Has anyone got any experiance with the unimig brand migs. I can get the unimig 195 (195amps) for $980 which is quite cheap for this sized welder but I don't want to buy a lemon.
Any advice?
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unimig welders
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God of Magnificant Ideas!
!!!!.... ( I need a spare !! )
God of Magnificant Ideas!
have a good talk to the guy and tell him what you want to do with it. check out the rated Duty Cycle at max current, if it's under about 10 - 15% you might be frustrated with it when welding big stuff - but if you're not going to crank it all the way up that often, go for it.
also look at the minimum current setting - is it low enough for sheetmetal/panel work, does does it have enough steps in the current settings to give you control over every conceivable situation you're going to use it for? if it only has a couple of switches to control the current it might be awkward in some situations with one step too high and another too low for exaclty what you want to weld.
can it take all different size spools? big spools are good but heavy, and it's handy to have little spools for aluminium, stainless, etc, stuff you might not weld often but when it comes around you don't always want to be swapping big fat spools over.
also see if you can lift it - not essential if you're never going to move it but handy if you need to transport it.
twist the shop man's arm into a super deal on an auto-darkening helmet too, those things are the dogs bollocks, I don't know how I ever welded without one :)
it's a good price for a 200A welder, anyway - but it's a lot of money to drop on something that isn't going to siut your needs.
cheers
Brian
also look at the minimum current setting - is it low enough for sheetmetal/panel work, does does it have enough steps in the current settings to give you control over every conceivable situation you're going to use it for? if it only has a couple of switches to control the current it might be awkward in some situations with one step too high and another too low for exaclty what you want to weld.
can it take all different size spools? big spools are good but heavy, and it's handy to have little spools for aluminium, stainless, etc, stuff you might not weld often but when it comes around you don't always want to be swapping big fat spools over.
also see if you can lift it - not essential if you're never going to move it but handy if you need to transport it.
twist the shop man's arm into a super deal on an auto-darkening helmet too, those things are the dogs bollocks, I don't know how I ever welded without one :)
it's a good price for a 200A welder, anyway - but it's a lot of money to drop on something that isn't going to siut your needs.
cheers
Brian
God of Magnificant Ideas!
Mine runs both large and small wire reels and is easy to change over, it handles alloy and stainless with the same ease as mild steel wire and I use on average 5 large reels a year through it!!. The only problem I've ever had is with gas core wire and that was prolly more my fault than the welders.
I use mine on everything from panel steel up to 16mm plate and its always handled it well. Spare parts are plentiful ie: tips, liners and nozzles, and the only time mine has ever failed me was during a lightning storm it copped a power surge and blew the diodes ( cost $80 bucks to fix). I also modified the cooling fan to a lager unit for better cooling and the duty cycle has increased dramaticily.
Tip ..... after you finish the last weld DONT switch the welder off straight away.... the heat in the windings will take a long time to cool and the heat generated from the windings WILL shorten the life of the diodes and other circutry.
I leave mine "idleing" over for a minimum of 10 mins after the last weld before pulling the plug, longer if I've been welding with a hot setting or welding for a long period; also I have a plastic cover over the unit that covers the top and comes halfway down the sides and back, it amazes me how much dust, grindings etc that it stops from getting in/on the welder.
I also "blow out" the unit every so often with compressed air, all sorts of "things" like to make my welder their home!
The "auto darkening " helmets are good and are the go for panel welding especially and are excelent for beginners, unfortunately I could never get used to one and still perfer my old "flip top"..... thats prolly why I have always got "sunburnt" eyelids
!!!
I use mine on everything from panel steel up to 16mm plate and its always handled it well. Spare parts are plentiful ie: tips, liners and nozzles, and the only time mine has ever failed me was during a lightning storm it copped a power surge and blew the diodes ( cost $80 bucks to fix). I also modified the cooling fan to a lager unit for better cooling and the duty cycle has increased dramaticily.
Tip ..... after you finish the last weld DONT switch the welder off straight away.... the heat in the windings will take a long time to cool and the heat generated from the windings WILL shorten the life of the diodes and other circutry.
I leave mine "idleing" over for a minimum of 10 mins after the last weld before pulling the plug, longer if I've been welding with a hot setting or welding for a long period; also I have a plastic cover over the unit that covers the top and comes halfway down the sides and back, it amazes me how much dust, grindings etc that it stops from getting in/on the welder.
