Mig Welding in West Yorkshire

[Paul the 6th]

I've been considering buying a mig welder for a little while now. I've not got a background in engineering or anything along those lines, but the consensus seems to be "with little training, beginners & amatuers can create high quality welding in little time" or words to that effect. Only problem is I don't know anyone who welds or has a mig welder

does anyone have any advice for buying an entry level mig welder? would it be worth considering a short course somewhere? or would someone be kind enough to maybe lend me an hour of their time & expertise if they live nearby? I'm a graphic designer & signwriter so if you ever need any graphics for your bike/helmet/etc I could pay you back in trade I'm rambling now...

I do know that I need something powerful enough to work on 3-5mm mild steel - the kind used for amatuer projects, trailers & kit cars etc...

to start with I'm planning on practising ALOT, making small work tables/trolleys and bits. Then eventually when I think my skills are up to it, I'm gonna have a bash at building a basic off road buggy using a 100-150cc engine (based on this book - which I've had for a while but not really bothered with).

Then I've got dreams of working my way up and one day building a locost 7 or something like that.

All advice/comments etc welcome thanks in advance

I'm in a similair position. I can already Braze to a reasonable standard and do lots of other metal/forge work, but have no experience of welding. I only really want to learn to build a floor-standing frame for my very big/heavy kick bag, although of course, I envisage it being useful for all sorts of things over the years. Is this sort of thing taught at nightclass?

[Paul the 6th]

I'd be game for night classes for a few weeks if there were any round here

edit: i've just found this 5 day welding course... only ?700 quid. Not bad.

[embee]

I'm not near you, but FWIW here's my situation.

I wanted to be able to do some welding of general purpose mild steel. I'm from an engineering background and many moons ago did do a basic welding course. The training is the best way if you can find a nightschool or similar.

I looked at the various ways to get a reasonable MIG welder kit. The problem with the "DIY" type (Clarke etc) is the cost of the gas in the small canisters, and as with all tech tools there is a world of difference in quality and feel between DIY and industrial grade. It depends how much gas you're going to be using. Mild steel wire isn't expensive, other alloys can be and you need different gas

I ended up with a Murex 190, and get the gas from BOC. You need a contract with BOC, with yearly rental (not cheap these days, around ?50 for a small X size bottle, Shieldpak6 size, though with the revised pricing a size Shieldpak12 is much better value now, twice the gas, only ?15 a year more rental, refills ?33 instead of ?25).

The Murex is first class kit, and like a lot of stuff a 190A industrial will do a lot more than a 190A DIY. You will see higher rated stuff but in practical terms it's getting towards the limit for a single phase machine running off a domestic supply and a 13A socket. It's perfect for 6-8mm thick stuff, will do up to 12mm providing you don't expect full penetration welds, but will still go down to 1mm thickness (if the operator is good enough!). Wire size will change for thin/thick material.

The wire feed and quality of the torch/nozzles/earth clamps etc. is a class apart from the DIY stuff.

Remember you'll need some kit too, gloves are cheap enough, "proban" overalls are recommended (?20 ish), and the thing which really makes the difference is if you can afford an auto helmet (I use an Esab one, around ?120) it is brilliant. I can't exaggerate how much easier it is with an auto helmet. I believe many of them use lenses from the same source (Swiss made), so cost is down to the rest of the helmet quality. Shade rating depends on welding type and current.

(Edit - why does the pound sign come out as a question mark?)

[Paul the 6th]

top stuff, quite a few bits in there which ties in with the 'haynes welding manual' I bought. Alot of beginners info about the different types of welding and types of weld.

I've found a couple of courses which would be adequate but the cost is amazing. HSS do one either 1day for 155 quid or over 2 days at 290 + vat totalling 340 quid. I won't have any money left for equipment after that lol.

but then again, I guess if you're trained up by a qualified person the quality of the work and end result will be much higher, as opposed to friend of a friend "do anything dan" in his leaky garage who welds with rayban sunglasses instead of a helmet. Better stick some cash away

MIG welding is not that hard IMO, bit of practicing and you'll be ok. Got a B in engineering for some of my welded stuff Me a B :-O

[Paul the 6th]

I got a B in german & i.c.t.

hmmm, think thats just it - most people have access to kit to have a play around whereas I dont. never did it in school and haven't had an opportunity to try/practice since. Would hiring kit before buying could be a good way of getting some experience? or would it be a ridiculously dangerous thing to just 'have a stab at it' without any instruction?

[embee]

Another thing you tend not to be taught but soon find out, is that stuff moves a lot when you weld it.

If you try welding up a square frame for a workbench or similar, it won't end up square. You'll learn how to allow for and minimise the deflection. It's always surprising how much a length of steel will shrink and bend if you weld bits on along its length.

[Paul the 6th]

that's exactly the kind of stuff I want & need to learn about. Seems to be alot of tutorial websites or 1 & 2 day courses which cost about a million quid.

[embee]

Just a quick look at Google and I came across this site
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/buying.htm

very sensible, very easy reading, good stuff.