Which welder
in [Car Maintenance]
|
From: asahartz on 23 Jul 2010 12:01 On Thu, 22 Jul 2010 23:54:52 +0100, Pete M <pete.murray(a)SPAMFREEblueyonder.co.uk> wrote: >Ozie wrote: >> >> Been thinking for some time about buying a Welder, i now have an early >> VW camper which needs quite a bit of new metal if its ever going to pass >> an mot. >> So what do i buy, what would be the easiest to learn too use by a >> complete novice. >> >> Thanks >> >You can get a secondhand TIG welder for about �350. They rock! A little more skill needed than with a MIG though... -- asahartz woz ere
From: Malcolm on 23 Jul 2010 13:23 >> >> Been thinking for some time about buying a Welder, i now have an early >> VW camper which needs quite a bit of new metal if its ever going to pass >> an mot. >> So what do i buy, what would be the easiest to learn too use by a >> complete novice. >> >> Thanks >> > > One last question seems to be different opinions on what gas to use, can i > ask what you people use and where you get it from. > the small canisters sold seem to be either Co2 or Argon neither seem to be > recommended for steel. > http://www.toolstation.com/documents/catalogue/?hl=89126 > thanks > -- > Oz You can use CO2 or Argon with steel, you must have pure Argon for Aluminium and some other specialist welding. Using a home type mig welder with aluminium wire can be a nightmare as the wire is too bendy to be pushed up the feed pipe. Commercial machines for aluminium welding tend to have the feed mechanism at the handle end. The proper gas for steel is an Argon/CO2 mix commonly called Argoshield which is I think a BOC trademark. CO2 alone is very fussy about machine settings and not specially easy to use, it tends to spatter, but is cheap if you acquire a pub gas cylinder and get it refilled. Small disposable cylinders cost a fortune. Your best bet is to get a pub gas cylinder and ask around locally as there are people who will fill them with Argoshield. It is of slightly dodgy legality so they tend not to shout about the "service".
From: Jim K on 23 Jul 2010 13:30 On 23 July, 18:23, "Malcolm" <malcolm$$123...(a)btinternet.com> wrote: > >> Been thinking for some time about buying a Welder, i now have an early > >> VW camper which needs quite a bit of new metal if its ever going to pass > >> an mot. > >> So what do i buy, what would be the easiest to learn too use by a > >> complete novice. > > >> Thanks > > > One last question seems to be different opinions on what gas to use, can i > > ask what you people use and where you get it from. > > the small canisters sold seem to be either Co2 or Argon neither seem to be > > recommended for steel. > >http://www.toolstation.com/documents/catalogue/?hl=89126 > > thanks > > -- > > Oz > > You can use CO2 or Argon with steel, you must have pure Argon for Aluminium > and some other specialist welding. Using a home type mig welder with > aluminium wire can be a nightmare as the wire is too bendy to be pushed up > the feed pipe. Commercial machines for aluminium welding tend to have the > feed mechanism at the handle end. > > The proper gas for steel is an Argon/CO2 mix commonly called Argoshield > which is I think a BOC trademark. CO2 alone is very fussy about machine > settings and not specially easy to use, it tends to spatter, but is cheap > if you acquire a pub gas cylinder and get it refilled. Small disposable > cylinders cost a fortune. Your best bet is to get a pub gas cylinder and ask > around locally as there are people who will fill them with Argoshield. It is > of slightly dodgy legality so they tend not to shout about the "service". where should one "ask around" for the Argoshield in a pub cylinder ahem ...service?? cheers Jim K
From: Cicero on 23 Jul 2010 13:44 On Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:12:13 +0100, Fredxx wrote: > "Pete M" <pete.murray(a)SPAMFREEblueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message > news:i2ai69$873$1(a)news.eternal-september.org... >> Ozie wrote: >>> >>> Been thinking for some time about buying a Welder, i now have an early >>> VW camper which needs quite a bit of new metal if its ever going to >>> pass an mot. >>> So what do i buy, what would be the easiest to learn too use by a >>> complete novice. >>> >>> Thanks >>> >> You can get a secondhand TIG welder for about £350. They rock! >> >> > I'm not sure if I can recommend them for a newbie. > > Tig is used on some metals but rarely steel. They use pure argon and I > don't think the tungsten tips are cheap. If the shielding gas gets > blown away from the work like in an outside environment, the tip burns > away. They require more skill. > > While you need gas, you might just as well use oxy-acetylene, though I > suspect it's not allowed in a domestic environment. ============================================================================== I don't think there are any restrictions on home use of oxy-acetylene. BOC Portapak (with outright sale of bottles) has been available since early 1970s. I bought mine about 1974 and learned to weld with it. I also upgraded to larger bottles without any restrictions except that they were rented rather than bought. It's actually more versatile than other welding methods for many purposes since it can be used to form and shape metals as you go after initial tacking. Cic. -- =============================================================================== Using Ubuntu Linux Windows shown the door ===============================================================================
From: newshound on 23 Jul 2010 14:32
> > Have a look here: http://www.welduk.com - he's local to me, so I go to > him and he knows what he's talking about. Competitive on price too. > -- > asahartz woz ere I liked the look of his mini portapak; didn't feel I could justify the cost of gas welding kit until I saw that. Obviously it would get a bit expensive for significant car welding. |