gas or no gas ?

[singletonrobert]

hi all need some help on mig welders , gas or no gas , or both, seems all machines can do both now do i buy no gas and say add on the extras latter of buy a gas one ? problem as i see it is the gas can work out dearer than non gas but the non gas has too much splatter and not to good to control, i will be doing bits of body work and say just now and a gain heavy bits dont want to be under fed or over powered, allso the main point is that its not too expensive and not just a name you have never heared of ,thanks in anticipation bobby//

[Luxobarge]

Aaaaaand breathe!

Moved to "Technical Queries"....

[tractorman]

I bought a Clarke gasless MIG about ten years ago when I needed a MIG welder because it would distort thin metal less than oxy does (I have an oxy set that I prefer). I couldn't get away with the gasless stuff, though it was handy if I wanted to work outside, so I got a regulator and used the aerosol gas. I still had problems though - but this was partly because I started doing heavier stuff with it. So I bought a Clarke 151TE about three years ago - and still had problems welding with the dashed thing!

I upgraded the welder a month or two ago and have just sold the old torch (the gas valve in the handle packed up after three years). I put a Euro torch on instead and a heavier earth lead - and changed to Hobbyweld gas while I was at it! The Hobbyweld gas was about £80 including the £50 charge for the cylinder and I got a cheap regulator for about £25 on eBay. The torch conversion has a solenoid valve for the gas, so I just needed a length of hose to connect the regulator to the welder.

To my surprise, I can now weld quite well! I tried it a fortnight ago when I was sorting out the rails for my digger (I must do an update to the resto thread) and, without even setting the wire feed, I did some good runs (welding 1.5mm "sheet" to the end of 8mm walled box-section). I suspect it will be better if I get the wire feed and current set properly - I'll find out tomorrow as I have some 10mm steel to weld so I can get the digger mounted to the tractor.

In short, I would buy a slightly heavier welder than you need at the moment and either look out for a better make or be prepared to pay another £200 or so to get the Clarke one working properly!

This thread may help:

http://practicallyclassics.phpbbhosts.c ... der#p16050

[Richard Moss]

What he said. I have a Clarke gasless mig and it does the job. It's convenient (no way of running out of gas) but needs a lot of practice to get tidy welds - and generally requires some tidying up with the angle grinder.

Next time I buy a welder it will have properly adjustable power settings rather than a hi/lo setting - that would probably be more relevant to me than the gas. That said, I've only ever used gasless so don't know what gassy is like

[jimmyybob]

When did you last see a fabricator shop or any industry using a gasless MIG.?

[JPB]

When did you last see a fabricator shop or any industry using a gasless MIG.?

They're common around farms and most of the mobile contractors use them for that very purpose rather than waste gas when welding on a freezing hillside in a gale.
The ones who feel the need for something less dependable and more complex than their arc welding kit that is.

[Grumpy Northener]

I would go with a good quality gas fed mig every time - if you can find afford £300 - £400 it gets you into the semi pro / pro mig market (new) and it makes so much difference its untrue - better set ups & control and it will be something that lasts, if you can not afford that amount of money then try finding a good quality make second hand. I run a Lincoln - which has always been excellent - never have I had to spend loads of time setting it up or messing about with spooling problems etc

[Willy Eckerslyke]

Having never welded with gasless kit, I'm not a good judge, but I reckon a decent compromise is to use a gas MIG but with straight CO2 instead of Argon CO2 mix. I get mine from a fire extinguisher place for a tenner a fill which lasts me at least 6 months. I'm pretty sure that this works out cheaper than using fluxed wire in a gasless MIG and am more than happy with the results.

[singletonrobert]

thanks all,looks like gas, now to find the right sized one,allso price has to be the main thing bob

[jimmyybob]

When did you last see a fabricator shop or any industry using a gasless MIG.?

They're common around farms and most of the mobile contractors use them for that very purpose rather than waste gas when welding on a freezing hillside in a gale.
The ones who feel the need for something less dependable and more complex than their arc welding kit that is.

LOL i was going to say.....unless of course your up a mountain.!!

Slightly OT i was welding the hydralic ram on the forklift today and then i tested the lift and tilt and tipped the entire welding rig over, full size argoshiled bottle landed on the works van and rolled down the bonnet smashed the regulator and broke off the umbilical then broke all the side covers off the main unit.
Had i been using gasless it wouldnt of been so bad..