mig welders

[k4ith]

I was gonna pay and get some welding done on the mk2 but feel that for the prices i been quoted I could either buy a mig welder or hire one and do it myself cheaper, but iam a complete novice so I was wondering what you guys have done.You can get 140, 180,300 amp ones 110v ones any recommendations the 140a looks to be ok for car as its just the floor pan for the mo, renting looks good at £40 for the weekend.

[Jay]

I was looking at getting a welder too so I'd like some advice.

I've seen these on the bay, hopefully enough to get to grips with the basic welding practices.

Cheap, but has it got enough power?

There are loads of cheap mig welders on the bay atm.

[Conker]

Very useful:

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/

[rubberdubber]

Hi!

I had a similar thing a few years ago and decided to buy myself a mig welder, £70 off ebay for a gasless mig, had a practice on a few bits of scrap metal and its nowhere near as hard or scary as it looks.  Ben welding ever since and quite enjoy it  Just be carefull not to set fire to the car or yourself!

[Ben Lessani]

Having welded with most forms, don't get a gasless unless you can convert it.

I've got a 150A Arc which is basic at best, but gas MIG is the best way to go to get a good clean penetration and strong weld! I couldn't reccomend any personally, but equipment I've used is Lincoln Electric.

[Village Idiots]

Agree with Ben, go for gas.
I've had a basic one from Machine Mart for years now. Even the smallest are quite powerful enough for bodywork.
I rent a cylinder from Air Products but I do quite a bit of welding, disposables are available but not cheap if you're doing a lot. Can use pub gas (CO2) if you know a friendly landlord, but it is not as good as proper welding gas.
Get a book to teach you the basics and practise before doing something important.
When you get a mask, get a low index on the darkness of the glass or you won't be able to see anything on the power used for bodywork. Also good illumination helps.
When you've mastered the tequniques you will become very popular with the owners of old cars!

[dan_apps]

Agree with Ben, go for gas.
I've had a basic one from Machine Mart for years now. Even the smallest are quite powerful enough for bodywork.
I rent a cylinder from Air Products but I do quite a bit of welding, disposables are available but not cheap if you're doing a lot. Can use pub gas (CO2) if you know a friendly landlord, but it is not as good as proper welding gas.
Get a book to teach you the basics and practise before doing something important.
When you get a mask, get a low index on the darkness of the glass or you won't be able to see anything on the power used for bodywork. Also good illumination helps.
When you've mastered the tequniques you will become very popular with the owners of old cars!

good advice from above, i have gasless aswell bought one to do all the sills + castles on my MG, thing you have to remember is that the welding has to be good enough to pass MOT. dont get me wrong doesnt have to be perfect but tidy. which can be difficult depending on what you are welding so get a load of scrap together and practice as much as you can before doing it. 

[DOA]

One small point, the original poster mentions 110v welders, you need 240v unless you are gonna spend another load on a transformer or have access to a 110v supply (most peeps do not).

[rubberdubber]

Ive had no problems welding with gasless migs, if your only doing small repairs on your own vehicle then there isnt really any need to spend more money for a gas type, you also then have the added costs of buying the gas bottles.  I use a gas mig at work and its nice to weld with and makes a cleaner weld but the difference isnt massive.

[jacko16v]

I have a Cebora 130 turbo mig that is nice and small but can weld fairly big jobs, you can pick them up on ebay for around £100. They also come in the form of snap on but its the same welder.