Paul H Posted January 11, 2018 Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 Advice please : I would like learn welding ( the last time I used one was 40 years ago ) and recently purchased some Vitesse Doors which need re skinning , the bottoms of the doors need serious attention . Is the Lidl Welder on offer this weekend up to the job and if need be would it handle chassis repairs for the Vitesse If the Lidl welder is not suitable or powerful enough any suggestions would be welcomed - Just want to make the right purchase first time around Thanks in advance Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 11, 2018 Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 Paul. That welder is not suitable and there are a lot of factors to consider; of which I could spend the next twenty minutes writing !! I have a SIP 150 using Argon/CO2 mix. Take some time out and have a read of this, very informative and will give you a better insight: http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/ If you look at the top left of the MIG Forum page, you will see MIG in green - have a look at that also. Regards. Richard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted January 11, 2018 Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 I bought a Sip Migmate 130 years ago - 23 in fact - and STILL have not learned to use it; the fact that the brother-in-law is a welder by trade sort of ruled out any need for me to learn... but I wish I had. That one was recommended by Practical Classics in a review of Mig Welders as a good all rounder for car bodywork repairs but I suspect it was the entry-level model they would have recommended. The Lidl model is probably okay for welding gates or railings but I'd steer clear for bodywork or thinner metals. Richard - are you using the small disposable gas cylinders, or have you invested in a larger system? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 11, 2018 Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 Hello Colin. I use the big cylinders which is far more cost effective via this company: https://www.hobbyweld.co.uk/ How about a new year resolution to celebrate your garage and take up some welding, you can self-teach and MIG welding is very straight forward; the link I gave Paul will certainly help you and of course there are some excellent YouTube videos to view. Once you get the hang of it as a result of a few hours / days practice you will wonder why you never did so before. These days, decent kit is very affordable and plenty to choose from online. Regards. Richard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AidanT Posted January 11, 2018 Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 14 minutes ago, Colin Lindsay said: I bought a Sip Migmate 130 years ago - Colin didn't realise you were that old!! Aidan 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 11, 2018 Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 Aidan, looks as though Colin also purchased 23 of them Regards. Richard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted January 11, 2018 Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 I will throw a curveball here. My first MIG was a clarke 90A gasless.I taught myself to weld with it, and then restored a mk3 spitfire. Use dit to make engine mounts etc when I put a sprint engine in that car. Later I built my vitesse, and found that the 90A was ample(!) for chassis work, progress was a bit slow and as the unit was not fan cooled, it tripped and beeded time to cool when used on full power for more than a few minutes. Sadly it died one day after about 10 years, and was beyond economic repair. I bought a SIP 130 and it wa junk from the word go, a metal liner helped a bit, but it was sold and a another clarke, this time 150A gasless, was purchased, and still in use. Used that for all sorts from sills to wings to fabricating mounts etc. However, I was offered a Butters 130A mig for very little money,and that is a delight. It is in gas at the moment, and produces neater welds with less splat than the gasless. However, it can use gasless/fux cored wire, which is genuinely brilliant when you are having to work outside and it is windy, or bits that you cannot really clean up well enough, the flux is more forgiving. As to the actual welder, I would suspect you are getting £80 worth, so it may be hopeless. However, it may not, who knows? But a poor welder makes the job much harder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 11, 2018 Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 You do get what you pay for. The advantage of a higher amp welder is that you are not maxing it out during your welding session, which of course will have a short life if used at its upper limit. 