| [ Total Views: 1200 | Total Replies: 22 | Thread Id: 99614 ] |
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 pfillery
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| posted on November 11th, 2012 at 05:39 PM |
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Mig welder for home bodywork
Inevitably I'm probably going to want to do some welding of bodywork or bits and pieces. I have limited budget ie I don't want to spend thousands on
a welder (would be cheaper to have stuff done as needed) but is there something, either gas or gasless, that is a "home or hobby" grade mig welder
that will allow good enough quality welding of replacement panels on a vehicle?
I don't expect that a $200 welder will cut it, but where do I have to look at price wise to get something that will weld bodywork? Any tips from
those seasoned welders?
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Klaus
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| posted on November 11th, 2012 at 06:40 PM |
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gasweld always have specials on but I wouldnt buy anything under$ 800-1000, check ebay for good used lincoln welders parts are still availiable and
affordable , my last one lasted 11 yrs and helped me build many busses n type 3's and a deck and carport , I gave it to my old man and $200 later it
was fixed ..but my new lincoln is better 
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psimitar
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| posted on November 11th, 2012 at 07:29 PM |
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You're a bit limited for DIY welders in Oz at affordable prices.
Lincoln are great welders but expensive new. The ones Bunning and Supercheap sell would probably be OK for body panels but first have a look at this
site for gleaning up on good welder brands
Mig Welding Forum
Also, you have to factor in the cost of welding gas as gasless are pretty shite IMO. An E2 size Argolite is around $80 and then $15PM rental so for a
DIYer it's a case of doing all the wedling jobs you can think of in a month so you use as much of the gas up and have to pay BOC as little as
possible for doing bugger all
I got and old CEM welder for $400 with gloves, regulator and autodark helmet off ebay so you can get a reasonably priced item depending if the seller
is reasonable and not trying to recupe as much of their 5 year old layout back 
madness is in the eye of the beholder  |
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RISKY4LIFE
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| posted on November 11th, 2012 at 08:05 PM |
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yeah Lincoln are nice and miller too
but i bough a cigweld mig 200 8 years ago and has been good for me gas bottle is the way to go
a little more $$ to setup but welds much nice for us back yarders
rent is the main killer ( there is a thread about rent atm ) i just paid $190 for the year for my e bottle to have it filled is not that bad about
$120
and the .9 wire is under $40 for a 15kg spool which dose a lot
and ATM in not using any as im not work on anything  for almost the last
year have had it with trying my best but coming up with crap ... but thats another story
the unit cost me 1100 that's with mig built in trolley 5 kg wirier and regulator
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pfillery
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| posted on November 11th, 2012 at 08:35 PM |
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Aren't a lot of the small home use gas ones set up to use a small disposable type bottle? The size of the small primus bottles?
Or are these the ones to avoid?
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waveman1500
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| posted on November 11th, 2012 at 10:35 PM |
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The disposable bottles are too small, in my experience they don't put out enough gas to shield the weld properly, and they run out very quick. I
helped a mate weld up his rusty Mini with a $500 welder and disposable bottles, we used about 2 bottles on the roof corners and one on the outer sill.
After that he got sick of wasting money on them and rented a big bottle. Much better!
You can easily change your setup from the small bottles to the big one, although you will have to buy a regulator, and probably an adaptor of some
kind. Personally I think you're better off starting with a decent welder though, which will be set up for big gas bottles. Minimum cost of about
$800.
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psimitar
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| posted on November 11th, 2012 at 11:24 PM |
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bottle size doesn't matter for the welder as the piping is easily changed. For the disposables you still should use a pressure regulator as you only
need between 10-15psi of pressure for good shielding indoors. Outdoors will require more but the disposable holds way less than a cubic metre of gas
and an E2 holds 4.2m3.
Regulator for disposable is about $40-50 and a large regulator for big bottles is $90-150.
As already said, it's the rental thats the killer cos for some dumb reason Oz law won't allow cylinders to be bought like in USA, UK and Europe.
