Any help appreciated are Clark any good is the wire feed good on them. Thankks alcaro31
2006-09-09 09:35:23 · 4 answers · asked by alcaro31 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
ok, this is my job, and my profession. we use a 160 amp MUREX boc welding plant for our small site work and car repairs. we also use a butters 200 (which is 3phase)
clarkes are crap. they look good, but check out the duty cycle on the transformer. on my BOC MUREX i can get over an hour at full power..on a clarke it fries the transformer and cuts out, (thermal overload) within 15 minutes.
buy quality, or you might as well burn your money. make sure the machine has a EURO torch fitting, (theyre nice and robust) makes to look for are Butters; COMAG, and BOC. try WALKERS WELDING SUPPLIES in coventry, they have a website. (he does great deals for cash)
wire feed on clarkes type machines is snaggly, theres no fine adjustment, and itll cough and splutter like a sick parrot, and the weldiing looks like it was done by a pigeons with dhiarroeha...
you get what you pay for. car welding isnt about sheer power..its stop start spot spot welding steel to rusty fords is an art in itself.. and get a gas account with air products, theyre cheaper than BOC. and dont buy C02, use argoshield/cougar 5, or 10... its a mix of CO2 and argon, and gives a nice clean weld with no spatter.
buy your wire on a 15k reel and make a roller to load your small spools. a 15k reel of 0.8 is around 20 quid, a 1k roll is around 4.50p, so its well worth it. but iof you buy a decent machine itll take full reels and a full bottle.
and our MIG is still currently available, (you can still buy one, were not selling ours) it cost us 650 when new..it paid for itself within a few weeks..and that was 10 years ago... and its as good today as it was then and we batter it. i make steel security shutters on site..coz yes, its 13amp 240 volt, and the whole kit hides in my volvo estate.
e mail me if you want to chat about it.
2006-09-09 09:58:48 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I had one for a while and in my opinion i would buy a clarke one.I did the same type of work you're looking at doing.I never had a problem with them and you can get them pretty cheap.I'd say get a turbo one (fan cooled) and spend about £200-£250.For the amount of work you'll be doing with it around the home its your best bet.There's no way i would shell out £650 for a welder if it was for home use.I've just welded 15 patches onto an old car and didn't have a problem.While you're at it buy another sleeve insert for it and aluminium wire,you've then got the option for welding aluminium if you get argon gas
2006-09-10 11:46:49 · answer #2 · answered by peter h 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have not used the ones you list but have owned millers and use a Lincoln at work both are good I weld sheet metal and heavy gage steel at work
2006-09-09 16:54:48 · answer #3 · answered by norsmen 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try Scewifix . com or toolstation .com
2006-09-09 16:48:07 · answer #4 · answered by col 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