Can anyone rec. a decent supplier for a mig welder and the bits and
bobs, wire, helmet etc.

Prefer something decent not that I know that much about them but buy
cheap buy twice, get what you pay for etc. being a motto. ;-)

Mark S.

On Fri, 05 Dec 2003 01:36:00 +0000, Mark S.
wrote:

Can anyone rec. a decent supplier for a mig welder and the bits and
bobs, wire, helmet etc.

Prefer something decent not that I know that much about them but buy
cheap buy twice, get what you pay for etc. being a motto. ;-)

Mark S.


Machine Mart?

They've a branch in Sheffield, another in Barnsley and on line.

The range is pretty comprehensive with about 25 different ones with
prices to lighten your wallet from about £150 to £500.
There ought to be something there for you I would have thought,

I didn't know that printers were fixed in this way....

Here was me thinking that they are something that they give away with
every ink cartridge ;-)



..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

On Fri, 05 Dec 2003 01:36:00 +0000, Mark S.
wrote:

Can anyone rec. a decent supplier for a mig welder and the bits and
bobs, wire, helmet etc.

Commercial welding shop. You can get nice Murexs for £500 (if you
catch a regular sale) and they're as cheap for wire and gas as
anywhere else. For less money, Partco do the Cebora range that are
good for £300-ish. Anything below that I'd be buying S/H for £50 and
saving up for a real machine. Please don't buy an SIP at any level !

Hats seem to get better the _less_ you pay. Actually the hats (and
headbands) turn rubbish quickly, but the lens systems are better. Get
a battery one (they last for ages and can be stored in dark sheds)
rather than solar. A standard size mounting is also useful, because
you can swap it around if you break the hat, and the consumable cover
lenses are easy to find. Adjustability of the settings isnt vital,
but it is nice. Guess who's the schmuck with a £200 Niederman that's
rubbish to use and has to have its cover lenses shipped from
Switzerland...

I wouldn't buy anything more than magnet clamps from Machine Mart.

Get a halogen floodlight and a 1/4" steel benchtop too.

--
Die Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods

Andy Dingley wrote:
On Fri, 05 Dec 2003 01:36:00 +0000, Mark S.
wrote:

Can anyone rec. a decent supplier for a mig welder and the bits and
bobs, wire, helmet etc.

Commercial welding shop. You can get nice Murexs for £500 (if you
catch a regular sale) and they're as cheap for wire and gas as
anywhere else. For less money, Partco do the Cebora range that are
good for £300-ish. Anything below that I'd be buying S/H for £50 and
saving up for a real machine. Please don't buy an SIP at any level !

Just to give a different opinion I have a SIP 130 amp MIG welder that
can be adapted to do either gas or gasless (coated wire) MIG welding
and I'm very happy with it. I had done some stick welding before but
no MIG welding, the SIP welder did all I wanted of it after just a bit
of practice and learning.

It's already paid for itself by repairing a motorcycle exhaust
collection box that would have cost around £400 to replace.

What specifically, Andy, do you object to on SIP welders?


Hats seem to get better the _less_ you pay. Actually the hats (and
headbands) turn rubbish quickly, but the lens systems are better. Get
a battery one (they last for ages and can be stored in dark sheds)
rather than solar. A standard size mounting is also useful, because
you can swap it around if you break the hat, and the consumable cover
lenses are easy to find. Adjustability of the settings isnt vital,
but it is nice. Guess who's the schmuck with a £200 Niederman that's
rubbish to use and has to have its cover lenses shipped from
Switzerland...

My cheap £69 one from Cromwell seems excellent so far, they're still
selling the same model at £90. It's 'solar' powered I'm afraid but at
that price if it dies after a year or two who cares?


I wouldn't buy anything more than magnet clamps from Machine Mart.

Having decided which SIP I wanted I just searched for the lowest price
I could find, Machine Mart weren't the cheapest.


Get a halogen floodlight and a 1/4" steel benchtop too.

Daylight is best if you can manage it but yes, otherwise, something
like that is a good idea.

--
Chris Green )

Mark S. wrote:
Can anyone rec. a decent supplier for a mig welder and the bits and
bobs, wire, helmet etc.

Prefer something decent not that I know that much about them but buy
cheap buy twice, get what you pay for etc. being a motto. ;-)

Mark S.

I have used :-

http://www.wilstar.co.uk/

Very helpful.

