New Welder

[General Baxter]

im after a very powerfull single phase welder,

what i have at the moment is a single phase 110amp gassless, and im sorry to say chewing gum is stronger lol

im after a

over 200amp single phase, gas welder

iv search everywhere (even google) and its come up with nothing, oh i did find one for ?960 lol

[General Baxter]

will 160amp work for major chassis work?

[bump]

What's your budget? What's the chassis? Affects the answers a lot.

160 is a bit on the slight side for major work, but will cope with it every now and then.

Portamig 211 will be the best you can get for 200A+, but you will need to run a dedicated supply for it.

What are you actually planning on doing?

[shy witness]

we've an sip in work..and i think its about 240

and its a decent welder

it cost my boss over 1000 quid 10 years ago.................but i rememeber seeing them in some of them classic car mags in recent years for arround 500 or so

i'd deffinatly reccomend 1 of them

ours had done some work over the years.....with little hassle

but as with anything.......you get what you pay for

dont be expecting a 1st class welder for 2 or 300 quid...................coz they wont be

theyre only we toys

[bump]

Don't touch SIP now! Used to be quality, now just junk.

Nick, join mig-welding.co.uk (http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/) and drop weldequip a pm letting him know what you want to do and he'll throw up some good suggestions.

[shy witness]

are they ???????????????

as i said........ours is 10 years old ..............and its earned its money by a long way

thast the 1 we have there after a quick search

http://concepttools.co.uk/Products/ViewProduct.aspx?ProductID=1778&RangeNo=22

[General Baxter]

What's your budget? What's the chassis? Affects the answers a lot.

my budget is poor lol
the chassis is a nova one, running high stress *hint hint* (big holes being cut in it lol )
well its going to have a semi space frame lol

[bump]

Quality has gone so far down hill they are rated as one of the worst hobby welders out there now. The main characteristics of them are driving the welding current and the drive system off the same transformer (big no no for decent reliable feed), drive motor smaller than something of a kids toy and failing gas valves, PCB's possibly designed by a high school student.

They just get good write ups in the mags that they advertise heavily in, like practical car restorer etc...

Nick, I've got the Portamig info if you want to have a look at it. You won't find a site with them on as their built to order only.

EDIT: Quantify poor?

[General Baxter]

poor = under 350 lol

this one has taken my fancy but as said above its 160amp
http://i18.ebayimg.com/03/i/000/c5/43/06d7_1.JPG


Decamig 240 Volt 160 Amp welder complete with mask and gas regulator. It's not been used for a few years but is in good working order. It has the large wire reel which is part used. Obvoiusly collection only from Market Harborough, Leicestershire. Will fit in small saloon car. Low start price with no reserve.

[bump]

TBH, it's an old garage unit. Take a drive over and have a look at it, see if you can run it.
Check for leaky caps and grating in the drive system. A rough guess is that it's not far from it's end of life. You may have some difficulty with spares as that's a directly wired torch, and being italian will most probably have some weird fittings.

[bump]

This (http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/165te-turbo-mig-welder/path/automotiveindustrial-mig-welders) would be a better buy, at least it's current and can do a reasonable job.

[dan23]

^ thats same as mine

[mowgli]

I have had one of those italian mig welders (110a) for years. the hardest thing is finding contact tips. SIP seem to use unique thread sizes. Try MAYPOLE (www.maypole.ltd.uk (http://www.maypole.ltd.uk)) they also sell loads of trailer & towing stuff.

[mowgli]

If you need serious welding power, you could get a small oil cooled arc welder. they will run on a 240v cooker circuit. My brother bought one & we wired it in at my mums. the only problem was when we used 4mm rods, the telly picture went dim. we were banned from welding during dynasty & east enders!

[tom reid]

Don't get too hung up on the max amps on a welder, mine is a 130 (i think), but it will weld almost anything, it's the adjustability you need.
A welder with just high and low power/wirefeed settings is not really ideal for car building, if you can find a welder with multiple settings for the power/wire it will tend to be better, regardless of the max amps.
I would have a look at that yellow welder, before you buy a new one.
Oh, by the way, most welders come from Italy these days.

[bump]

Oh, by the way, most welders come from Italy these days.

Think you'll find that's China.

[Adam]

Aye, as said SIP are crap, unreliable, wire feed problems etc.
Remember the low power setting too, as you can also do thin stuff then too.

[General Baxter]

i think i might 'try' that yellow thing of ebay, if its ****e, its cheap enought to bin lol

[BRoadGhost]

Nothing wrong with SiP ~ I run a 150, have done the eurotorche conversion & never looked back.

Study some of the welds Austin has achieved on his projects; using a 150amp ~ it's not about having the best welder - it's about being the best welder.

Understanding spool speed, hand speed & amp setting in relation to thickness of material will carry you more than spending as much as you can on equipment.