They still have to be regulated but suit DIY much better cos once you've got a bottle it's yours until you wish to sell it back to the company you
bought it from.
madness is in the eye of the beholder |
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nils
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| posted on November 12th, 2012 at 05:11 AM |
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But you can buy your own bottles here  it was discussed on a thread on
here only a few weeks ago.
I have a mate who bought a $400 china ebay welder about 6 months ago and is happy as with it, the feed and power control on it is smoooooth as, much
better than i would have expected, i will try and track down what brand it was
Quit calling rust patina
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 matberry
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| posted on November 12th, 2012 at 08:35 AM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by nils
But you can buy your own bottles here it was discussed on a thread on
here only a few weeks ago.
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Matt Berry Motorsports...air cooled advice, repairs and mods Ph 0408 704 662
OFF-ROAD,CIRCUIT,DRAG,STREET,ENDURANCE
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vwo60
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| posted on November 12th, 2012 at 10:26 AM |
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I just bought a WIA 190, it cost about $1000, well worth the money, parts are easly obtainable and came with a three year waranty
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pfillery
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| posted on November 12th, 2012 at 12:33 PM |
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In comparison it may work out cheaper to get a professional body repair place to do the welding if I ever need it, especially if I do all the prep and
they just need to whack a bit in and weld it up then I do all the finishing off too, should only be $70 or $80 an hour or thereabouts, if I have to
patch and I make up the patch or supply the piece all ready to go in they will only charge for the labour.
Otherwise patch using fibreglass. My first beetle had the floor pan completely repaired using fibreglass and resin, strong as ever and no more rust.
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matberry
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| posted on November 12th, 2012 at 02:23 PM |
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OMG
Matt Berry Motorsports...air cooled advice, repairs and mods Ph 0408 704 662
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nils
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| posted on November 12th, 2012 at 03:17 PM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by pfillery
Otherwise patch using fibreglass. My first beetle had the floor pan completely repaired using fibreglass and resin, strong as ever and no more rust.
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SO YOU'RE THE CULPRIT !!!!
Quit calling rust patina
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 barls
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| posted on November 12th, 2012 at 03:26 PM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by pfillery
Otherwise patch using fibreglass. My first beetle had the floor pan completely repaired using fibreglass and resin, strong as ever and no more rust.
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dont even think of it. fibre glass is no way stronger than steel. if it was dont you think the cars now days would be made out of
this rather than the steel we have now.
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matberry
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| posted on November 12th, 2012 at 07:15 PM |
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^^ worst part is it traps moisture and rust rust rusts away..... Great for a few years ... until the car is trashed.
And to think your going to have a panel shop weld in your panels....crikey, most can't even weld in thier own
Matt Berry Motorsports...air cooled advice, repairs and mods Ph 0408 704 662
OFF-ROAD,CIRCUIT,DRAG,STREET,ENDURANCE
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psimitar
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| posted on November 12th, 2012 at 09:12 PM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by matberry
^^ worst part is it traps moisture and rust rust rusts away..... Great for a few years ... until the car is trashed.
And to think your going to have a panel shop weld in your panels....crikey, most can't even weld in thier own
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So Matt, are you saying you can't buy large bottles of shielding gas in Oz?
And how dare you say that body repair shops only use pop rivets and filler to repair your pride and joy!!! Shame on you
Fibreglass floor oh, a little pee came out then
Even carbon fibre needs reinforcement for the floorpan in the likes of the Pagani Zonda so the seat bolts don't pull thru
madness is in the eye of the beholder |
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pfillery
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| posted on November 12th, 2012 at 09:24 PM |
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I was 15 so fibreglass worked well at the time.
Stronger than bog in any event. How else do you fill a heap of little holes? Too many holes to leave there and too few to warrant cutting out, plus
the fact that back then nobody bothered as vee dubs were plentiful and cheap.