AndyP

--

We were always told that a million monkeys typing for a million years
would eventually produce the works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the
Internet, we know this is not true.

"Andy Dingley" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 05 Dec 2003 01:36:00 +0000, Mark S.
wrote:

Can anyone rec. a decent supplier for a mig welder and the bits and
bobs, wire, helmet etc.

Commercial welding shop. You can get nice Murexs for £500 (if you
catch a regular sale) and they're as cheap for wire and gas as
anywhere else. For less money, Partco do the Cebora range that are
good for £300-ish. Anything below that I'd be buying S/H for £50 and
saving up for a real machine. Please don't buy an SIP at any level !


Andy, what trouble did you have ? I could bore everyone to death with SIP
mig problems :-)
Was it, per chance, ****e wire feed ?

Steve

wrote in message
...
Mark S. wrote:
Can anyone rec. a decent supplier for a mig welder and the bits and
bobs, wire, helmet etc.

Prefer something decent not that I know that much about them but buy
cheap buy twice, get what you pay for etc. being a motto. ;-)

Mark S.

I have used :-

http://www.wilstar.co.uk/

Very helpful.


Mmmmm, so have I - a few years ago they sold me a bottle of gas from a
supplier in south london who then went out of business.
I now have a very expensive paper weight - they were not at all helpful.

Steve

sro wrote:

Andy, what trouble did you have ? I could bore everyone to death with SIP
mig problems :-)
Was it, per chance, ****e wire feed ?

I've certainly experienced ****e wire feed on 2x SIP machines (a
130 and a 150). I won't go into other problems, since we covered
this here fairly recently.

There are some people using SIPs who report no probs (including
Dave Plowman). Maybe they've improved, maybe I and others were
unlucky, I don't know.

I've been using a Clarke for a good few years now with no
problems, but my next one will be a Cebora.

--
Grunff

On Fri, 5 Dec 2003 12:17:19 -0000, "sro"
wrote:

Was it, per chance, ****e wire feed ?

How did you guess ? 8-)

--
Die Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods

In article ,
Andy Hall wrote:
On Fri, 05 Dec 2003 01:36:00 +0000, Mark S.
wrote:

Can anyone rec. a decent supplier for a mig welder and the bits and
bobs, wire, helmet etc.

Prefer something decent not that I know that much about them but buy
cheap buy twice, get what you pay for etc. being a motto. ;-)

Mark S.


Machine Mart?

They've a branch in Sheffield, another in Barnsley and on line.

The range is pretty comprehensive with about 25 different ones with
prices to lighten your wallet from about £150 to £500.
There ought to be something there for you I would have thought,

I didn't know that printers were fixed in this way....

Here was me thinking that they are something that they give away with
every ink cartridge ;-)



.andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl


ebay?
Neil

On Fri, 5 Dec 2003 12:18:55 -0000, "sro"
wrote:


Mmmmm, so have I - a few years ago they sold me a bottle of gas from a
supplier in south london who then went out of business.
I now have a very expensive paper weight - they were not at all helpful.

Was this a weldpool one for CO2? We still have a local refiller so I
am interested if you want to sell it.

AJH

On Fri, 05 Dec 2003 04:01:23 +0000, Andy Dingley
wrote:

Commercial welding shop. You can get nice Murexs for ?500 (if you
catch a regular sale) and they're as cheap for wire and gas as
anywhere else. For less money, Partco do the Cebora range that are
good for ?300-ish. Anything below that I'd be buying S/H for ?50 and
saving up for a real machine. Please don't buy an SIP at any level !

As I have to heft any mig into the van by myself and you have
previously said you wouldn't want a mig welder you could lift, is
there any point of compromise?

Hats seem to get better the _less_ you pay. Actually the hats (and
headbands) turn rubbish quickly, but the lens systems are better. Get
a battery one (they last for ages and can be stored in dark sheds)
rather than solar.

I still need a name that I can put forward for my pressy, so far only
the Cromwell one has been recommended by name.

I've just been brought a NUtool 152 by a mate, it seems to be ex hire
by the serial number scratched on it and the gun is missing, wires,
tubes, cables and their sheath are present up to where the gun should
be. Has anyone tried to convert one of the diy migs to eurotorch? I
can get the torch and 3mtre lead for GBP50 but have not found a
supplier of the female bit of the eurotorch to fit on the welder.

