Sealey Gasless Welders

[Celia_Alan 102]

I am looking at getting a welder as I need to patch up a couple of holes in the floor of Betty. I completed a welding evening course so now feel brave enough to actually weld something real not just some bit of scrap. I know I will get a better finish of weld with a gas mig but as I will be welding on my back out on the driveway in Scotland I think I should get a passable looking weld from gasless as there will be less issues due to the wind.

 

A quick look online has Euro Car Parts doing this for £100 which seems like too much of a bargain?

 

Mighty Mig 90

 

What is other peoples opinions on these should I be looking else where it will mainly be for body work patches occasionally so I don't fancy spending hundreds for something that will spend most of its time in the corner of the garage.

[G6-20 56]

6 hours ago, Celia_Alan said:

What is other peoples opinions on these ?

 

I'm amazed they sell gas-less migs, as every time i've used one, I've been disappointed.

 

Even running them on maximum power, they don't penetrate properly, unless your welding really thin stuff. Thinner than car panels.

 

most of the time they just stick weld to the surface, with minimal penetration. A single spot weld might look ok, and hold in place, but if you hit it with a hammer, it'll break half the time, and the finish you get is very porous, sometimes brittle, and they have a habit of splattering weld everywhere.

 

It's annoying that the gas machines cost loads more, especially when you only want it for a couple small repairs, but there the only way to go in my opinion.

 

If I were you, id buy a gas one, use it for your repairs, and re-sell it on eBay for £50 less.

That way your not spending too much money, and you'll be much more likely to get a good solid repair

[jim7564 712]

in my opinion you will be wasting your time using a gasless welder outside in windy conditions,I,m not sure if gasless actually means welding without gas and a lot depends on what it is your welding.a lot of folk use Co2 instead of Argon etc (gasless welding butnot quite as your using something to substitute the gas) also how neat you want the welding to look.you will spend more time grinding and cleaning it up than you will welding

its not the price of the welder but refilling the gas bottles makes it expensive as nowadays you have to have an account for the bottle (unless you know someone who will do it on the side)

recently bought a mig 160 amp big piece of kit compared to my last one.my old one a migmate (more a hobby welder) cant weld anything outside esp in windy conditions always resort back to my stick welder,

[Celia_Alan 102]

My understanding of gasless welding is there is a flux coating on the wire that shields the weld the same way the gas does. It then needs cleaned off after welding but with gas you don't. 

Plus the disposable gas canisters cost about £10 for 10 mins welding so soon add up. 

Part of my thinking now is black Friday is coming up and hoped to get a bargain welder but might just watch eBay and pick up a used one. But that comes with the issue of is it being sold because it's crap or they no longer need a welder as the buy and sell rental cost was cheaper than a body shop. 

[jim7564 712]

you will find with that one the weld will stick to one surface as you cannot fine tune it (either min/max) nothing in between.mine (also crap) high/med/low on high it blows holes in the body medium it sticks to one side and low dont waste your time.small bottles of Argon gas last a few min,admittedly it did weld my filler pipe to my new fuel cap pretty well also i used it to weld my seats.but bodywork/panels its useless.granted i,m no expert with a mig,but if your going ahead try and look for one with a dial for the power the same as the speed of wire.

i spend more time freeing the wire up replacing the flow wheels and dismantling the gun as the wire seems to stick in the shroud etc.the one i bought takes 2 folk to lift it but not used it yet.

[Celia_Alan 102]

I'll just keep my eyes out for a proper gas mig then. New ones seem to start arpund £200 plud gas and metal so getting close to the cost of the repair for a mobile guy if I do the donkey work striping interior out and cutting back the rust etc

[Paulus3476 1,065]

Most gasless migs are also capable of running with gas - you will not get even a half decent weld without gas, and using outside pretty much rules out the possibility of using disposable bottles - they would last mere minutes at the flow rate required to overcome even a mild breeze.

 

[_Chris_ 811]

The best advice is to buy good quality secondhand for the same price as cheap crap new.

 

My current welder is an old, battered murex 3 phase welder which cost me £250 on ebay and it's far far better than the £650 one I was talked into buying a few years back.

 

Same advice goes for pretty much any power tool except batteries.

 

[_Chris_ 811]

p.s. This is the place mine came from

 

http://www.mobileweldingsupplies.co.uk/used-equipment

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/plonknplonker999

 

[G6-20 56]

Alan, try find one with 1-6 or higher, adjustable dial switches, for both wire speed, and amps/power.

 

Having the ability to fine tune the settings, makes all the difference I find.

 

The machines with just high and low button on, it's hard to get a decent weld with those. Power always seems to be not enough, or too much.

 

Usually the better machines have adjustable everything, including gas  on/off timing, and gas flow

[G6-20 56]

How easy / costly is it, I wonder, to convert a regular one into gas ?

 

Need a gas regulator, argon/c02 gas bottle, maybe new wire reel ? plumbing bits, pipes, connectors. maybe other bits?

 

Why do gas machines cost so bloody much. Seems to be £100 non, and £400 gas, crazy.

Edited November 16, 2018 by G6-20

[al/c 178]

wouldn,t bother with gasless, i have an r-tech mig, plasma cutter, and tig welder. cost a bit more but have never had a problem with any of them.. sometimes they have shop soiled for sale, have seen those with just a slight scratch.