Cigweld Weldskill 135 MIG Machine with Helmet
Fathers Day Discount
http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/113881
It's an auto helmet though isn't it? (auto shade when light hits it)
bonus auto darkening fixed shade 11 welding helmet
yep this is an auto helmet just that its fixed darkness when its "dark". with my helmet i can change the darkness from 9 through to 13 to compensate for different lighting conditions.
im not saying that this isnt a good helmet, just that i prefer the adjustable shade ones
how good are these welders, and how hard is it to weld?
keen to learn some welding but dont want a cheap unit that will crap out on me.
This will be a decent welder but mig welding can be tricky without some guidance, stick welding is the easier of the two.
mig welding can be tricky without some guidance, stick welding is the easier of the two
id say its totally the other way around. stick (arc) welding is a pain, mig you just pull the trigger and your welding. but i guess each to there own.
As long as someone sets up the welder first (mig).
I had a crack at it a couple of times, one time the welder was setup for the job - it seemed straight forward, even though I was messy. The other time the welder wasn't set up for the job, I ended up melting a big hole straight through it.
Also remember to wear long clothing to protect from burn (like sunburn).
I have both a Mig and a stick welder and the Mig is easier in my opinion. The one proviso is that you are using it with Argoshield or similar gas and not the gasless wire (which I hate). You can either buy small disposable bottles of gas or rent large bottles which can get expensive (I think I pay $180/yr rent for a mid size bottle)
there basically ideal for home hobby welding. they will weld thicker metal than 5mm just not well/strong, but again for home use its still probably strong enough. ive not used this actual welder but ive used similar quality of welders and they are great, and cigweld are a well respected brand.
as for how hard it is to weld, its somewhat like learning to ride a bike, takes a lot of practice and screwups till one day it just "clicks" and seems somewhat simple. the best advice is to go slow and if your burning holes in the metal turn the amps down and wire speed up. should be loads of online help i would imagine, also tafe do courses on different levels of welding.
over all is say jump on this deal…… im still thinking about it as i dont have a mig any more after my no brand one died but i do have access to borrow one any time i need.
go do a tafe course, otherwise you will start to think you can weld, when really you are just laying beads in the wrong place. Welding properly is hard, and does take time and practice to learn.
These are a suitable welder for a home user to learn with and do most jobs around the house. Most home welders will never do anything like 5mm wall, so no issues there. I'd personally look for a welder suitable for gasless and gas wire, as that gives you the flexibility of not having to have a tank around all the time (which costs $$$ to rent). also look for a welder that you can reverse polarity on so that you can weld stainless.
If you do want to get serious, then look to get a multi-process machine, which means you can do stick, mig and tig from one box. Something like http://www.gasweld.com.au/170dc-mig-mma-tig-unimig.html
Having said all that, for $270, this looks like an ok buy.
and yeah, buy the proper PPE. Helmet (preferably 9-13 auto, and with full cover over the back of your head), Gauntlets, overalls or heavy drill cotton shirt and pants, and proper workboots as a minimum. I personally would never weld without an apron as well. buy some welders magnets too. and chalk… don't forget the chalk. and pliers! and spare tips and shrouds.
and… ok i think I'm done :D
I'd personally look for a welder suitable for gasless and gas wire
I think this is a gas/gasless welder, so you should be able to use flux core wire.
What are your thoughts on something like the BOC Smootharc MMA 130? Regular price is $180 (maybe cheaper if you can find it on sale) add $112 for the Cigweld 9-13 variable helmet and you're in for the same price as the Masters deal.
http://www.boc.com.au/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/en/au-boc-in…
It seems to be recommended quite a bit for beginners/light use. I realise it's stick vs gasless mig, but apparently the inverter tech makes them tiny, light and somehow better than the older style stick welders? The main complaint with gasless mig seems to be splatter and cleanup. I guess it's horses for course, but I'd be keen to hear your opinion.
Gasless is good for general purpose welding on mild steel. You will NOT get as good fusion. You may get more porosity to your welds. You will definitely get more spatter inclusion. I'm pretty sure none of those terms mean anything to you however, so the simple answer is - don't try and weld up something that will mean you die if your weld breaks (like a car frame) and gasless is just fine. It won't give you as pretty welds as gassed though.
