Outer Limits 4x4 Board

My wife wants to get me a MIG for my 30th..

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ... 4&tc=photo

seems fine.ive got 1 but a 240
just ring a welding stockist to see what price they go for.
i got mine from hare and forbs. in sydney

it's not very powerful, chances are you will be disappointed with its ability to weld heavier sections. the price is right for that size unit though.

it depends on what you want to do with it

I would agree with most it will not be powerfull enough, I peresonally would not buy below a 200amp machine

I had a small mig like that, its not the amperage that kills you its the shit wirefeed/regulation system. The smaller migs are built for a budget, and are useless (well can be), i have a inverting arc and get more use out of it than my mig ever did, if your going to buy a mig, i wouldnt buy anything that didnt have a seperate wire feed

Dave

i bought a 160amp gas/gasless mig, cost $600, i can get good penetration with it on materials up to 6mm thick, does what i need it to do and didnt cost a fortune, a bigger one would be nice though

I have a big old arc as well, It is great for the heavier stuff, but its a major PITA for lighter duty work ..
Its only for a bit of home stuff, perhaps build a tray and some bar work (not a roll bar, I would get a pro to weld that sort of stuff up).

But as a brand .. how is UniMig ?? or should I go with something like CIG ??

UniMig have a good reputation, the other to try is a Lincoln SP170, for their size they are meant to be a great unit.

Agree with the other guys dont go to small or you will regret it later.

yeap, thats why I have a 255 amp Lincoln with remote wire feeder

spoke to the weldin shop in regards to the welder size needed for various uses ie cars n bar work n bar work n bigger uses ,they reckon those portible ones r ok but your better off with the next range up or end up unsatisfied
he said you look for the duty cycle wich makes the welders better from each other

Yo,

I have a couple of welders. The old stick which I've built a few cars with, then I bought a mig. Stick gets better weld penetration and makes for a stronger weld, the mig is more convenient with no slag. Also - the stick burns hotter and the heat is more dispersed, the mig is more centralised and not as hot. I used to do fine with a 160amp stick for years. Then when I bought the mig I bought a 270 amper. Its a big bastard and weighs about 250kg. Main thing that I looked at was duty cycle - and what was going to fit with my style of use.

For instance, some of the lighter guage welders have a short duty cycle which means that they reach the end of their cycle quickly and shut off for safety until they cool down. The 270 is as big as you can go on 240v and has a long duty cycle. I reckon I'd well and truely pissed if I had to wait for the welder to cool down to continue the weld.

The other thing is the wire feed. I saw it already mentioned and ditto that. I've used a small mig and it was CRAP - sorry. I hated it. Preferred the stick anyday. The problem was the wire either pulsed, jammed or there was just not enough variation in the wire speed ie you had to be stuck with pre sets. THis was frustrating. and because of I delayed getting a mig for years.

So check list
Gear driven wire feed
Long duty cycle (or suitable to your application)

If you haven't welded before - get a stick - it'll be harder at first, but its like learning the basics. eg driving unlocked vs locked. Someone who's good with a stick will out weld an average person on a mig.

Just some thought.

I can weld OK with the ARC when I have been using it a while, but as it's such a PITA to use on light stuff (I welded extractors without making any holes with the ARC) I rarely pull it out..

I dont need a long duty cycle as it is purely home use, If I were to lay more than 20 cm of bead an hour I would be very suprised. PLus the heaviset I would expect would be about 3.5/4mm (after that I would drag out the ARC) I would not think that I would need to weld stainless or alloy.

So for a basic ferris metal welding mig .. what is a good unit for a good price or even good brands I will take pot luck

Most of the small migs use gasless flux cored wire. This is hard to get good results with and you might as well use a stick welder.

As a minimum for home use I'd be looking at a 170 amp unit and forget gasless models. 170 Amps is OK for 3-4mm sections. Duty cycle is not likely to be an issue unsless you're doing serious fabrication/production work.

I have an ex-hire company SIP 170 which I bought at a closing down auction for $300. SIP is by no means regarded as a 'quality' brand like Lincoln, WIA, CIG etc but this thing has done a lot of work and is very reliable. In fact I was surprised a hire company would purchase an SIP as they are a 'cheap' brand.

Make sure you can get consumables -tips, nozzles for what you buy. Smaller models will also not take a 15 kg roll of wire. Some of the smaller gas/gasless models also do not have a gas solenoid - you will waste a lot of gas without one.

I`ve got a 210 liquidarc with a 4mt hand piece instead of the standard 3mt one. The longer hand piece makes it so much better its not funny. Park the welder next to the lux and I can weld where ever I want on it and not have to move the mig. I was going to get the remotoe head one but it was like $600 more. Mine cost me approx $1400 with the longer hp, wire tips etc etc etc. It will do from body panels to 10-12mm.