I have 2 words for the doubters - DUNE BUGGIES - fibreglass bodlies reinforced with steel. Road legal and good enough for many on here.
Now I'm not saying I'd do it but I'd rather patch a small repair using glass than bog. Would rather weld but can't afford a $1000 welder that will
spend 90% of its life on the shelf doing nothing. Maybe there are options to hire one for a month or 2 if I need it.
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matberry
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| posted on November 12th, 2012 at 09:38 PM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by psimitar
| Quote: | Originally
posted by matberry
^^ worst part is it traps moisture and rust rust rusts away..... Great for a few years ... until the car is trashed.
And to think your going to have a panel shop weld in your panels....crikey, most can't even weld in thier own
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So Matt, are you saying you can't buy large bottles of shielding gas in Oz?
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No, never mentioned gas !!! I use an E personally
| Quote: | Originally
posted by psimitar
And how dare you say that body repair shops only use pop rivets and filler to repair your pride and joy!!! Shame on you
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Arrr your words dude. I was implying that often 'reputable' shops do IMO questionable repairs.
| Quote: | Originally
posted by psimitar
Fibreglass floor oh, a little pee came out then
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They have nappies for your little problem these day's, but best not mentioning it on a public forum
Matt Berry Motorsports...air cooled advice, repairs and mods Ph 0408 704 662
OFF-ROAD,CIRCUIT,DRAG,STREET,ENDURANCE
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psimitar
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| posted on November 12th, 2012 at 11:35 PM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by matberry
No, never mentioned gas !!! I use an E personally
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Me too
| Quote: | Originally
posted by matberry
Arrr your words dude. I was implying that often 'reputable' shops do IMO questionable repairs.
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indeed they do. Shame most folk don't know whats under their nice shiney paint
| Quote: | Originally
posted by matberryr
They have nappies for your little problem these day's, but best not mentioning it on a public forum
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Aw, and I was just trying to be funny Does make ya laff what some people
call a repair on their vehicles
madness is in the eye of the beholder |
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barls
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| posted on November 12th, 2012 at 11:59 PM |
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i got some chewing gum and paddle pop sticks for a more permanent repair than glassing it up
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nils
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| posted on November 13th, 2012 at 04:52 AM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by pfillery
I was 15 so fibreglass worked well at the time.
Stronger than bog in any event. How else do you fill a heap of little holes? Too many holes to leave there and too few to warrant cutting out, plus
the fact that back then nobody bothered as vee dubs were plentiful
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don't take it personally mate, i was just having a lend. I have done plenty of dodgey stuff (including glassing) over the years and the course of
learning. Pretty sure fibreglassing wound have been preferable over some of my first welds
Quit calling rust patina
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aussie260z
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| posted on November 13th, 2012 at 05:35 AM |
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Cannot fault WIA welders, great stuff - Kempi aswell.
Miller and Lincoln are over priced for what you get - Yanks pay about half what we pay for the same machine, particularly in the TIG range.
I didn't like the Lincoln MIGs or TIGs that I have used, thought the WIA stuff was much better.
When BOC rebranded Kempi gear they had great machines.
Kempi do a small machine that is pretty good - little machines usually only hold the 5kg spools, but that is not a big deal.
I bought an EBAY mig for about $350 years ago and it was utterly sh#t, gun was crap, struggled to weld everything thicker than 5m in a single pass and
was fiddly to use on thin material. Then after about 9 months of use just packed it in.
For $1000, the WIA 190 is an awesome machine and will pretty much do anything you will ever need for car work.
Finding a 2nd hand Kempi 190 would be my preference if you are lookinmg to save money.
I have the WIA 270 - I just love it :-)!
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baja_01
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| posted on November 13th, 2012 at 07:01 AM |
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I bought a Transmig 175i. Works very well.
Was looking at the WIA but liked the features on the 175 more and were about the same price. It replaced a cheap Fleabay welder that gave up after
being used maybe a dozen times..........
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