Inverter welders are massively better in every possible way. they are lighter, and cheaper. I would be surprised if you could still buy a non-inverter. one of the biggest advantages is that they will run fine off a generator, so can be used away from mains.
I would personally not touch a 130 amp welder. For anything over 3mm you are going to have fusion issues. You aren't going to realise it, but you will. Most home users will never weld 3mm steel, so its probably not an issue. For the price, I'd save my pennies a little longer and get a 150-170 amp unit, that also can do stick and TIG. Stick gives far more flexibility about how you weld, and generally is cheaper than MIG or TIG. TIG is suitable for really fine welding, and also is best for chrome-moly type steels, which you would want if you are ever going to weld a roll-cage (for example)
If all you have to spend is $300, then I'd really look second hand for a good brand name unit that has a few years on it. There isn't much that breaks with them, so as long as all the gas system is there and works, wire spools etc. then go that path.
Don't believe me though. Go do a course at TAFE, and ask your instructor. He (or She, though I've yet to meet a female metalwork teacher) will offer you advice on what is suitable for home use. Don't believe them if they try to tell you to buy Hobart or ESABNA gear though, as good as it is, its too expensive for home users :D
There are a number of good welding tutorials on youtube (both the links are MIG):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzBGZaS1apw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxpUeeKMXUo
In addition to this most TAFEs run welding short courses at reasonable prices (and they cover MIG, Arc (stick) and TIG). (EDIT: see Uncyspam's comment above)
http://www.esabna.com/EUWeb/MIG_handbook/592mig1_1.htm is a great resource for the theory on GMAW/MIG welding.
thx just got one.
decided to cancel my order… too many dive in think later decisions lately
i've been doing backyard stick welding. i have a dumb mask so these auto masks are awesome as you can place your stick before you spark.
Comparison prices from Just Tools, Total Tools, etc.
Between $499 and $599 for the welder.
Around $85 for the helmet, $98 at Masters, though the variable 9-13 is only $112 and sounds like it's worth the upgrade.
Good deal, I've been looking at something like this for awhile, price is hard to ignore for light/beginner use.
Plus the welder by itself is sold by Masters for $358
http://www.masters.com.au/product/902477248/cigweld-weldskil…
So it's $58 less for a welder with an auto darkening mask than it is for the welder by itself.
@ $499 this is a very expensive option, and there are far better alternatives. http://www.gasweld.com.au/170dc-mig-mma-tig-unimig.html is only $615, comes with all required handles, and gloves and electrodes.
and out of stock…..
edit: aparently some stores still have stock, showing out of stock for delivery tho
10% duty cycle at 120amps
I'm interested in the cheapest to run welder ie consumables and electricity, would a stick welder be cheaper to buy and also cheaper to run?
you should probably read all the replies above then and you would get an answer:P
welding is NOT cheap as a hobby. Stick is the cheapest variant however. But what use is cheap if it can't do the job you need to do.
All welders will use similar amounts of electricity to do the same job +/-10% I would guess. Consumables are the main cost - TIG is easily the most expensive, MIG using Gas second (depending on what you are welding the gas can be $100+ per bottle, plus rental) gasless and stick are closeish in price. Choose the right welder for your job, don't base it on price.
Thanks for the reply and i did read the comments above just wanted to clarify i guess. I don't really have a particular job in mine however i want to have a welder on hand for the odd occasion that i need to weld something together, would always be steel, likely steel pipe or something. I did use both stick and mig at high school back in the day so i kind of remember how they work. So from my understanding stick welders will do a deeper weld, ie thicker steel can be used? The drawback being if you need to do fiddly things or thin metal its very difficult not to burn a hole in it? I think most of my welding would be heavy duty with no critical reliance on the welded item staying together (ie no one will get hurt if it falls apart).
Stick does not give better penetration for a given power than MIG. All welding consumables go off over time, even if stored properly. MIG wire is less susceptible to this than electrodes however. If you are only going to pull it out once or twice a year, MIG with gasless wire is the better choice. Or better still, borrow one.
Thanks mate appreciate the help :D
damn it i just bought one of those helmets for $80 caus my old one was dead… if not i would have grabbed this deal.
EDIT: correction this is fixed shade
the one i bought is adjustable shade, still a good deal on a name brand mig for home use.