AJH

On Fri, 05 Dec 2003 01:46:25 +0000, Andy Hall
wrote:

On Fri, 05 Dec 2003 01:36:00 +0000, Mark S.
wrote:

Can anyone rec. a decent supplier for a mig welder and the bits and
bobs, wire, helmet etc.

Prefer something decent not that I know that much about them but buy
cheap buy twice, get what you pay for etc. being a motto. ;-)

Mark S.


Machine Mart?

They've a branch in Sheffield, another in Barnsley and on line.

The range is pretty comprehensive with about 25 different ones with
prices to lighten your wallet from about £150 to £500.
There ought to be something there for you I would have thought,

I didn't know that printers were fixed in this way....

Here was me thinking that they are something that they give away with
every ink cartridge ;-)



.andy

Cheeky bugger. I've sold all the printers out of the garage on Ebay.
:-P

I've an Opel Manta on my drive now to play with when I get fed up of
diy. ;-)
And the gates to sort out as well.

So I take it Sip are out?

Machine Mart only do Clarke stuff don't they?


Mark S.

On Sun, 07 Dec 2003 00:41:17 +0000, Mark S.
wrote:



Cheeky bugger. I've sold all the printers out of the garage on Ebay.
:-P


I had in my mind from somewhere that you were involved with them
professionally??


I've an Opel Manta on my drive now to play with when I get fed up of
diy. ;-)
And the gates to sort out as well.

So I take it Sip are out?

Machine Mart only do Clarke stuff don't they?

I'm not a welding expert by any means. When I saw your original
post, I happened to have a Machine Mart catalogue in a pile of
assorted tool catalogues that I was sorting through and remembered
that they sold welders. It was more of a sourcing suggestion than
a product recommendation. Others have done welding more than I
have and seem to favour various other options than Clarke and SIP.

I don't know about the SIP welders, although I've found the
compressors OK (made in Italy like a lot of them).

Did you think about looking on one of the car repair groups?





Mark S.

..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

"Andy Hall" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 07 Dec 2003 00:41:17 +0000, Mark S.
wrote:



Cheeky bugger. I've sold all the printers out of the garage on Ebay.
:-P


I had in my mind from somewhere that you were involved with them
professionally??


I've an Opel Manta on my drive now to play with when I get fed up of
diy. ;-)
And the gates to sort out as well.

So I take it Sip are out?

Machine Mart only do Clarke stuff don't they?

I'm not a welding expert by any means. When I saw your original
post, I happened to have a Machine Mart catalogue in a pile of
assorted tool catalogues that I was sorting through and remembered
that they sold welders. It was more of a sourcing suggestion than
a product recommendation. Others have done welding more than I
have and seem to favour various other options than Clarke and SIP.

I don't know about the SIP welders, although I've found the
compressors OK (made in Italy like a lot of them).

Did you think about looking on one of the car repair groups?





Mark S.

.andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

I have a SIP 170 mig gas / gasless and it seems to be fine. Remember that if
welding out of doors gasless is better unless there is no wind. Use gas
indoors or in no wind conditions, and for stainless and alli. Go for the
highest amperage unit you can afford, all will do car bodywork.
Mouse



---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.547 / Virus Database: 340 - Release Date: 02/12/2003

On Sun, 07 Dec 2003 00:58:26 +0000, Andy Hall
wrote:

On Sun, 07 Dec 2003 00:41:17 +0000, Mark S.
wrote:



Cheeky bugger. I've sold all the printers out of the garage on Ebay.
:-P


I had in my mind from somewhere that you were involved with them
professionally??


I've an Opel Manta on my drive now to play with when I get fed up of
diy. ;-)
And the gates to sort out as well.

So I take it Sip are out?

Machine Mart only do Clarke stuff don't they?

I'm not a welding expert by any means. When I saw your original
post, I happened to have a Machine Mart catalogue in a pile of
assorted tool catalogues that I was sorting through and remembered
that they sold welders. It was more of a sourcing suggestion than
a product recommendation. Others have done welding more than I
have and seem to favour various other options than Clarke and SIP.

I don't know about the SIP welders, although I've found the
compressors OK (made in Italy like a lot of them).

Did you think about looking on one of the car repair groups?


We do them at work but I'm just in stores so I fiddle with them in my
spare time, brings a few extra pennies in. :-)

I'll pop over and ask on car maintenance as well see what they say.

Mark S.