

The main reasons for using thicker rods on thicker materials are:
-On thick materials the whole workpiece acts as a heat sink which makes the melted pool of iron to small if the rod is too small. If the pool is too small the weld bead and the base material aren't properly fused together.
-It is a lot easier to build up a weld without slag inclusions if you don't make the bead too big in proportion to the thickness of the rod. It quickly becomes boring to build up a bead by making 6-10 passes with a 2,5mm rod when you can do it in just 3 passes with a 3,2 mm rod. 
When welding 20mm plate even 3,2 mm rods become boring after a while.


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## AJB Temple (24 Mar 2017)

I am a novice welder and was taught by my brother, who isn't. I find using an auto darkening helmet a no brainer. By the time I have struck an arc in an old style helmet so that I can see something, my hand has moved and I've lost it again. There is no need to have added problems and auto helmets are cheap. I know everyone says learn to stick weld first, because then you can do anything, but frankly it is a damn site easier mig welding and if you just want to do it occasionally, I would by-pass stick.


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## DennisCA (25 Mar 2017)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fUAHkUfTps&t=1s


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