100A Gasless Turbo MIG any good?

[rapidtornado]

Just canvassing opinion, anybody know anything of Silverline tools? They got a 100A Gasless Turbo Mig for £120. Just considering it as I can get free with Nectar points.... any idea if this is man enough for the job?

Rapid

[gingea1pom]

Rapid,

From many discussions on this subject the general consensus is 150A mig is the minimum.

Never used gasless so cannot comment.

Cheers Ginge

[Tatey]

Gasless Mig welding is supposed to be much harder than gas mig welding, as you can't see what the weld pool is doing, its similar to arc welding. Flux coated mig wire also costs more than normal mig wire, and when the weld has cooled you get a hard slag on top of the weld which needs to be chipped off (if you are good at welding it virtually falls off), also you can't go over a previous part of the weld without stopping and chipping off the slag as it causes impurities in the weld, making them very weak.

So I would highly suggest as a beginner, to get something along the lines of a Clarke 150EN, as you then have the power to weld everything on the chassis, where as with a 100A welder you will need to either buy yourself an arc welder (another skill to learn, and more money) to do the heavier gauge steel, or find a friend with a more powerful welder.

Also don't worry about investing in a welder now, as they barely depreciate in value, so you can just sell it after you've finished with it if you are not intending on keeping it.

[Headshot]

I am trying to do my build with a Sealey Turbomig 130XT, its the only thing I could get for free

I won't be doing any thick plates with it though, andd don't even know if its man enough for the main chassis yet
But after I accept a kind offer from a forum member of some hands on instruction.....I will know

All the advice I have got EVERYWHERE is 150 minimum if you are building everything yourself (I aim to buy wishbones/upwrights and roll bar ready built)

[rapidtornado]

Thanks gents, enough said, I'm convinced it's a gas mig 150A min. Appreciate your comments

Rapid

[Tatey]

Headshot, 130A will be plenty for doing the main chassis, its when you come to the 3mm and 5mm plates that you could have issues, however with some experience and preparation you could weld these plates onto the chassis quite happily.

I'm currently making a FAQ for welder choice, I'm hoping it will be finished later on tonight, so I'll hopefully be able to answer any other questions you might have about welding.

[dogwood]

Originally Posted by Headshot

All the advice I have got EVERYWHERE is 150 minimum if you are building everything yourself

Hmmm.
I used my old Clark 135.
Welded everything fine.

The only prob I found with it,
is it overheated when using it on full power for long periods.
Most of the chassis was welded at about 1/2 to 3/4 max



Yes I am an experienced welder......