What type of welder?

[Saral]

I'm looking to get a welder, what's the best suited? There's loads to choose from. I mainly want it for general modifications like fixing railings, but I could do overplating?

[captain_ahab]

Re: What type of welder?

Firstly if you’re getting a welder, don’t do any work on the hull - this is a job for a specialist welder. However, I think owning a welder is a must have if you have a metal boat.

You’re really looking at 2 choices - either get a stick welder or a MIG welder

You can’t MIG weld effectively outdoors because the gas gets blown away, so you’ll need a stick welder for this. If you’ve got rusty parts you’ll need to stick weld or clean then up before MIG welding.

TBH I’d just go for a cheap inverter stick welder, pick one of these, probably the Amico http://www.kingsofwelding.com/buyers-guides/best-stick-welder-reviews/

Hope this helps!

[Ron Williamson]

Re: What type of welder?

What is 'overplating'?
I like my Hobart Stickmate.
R

[Small boats rock]

Re: What type of welder?

I recently watched a bloke at the yard using a gasless mig. Didn't know they existed until then. Apparently there is some kind of flux in the wire which allows it to work without gas. I was skeptical, but after seeing it in action it appears to have all the advantages of a mig without having to bother with a gas bottle (and the expense which goes with it).

[gypsie]

Re: What type of welder?

Can you weld?

MIG is easy (relative), stick - well there's a reason its called stick....

[Small boats rock]

Re: What type of welder?

which leads to a poor weld causing it to unstick...

[Ron Williamson]

Re: What type of welder?

MIG makes it easy for anyone to get a good looking weld with little penetration/ strength.
R

[Garret]

Re: What type of welder?

I recently watched a bloke at the yard using a gasless mig. Didn't know they existed until then. Apparently there is some kind of flux in the wire which allows it to work without gas. I was skeptical, but after seeing it in action it appears to have all the advantages of a mig without having to bother with a gas bottle (and the expense which goes with it).

But the flux wire costs a lot more - so it's close to a wash.

[Mark0]

Re: What type of welder?

Hi,
The first question you should be asking is what materials and what thicknesses. We have MIG/TIG/Stick machines and they all serve different purposes with some overlap.
Cheers,
Mark

[Hollingsworth]

Re: What type of welder?

I recently watched a bloke at the yard using a gasless mig. Didn't know they existed until then. Apparently there is some kind of flux in the wire which allows it to work without gas. I was skeptical, but after seeing it in action it appears to have all the advantages of a mig without having to bother with a gas bottle (and the expense which goes with it).

Flux core wire feed welder. No gas. Quite handy.

[Plyboy]

Re: What type of welder?

I have a flux core wire feed jobbie for making a blobby mess of thin sheet to 3/32" and a buzz box arc for making a blobby mess of 1/16" to 1/4" .... yeah I could use practice.

[Recon1342]

Re: What type of welder?

I'm looking to get a welder, what's the best suited? There's loads to choose from. I mainly want it for general modifications like fixing railings, but I could do overplating?

What exactly are you planning to do with it, on what type of material, and how pretty does it need to be?

In order of difficulty to learn from easy-hard: MIG (wire feed), stick, Oxy-fuel (torch) and TIG.

MIG is simplest and easiest to learn. It’s also one of the least versatile. Stick is useful on heavier metals (greater than 1/8” or 3mm thickness). Both MIG and stick are messy, leaving lots of spatter and in the case of stick, slag that will need to be cleaned off the weld. TIG and Oxy-fuel are both difficult to master, requiring a great deal of practice to get right. Oxy-fuel is of limited use, as it utilizes an open flame; add combustible materials and things get exciting quickly. TIG is the most versatile form of welding, and also the most difficult to master. With the correct set-up, one can weld everything from razor blades to 1/2” (12mm) plate, along with brazing steel, stainless steel, and welding aluminum.

Not sure what you mean by overplating, but for handrail repairs, etc.; MIG would work well. I’ve been TIG welding for far too long, and I am a bit of a snob when it comes to clean welds, so I would go that route. TIG requires dedication to master, however; it can be an art form in and of itself...

[SeanM26]

Re: What type of welder?

That is pretty. I want to learn TIG but haven't been able to justify spending the money on a decent machine.

[Canoeyawl]

Re: What type of welder?

Welding is a learned skill...
The original question is a lot like "What kind of piano should I buy?"

[Andrew2]

Re: What type of welder?

Saral
Could you say what materials and thickness you might be using?
Since you are in UK, a bit of reading on mig-welding.co.uk will give you a head start. Good tutorials on the top of the page.
I have had a lot of practice, so can use stick on stuff like 1.5mm stainless tube. Mig is better, but the kit costs more and you need to rent or buy a bottle of argon/co2 mix. Also a MMA(stick) welder of say, 160amps will weld much thicker stuff than a 160amp Mig.
I have not tried gasless, but the guys on the forum think it is good for thinner stuff outside. Most Migs now come as either. One needs to swop the polarity and the tip in the torch, along with the wire drive wheel (sometimes..)
DC inverter welders can be used for scratch or lift start TIG, but it is a bit more tricky to get the arc going than a dedicated TIG with HF, which jumps the gap to get it going.
Don't think of aluminium at this stage, it requires an ACDC machine, much more costly, along with pure argon (as does the DC tig)
Apart from reading the above site, I would highly reccommend taking a course at some local education place or find an experienced welder to give tips and watch your first efforts.
Basic advice, get a DC inverter or a second hand older transformer machine(good ones can be very cheap) and start with stick. My little DC machine has 'soft start' which helps avoid the rod sticking when striking the arc.

A2

Edit: A girl asked me to teach her the basics as she was going to an OZ outback station. She managed to run simple beads that were strong enough in about two hours from her first touching a welder.