Originally Posted by
bil_s2
What mig welder did you buy? There are loads out there and I appreciate you get what you pay for, but for repairing/replacing panels on cars I guess you don't need a rolls royce model?
Whec choosing one, is there anything specific to look for or avoid?
Thanks for the help.
cheers
Billy
i bought a used clarke 90pro off ebay, 75 quid and will weld up to 3mm steel and got an auto darkening helmet for another 30 odd quid.
from what i read then for reliability, price and ease of use then the clarke migs are recommended on the welding forum i linked to earlier. other makes suffer from wire feed problems
for car repairs its best to get one that goes down to about 25-30amps for doing body panels as it wont blow holes in the metal as easy as a higher rated minimum amp one.
some are gas or no gas,(the one i got uses small disposable bottles of gas)
the gas version is easier/better to use but ideally suited to use indoors as any breeze blows the shielding gas away and affects the weld. you can create a windbreak to prevent this.
the gasless version uses a fluxed wire and can be used indoors or outdoors but isnt as easy to use.
you can get the disposable bottles of gas from motor factors or a welding supplies company. around 15 notes a time.