Best Welder to Buy on a Budget

[Edmond]

Hi All

I'm looking at buying a small welder to weld up the floor pan and heater channels on my baja, can I get away with a small DC Inverter MMA(Arc Welder) Welder or must I get a MIG welder. Adenddorf Marchinery Mart have DC Inverter MMA(Arc Welder) Welders starting at R1295 compared to the MIG Welders which start at R2995 for one with the 2 switches(Hi/Lo and 1 and 2) and wire speed fine control the machine comes setup for flux core wire, the gas regulator is an extra R375 plus the cost of the bottle, the machine is a gas/no gas one.
The DC Inverter MMa Arc Welder for R1295 has current adjustment from 10A to 140A.
Makro also had a nice Tradearc DC Inverter MMA Welder for R1195 and it came with a digital current meter
Any advice would be helpful as I really want to get the car back on the road

[freddiebooysen]

Edmond.

I have a arc welder not anything as fancy as the one with the digital Meter or as portable and have always been struggling with it.

I ended up buying that same mig welder on Facebook the one with the two switches that runs on flux core.

Between the two I prefer the mig one it is a lot easier to weld with have been doing some home projects with it that I would not have thought will be in my abilities and I am not a welder at all no training at all been just tinkering around.

A professional welder might be frustrated by my Mig welder but for me it works well.

My idea is to do the same with some panels on the body of my bus but before I put my hands at it will practice practice and practice some more.

I have also been told that if you buy a proper mig welder the ones for about 8 k obviously you will get a lot better welder but for me to start off with that Mig one from adendorf is perfect!

I personally think if you have the money to spare buy the proper tool it will just make life a lot easier in the long run.

You can also have a look at a company called cosmo industrial they have some nice welders arc mig and tig

I have a friend that did exactly the same but went the TIG route and is also self tought. He is doing a lot with his welder body panels, pans etc but it takes practice.

I think in the end you can probably get away with arc , mig or tig but it takes time to practice and practice and then practice some more. I would say between all the different welders mig is probably the easiest to start off with but they all have their benefits and drawbacks.

My 2 c

[Tony Z]

go to a welding supplier such as preweld in paarden eiland. When I bought my welder from them they were less than half the price of builders fir the exact same machine.
Adendorff is cheap but their machines are cheap just like everything else thy sell

[Edmond]

I have a very limited budget for a welder was thinking of hiring a mig from hire it but I need to pay for hire, gas and wire. Could the dc arc inverter welder weld thin sheet metal 0.8mm the thinnest I would use for repair panels as I wont use the welder much after my Baja body has been welded and reconstructed, the dc welder is almost a third of the mig. Any advice would be good but thanks Freddie and Tony for the recommendations and advice so far.

[sean]

Don't waste money on that Chinese rubbish from Adendorff. It will never work properly. Doesn't matter how much you save, any money spent on something that doesn't work is a waste. A mig welder would probably be the easiest DIY form of welding you require to do.

Perhaps you should familiarise yourself with welding before purchasing a machine. Perhaps look at a attending a basic course.

[73type2]

The DC arc welder would be too strong for welding sheet metal. The thinnest rods I've found locally is 2.0mm, which is thicker than sheet metal. I've bought a cheap MIG131 welder from an importer in Killarney Gardens about 10 years ago and it has been fine for my purposes. I use 0.8mm flux core wire. For the little welding I do, I cannot justify spending big bucks on a Miller or other big brand machine.

[Edmond]

73Type2 I saw that one from a place called MIGWelders direct, I quite like the look of it and besides its not like im going to do a ton of welding just mainly to weld up the Bajas body and then the occasional diy job after that so can't really justify spending big bucks on a name brand welder that wont get used all the time

Sean I have read that MIG is the easiest to use on thin metal and the quickest to learn. I do have experience with welding but mainly with gas welding and brazing and a bit of arc welding, I done a welding course years ago when I studied at the then WP Technical College.I like gas welding it's my favorite but unfortunately a portapack is too expensive to buy and run for my budget, also a bit pricey to hire, the last time I hired one yrs ago I had to get both bottles refilled on top of the hire charge so it can work out pricey.

[freddiebooysen]

Edmond.

Take it from somebody that has nowhere near your welding experience the MIG welder is the way to go.
With all your experience you will get that MIG welds sorted quickly
Last weekend I took on a small project to make a work bench for myself and got it sorted with 1.6mm sheet metal welded to 30 x 30 square tubing base. Build the base and done all the welds in one day.
Was feeling very proud when I finished the project.

My first "big" project was done

[freddiebooysen]

Opted to paint it white this time

[Tony Z]

Freddy, if you want the bench to stand still instead of wobble when you use it, you need to add in a few more pieces, one on either side will work, to triangulate the legs.
Otherwise job well done

I once heard something on the lines of
If you cant weld and want to weld something quickly, then use Mig. If you cant weld but want to learn to weld, dont touch Mig until you have learned the other methods.

[Donovan D]

Def not a professional or clued up but think you also need to check the amp range on the welder before buying. AFAIK lower amp range is better for thinner metal work. Not sure if its the amps or the voltage but might be something to also consider.

[73type2]

On my cheap MIG welder I only had to play with the wire speed knob when welding sheet metal. I test welded on a scrap piece and adjusted the speed till I got a nice crackle and penetration without burn-through. I've done decent Beetle floor repairs, rotted out door posts and rear window posts which are holding up well after years. After grinding the welds I use Metallik bodyfiller, which contains aluminium, to hide imperfections as I'm not the neatest welder.

[freddiebooysen]

Thanks Tony will definitely do something there but it is quite solid. 73type2 you must learn how to drive the grinder. I can drive the grinder a lot better than the welder. But with practice I am sure I will manage. Going to tackle a carport this weekend if all goes well.

Best thing is I do not have to ask a buddy to come and help I diy it

[73type2]

Yes, with different grits of sanding discs on a grinder you can grind down the welds and avoid taking off too much sheet metal.

[Tony Z]

73type2 you must learn how to drive the grinder. I can drive the grinder a lot better than the welder.

That makes you a grinder, not a welder