99.9% if not 100% of welders these days are fan assisted which is a must; bizarrely you can almost compare a welder to car - a little something in reserve and benefits from being cooled. New welders are great VFM these days so do not be tempted to buy second hand unless you know for certain its history and how it has been used. Welders with a good parts back-up is a must, so the usual household names like SIP and Clarke spring to mind. Items such as the rollers and the inner tube of the wire dispenser do wear over time, so again you need to check all is okay with those items if you do go the 2nd hand route. One feature of modern welders is the pulse facility which allows the welding of very thin metal which can be problematic with some welders; again, these welders are more common and priced accordingly. As Clive has pointed out, gasless is useful if you have to work outside and the protective element is contained within the wire - the majority of welders can run with or without gas. All will become clear via the MIG link I posted earlier. Regards. Richard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted January 11, 2018 Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 I would be inclined to go with a welder that can be used with or without gas, as having welded gasless for the last 9 months I’m now switching to gas as it produces a neater result, particularly on thin steel like bodywork. I went with a Clarke 151 EN as it can handle both gas and gasless, and has enough grunt to deal with metal up to 6mm, as despite what they claim, most smaller machines can’t achieve decent weld penetration on anything over 2-3mm. Karl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted January 12, 2018 Report Share Posted January 12, 2018 17 hours ago, classiclife said: Aidan, looks as though Colin also purchased 23 of them Regards. Richard. Given that I'm from a region that uses phrases like: "He stuck his head through the door and there was I sitting in the middle of my dinner" you can understand how sometimes the thought process doesn't translate to the typing... Anyway I'm a pensioner so can get away with things like that! Are you guys being ageist? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 12, 2018 Report Share Posted January 12, 2018 Hello Colin. Being fully retired we are on a level pitch. Not sure about Aidan, although I have no doubt he would jump at the chance to join "the club" !! Regards. Richard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Posted January 12, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2018 16 hours ago, Bordfunker said: I would be inclined to go with a welder that can be used with or without gas, as having welded gasless for the last 9 months I’m now switching to gas as it produces a neater result, particularly on thin steel like bodywork. I went with a Clarke 151 EN as it can handle both gas and gasless, and has enough grunt to deal with metal up to 6mm, as despite what they claim, most smaller machines can’t achieve decent weld penetration on anything over 2-3mm. Karl Hi Karl - thanks for info. What gas setup do you have ? Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted January 12, 2018 Report Share Posted January 12, 2018 Paul I’ve just picked up one of these from Weldquip. http://www.weldequip.com/argonmix-conversion-kit.htm Next step is to get is to pick up a Hobbyweld cylinder from the local farm shop, but before that I need to make a welding trolley for the welder and cylinder to sit on. The 151 EN just needs the leads for the torch and earth clamp switched over for welding with gas and I’m good to go. Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted January 12, 2018 Report Share Posted January 12, 2018 5 minutes ago, Bordfunker said: Paul I’ve just picked up one of these from Weldquip. http://www.weldequip.com/argonmix-conversion-kit.htm Next step is to get is to pick up a Hobbyweld cylinder from the local farm shop, but before that I need to make a welding trolley for the welder and cylinder to sit on. The 151 EN just needs the leads for the torch and earth clamp switched over for welding with gas and I’m good to go. Karl When I got the butters mig, I invested in a hobbyweld cylinder and dual gauge regulator. I also bought a £25 welding trolley off fleabay, it isn't too bad at all, main complaint is the bolts are a bit iffy but all worked fine (wouldn't want to use them on a car though!) Happy to measure up if required... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-Tier-Welding-Cart-Plasma-Cutter-Welder-Trolley-MIG-TIG-ARC-Storage-Gas-Bottles/401287096185?epid=13006983660&hash=item5d6e932779:g:YSEAAOSwTuJYt67P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unkel Kunkel Posted January 14, 2018 Report Share Posted January 14, 2018 As a total amateur, self- taught welder who originally bought a cheap welder before buying a decent one , my view would be “don’t buy a cheap welder”. It might be ok, but cheap versions of all sorts of tools and equipment almost always prove difficult to use and disappoint.They frustrate even the most experienced and for the newcomer, if they are not disheartened and their enthusiasm undermined, they will end up having to buy something better. Look at a decent welder and subtract the cost of a cheap one -this is what you will save by not buying twice. My “second buy “ is a Clarke 160 TM ,What a difference!.A delight to use.Even I can now weld to a standard that pleases -and continues to surprise me. I echo the good advice given on here re migweld.co.uk and large Argon/CO2 mix cylinders. I add - 1)Get a self -darkening welding helmet. They really are marvelous .Apart from a decent welder, this was undoubtedly the single most important thing that helped me. 2) Play time is Learning time - and very important.- Mess about welding up any old bits of scrap steel you can get your hands on,especially scrap body panels ,using all the different settings, especially the wire speed which you will discover is quite critical and dial settings are not “ linear”. Good luck and enjoy your welding! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Posted January 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2018 Thanks for the advice, and with all the other valuable comments it’s the way to go . I’ve purchased a couple of cheap Vitesse doors to rebuild so they will be my first project Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Posted February 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2018 Been researching Welders - Is this one ok - appreciate the gas would be expensive but enough to get started then purchase / rent a larger bottle Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ludwig113 Posted February 2, 2018 Report Share Posted February 2, 2018 5 hours ago, Paul H said: Been researching Welders - Is this one ok - appreciate the gas would be expensive but enough to get started then purchase / rent a larger bottle Paul that's exactly what i have. just so you know there are 4 main controls, high/low power and 1 and 2 switches. using a combination of these your able to do car panels no problem. the way i found to weld is to set a power output and then play with the wire speed(probably higher than you think) and you'll get great welds. btw, go for a proper gas bottle from the start. i spent alot of time messing around with those small cannisters including buying some that i reckon were empty when i bought them..... i use hobbyweld 5 - co2 argon mix. paul 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 2, 2018 Report Share Posted February 2, 2018 Paul H. Yes that will do you very nicely and as the Paul states, go for a big bottle to begin with - yes I accept it's an extra expense but those small bottles empty in next to no time; almost a false economy really. Argon CO2 mix is the ideal shrouding gas and Hobbyweld is a very good company to obtain your bottles from; there is bound to be an outlet near you. You will be surprised how quickly you get the hang of welding - practice makes perfect. My other advice, probably mentioned on here already is: a solar charged helmet, decent set of gloves / gauntlets which must cover any exposed skin over a long sleeve top; basically no exposed skin. Finally it is worth getting a decent dual gauge regulator when you get the proper cylinders, the reason for this is that it shows pressure / discharge rate and also amount of gas remaining in the bottle.............something along these lines: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Argon-CO2-Single-Stage-2-Gauge-Regulator-/180832874985?_trksid=p2349526.m4383.l4275.c10 Good luck. Richard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted February 2, 2018 Report Share Posted February 2, 2018 Difficult to tell if it has a cooling fan, but it is said to have "Forced Air Cooling"! As long as that is so, OK. My first welder had no fan, and the thermal switch would make it cut out after twenty minutes or so, whereupon it would take several hours to cool down and start working again. I strapped an extractor fan to the side, and Lo! It worked continuously! So don't buy a welder with no fan. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ludwig113 Posted February 2, 2018 Report Share Posted February 2, 2018 40 minutes ago, JohnD said: Difficult to tell if it has a cooling fan, but it is said to have "Forced Air Cooling"! As long as that is so, OK. My first welder had no fan, and the thermal switch would make it cut out after twenty minutes or so, whereupon it would take several hours to cool down and start working again. I strapped an extractor fan to the side, and Lo! It worked continuously! So don't buy a welder with no fan. John there fine john, never had mine cut out. also paul h, when you get a bottle also buy yourself a welding trolley off ebay, about £35. paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerguzzi Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 Hello Paul I bit the bullet a couple of years ago and splashed out on one of these http://www.weldequip.com/portamig-165-mig.htm But Still can not weld it often comes out like Bird S**t I keep meaning to get my mates son around to show me how to do it? I was told the important part is the wire feed! and I was told all the small Sealey ones use the same wire feed(cheap) Still you get what you pay for but I would warn you the one I have is built like a brick S**t house but does come with wheels! and would take 2 to lift into a van! Roger ps mine is a 185 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 23 hours ago, ludwig113 said: there fine john, never had mine cut out. also paul h, when you get a bottle also buy yourself a welding trolley off ebay, about £35. paul OR, modify your welder itself, if it's on wheels. Extended base plate, to take the cylinder, and bracket on te top to hold it in place. I've replaced the webbing straps with Jubillee clips since the photo. JOhn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ludwig113 Posted February 4, 2018 Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 that's also another way of doing it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted February 4, 2018 Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 John, how I wished you lived closer to me.... the ideas I could pinch off you with one or two short tours of your garage! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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