Hi, looking to buy a mig welder, to work on my old zx ! What size and model should I be looking at ?
cheers Terry.
buying mig welder
Moderator: RichardW
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citroenxm
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Anything around 100 to 150 amp..
WITH gas... Gasless ones are not wirth the penny IMHO...
I bought a 120amp I think it was, and welded a good few things,including Both cills on my 12v XM and 24v XM S1's...
It was only around 100 quid off Ebay UK...
Paul
WITH gas... Gasless ones are not wirth the penny IMHO...
I bought a 120amp I think it was, and welded a good few things,including Both cills on my 12v XM and 24v XM S1's...
It was only around 100 quid off Ebay UK...
Paul
Sharing a pug 207 1.6 hdi Sw 16v.
M reg Xm 2.1 td auto exclusive S2 269k and rising
L reg XM V6 12v SEi auto .. Light project
A very sad...
1994 XM 2.1 d auto
M reg Xm 2.1 td auto exclusive S2 269k and rising
L reg XM V6 12v SEi auto .. Light project
A very sad...
1994 XM 2.1 d auto
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NewcastleFalcon
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Terry
There will be plenty of good advice from other FCF members with their own first hand experience.
I discovered this site when researching my own sill welding project.
mig-welding.co.uk
The link above should take you to the "Welders and Equipment" section which you may also find useful
regards
Neil
There will be plenty of good advice from other FCF members with their own first hand experience.
I discovered this site when researching my own sill welding project.
mig-welding.co.uk
The link above should take you to the "Welders and Equipment" section which you may also find useful
regards
Neil
Clarke 150 or 160 is a good welder for cars at reasonable money. Watch out for Vat free days at MM for one.
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RichardW
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Watch out for 150A ones, as they tend to need a 16A hard wired power supply, whereas up to about 135A will plug in the wall. I've got a Clarke 135 which will weld up to about 4mm which is plenty for most home jobs! Make sure you get a fan cooled one, or you'll end up spending more time drinking tea waiting for it to cool down than welding, if you're on thick stuff! Get an auto dimming mask too if you can run to it.
Richard W
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Derekofpriory
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Hi, Clarke 150 works well, a hard wired 20amp supply is recommended but I have had no problems running it from a dedicated 13amp socket but watch out for voltage drop along any extension leads you have to use and make sure there are no coils of mains cable on top of each other. CO2 gas and 0.6 wire for up to 3mm thick, 0.8 wire for up to 10mm using big chamfers both sides. I made mild steel garden stuff and gates etc, I haven't done a lot of sheet welding or more delicate work but three power settings should turn it down enough not to blast too many holes in your car. 
Bear in mind you can't weld rust - it doesn't melt at normal welding temperatures, and I don't have clue what you have to do to protect the car electrics from stray and induced currents.
As Richard says the auto masks are well worth the investment.
Bear in mind you can't weld rust - it doesn't melt at normal welding temperatures, and I don't have clue what you have to do to protect the car electrics from stray and induced currents. As Richard says the auto masks are well worth the investment.
our car spent Friday afternoon and Monday morning in the electrics area of the Factory!!
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dieseldoggy
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you can run 150 amp's on 13 amp plug but only for short welds or you get drop outs where its looking for more power.
but most welds on cars etc are only short anyway or you get too much heat?.
when you set welder up with co'2 you don't run it turned right up but you need it to be aboutjust over about third of the way on gauge with trigger down so co2's comming out they should come with instructions to say amount it likes?.
if inside i'e no draughts you can drop it back abit or if outside esp if windy you will need to increase flow so you get a co2 shield over your weld or you will get splatter and weld will look sort of aireated dull/brittle look bit like a piece of biscuit.
always better to ere on plus side give it more than less.
most of the mig welders i'e clarkes etc are made in italy
some of the more non descript are chinese.
Always better to get one with more settings for power than less as some run too high on low power for thin work.
Have a look at a good quality 2nd hand one plenty on ebay. as a good 2nd hand one is better than a cheap new one by far it will last way longer than cheap ones plus better resale.
and controls will be alot better best type to get is with rotary controls so have full controls over your welds. and they can norm run 5kg spools which if you get into it will soon pay back for its self.
Ive done welding on mine with a tig/arc inverter with 1mm rods.
another thing is don't forget you're clamps and tools for cleaning metal on older stuff ie rusty types get a zipp wheel takes crap off without too much metal unlike grinding wheels. try and find yourself something like a panel beaters hammer! for shaping when welding as you get heat distortion etc plus need to tap into shape panels etc so look good.
but as stated you can always ask here and plenty of help/advice.
but most welds on cars etc are only short anyway or you get too much heat?.
when you set welder up with co'2 you don't run it turned right up but you need it to be aboutjust over about third of the way on gauge with trigger down so co2's comming out they should come with instructions to say amount it likes?.
if inside i'e no draughts you can drop it back abit or if outside esp if windy you will need to increase flow so you get a co2 shield over your weld or you will get splatter and weld will look sort of aireated dull/brittle look bit like a piece of biscuit.
always better to ere on plus side give it more than less.
most of the mig welders i'e clarkes etc are made in italy
some of the more non descript are chinese.
Always better to get one with more settings for power than less as some run too high on low power for thin work.
Have a look at a good quality 2nd hand one plenty on ebay. as a good 2nd hand one is better than a cheap new one by far it will last way longer than cheap ones plus better resale.
and controls will be alot better best type to get is with rotary controls so have full controls over your welds. and they can norm run 5kg spools which if you get into it will soon pay back for its self.
Ive done welding on mine with a tig/arc inverter with 1mm rods.
another thing is don't forget you're clamps and tools for cleaning metal on older stuff ie rusty types get a zipp wheel takes crap off without too much metal unlike grinding wheels. try and find yourself something like a panel beaters hammer! for shaping when welding as you get heat distortion etc plus need to tap into shape panels etc so look good.
but as stated you can always ask here and plenty of help/advice.
xantia 19td estate 96-7