I also "blow out" the unit every so often with compressed air, all sorts of "things" like to make my welder their home!
The "auto darkening " helmets are good and are the go for panel welding especially and are excelent for beginners, unfortunately I could never get used to one and still perfer my old "flip top"..... thats prolly why I have always got "sunburnt" eyelids
!!![color=blue][size=150][b]And your cry-baby, whinyassed opinion would be.....? [/b][/size][/color]
I my main welder is a UniMig 240 which (at the time) wasn't much dearer than the 195. It has copped some serious abuse over the years and if flexible enough to weld automotive panels to big plate. The only problem that I had was the digital electronic control unit that displayed the amps etc couldn't handle stich welding at max current. (I havent checked the stores lately but I think that type of controller / model has been discontinued... UniMig replaced the controller with a std dial type under warranty.) If you do have a problem - Unimig were good (and fast) to deal and cheaper than Esab and Lincoln - but maybe that is just a local thing...
If you are short of space and don't do much h/d welding the little Lincoln 175? might be good enough, but I would buy another Unimig! One thing to consider too is to check the quality of the gun and the hose length.
I am a big believer in Speedglass auto helmets too!! I just have one helmet that does everything from light tig or oxy to big grunt mig and plasma work. They are addictive though - once you get used to one you can't go back!!
While we are in welding land - does anybody know if you can use the power supply from a tig or mig to power a plasma cutter? ( ie: is plasma current or voltage controlled and / or AC or DC pos or neg etc...) I dont want to buy a bigger plasma cutter if I can power it from the tig...
If you are short of space and don't do much h/d welding the little Lincoln 175? might be good enough, but I would buy another Unimig! One thing to consider too is to check the quality of the gun and the hose length.
I am a big believer in Speedglass auto helmets too!! I just have one helmet that does everything from light tig or oxy to big grunt mig and plasma work. They are addictive though - once you get used to one you can't go back!!
While we are in welding land - does anybody know if you can use the power supply from a tig or mig to power a plasma cutter? ( ie: is plasma current or voltage controlled and / or AC or DC pos or neg etc...) I dont want to buy a bigger plasma cutter if I can power it from the tig...
bundyrum the gas is easy, you just have to walk into a BOC or Linde shop and say 'one D (or E) size welding argon cylinder please, chop chop' and they'll make you fill out a form and open an account and charge you for the fill (about $50 I think for the D) and send you and invoice for a year's cylinder rental (somewhere between $100 - $200) - since you're getting oxy gear at the same time as your welder, get the oxy and acetylene cylinders at the same time too.
those are BOC prices, I keem meaning to switch to Linde but never seem to get around to it.
also I have had some trouble with leaking cylinders from BOC, take your own squirty bottle of window cleaner or similar to spray on the valves etc when you pick up the cylinders, leaks show up as bubbles. this will ensure your cylinder stays full, and you'll look experienced ;)
those are BOC prices, I keem meaning to switch to Linde but never seem to get around to it.
also I have had some trouble with leaking cylinders from BOC, take your own squirty bottle of window cleaner or similar to spray on the valves etc when you pick up the cylinders, leaks show up as bubbles. this will ensure your cylinder stays full, and you'll look experienced ;)
Unimig 210
I'm running a Unimig 210, it was actually cheaper than the 195 from Fisher Tools in Fyshwick <$1000 last year. Very happy with it, but needed to rewire for 15 amp outlet in the shed. Digital controller has given no problems so far. Bottle hire in Canberra was $100/year for E size, and about $50 for a fill.
They also had auto helmets for $130. Never going back to the old flip and flash burn helmet!!
They also had auto helmets for $130. Never going back to the old flip and flash burn helmet!!
banks. They still havn't got it all arganised. Should be all go tomorrow.
Plugs!
dumbdunce wrote:you can just cut the 15A plug off and fit a 10A plug - most power circuits have a 20A breaker, you just have to watch what else is plugged in and turned on on the same circuit.
but it's better/safer to get a 15A socket with its own breaker installed.
Bit Scary!! The shed needed a re-wire anyway. The lights used to dim when I kicked on the circular saw. The rest of the house runs a max of 16 amps. At least I can do continuous welds now without distressing the rest of the family.
All is organised for this afternoon. Think I am looking forward to it, dam write I am!
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