Good quality gasless MIG welder?.

[Keithmac]

Hello all, I've mentioned a gasless MIG welder would be a good addition for our workshop.

Can anyone recommend a good quality unit that's not silly money?.

Probably maximum thickness would be 3mm steel or so for welding, normally a lot less.

I've got an SIP Migmate at home, it does the job but not the best.

Just something half decent that will put up with some light to medium useage would do.

Cheers all.

 

[bernardgreen]

Doesn't the term "MIG Welding" come from Metal Inert Gas Welding

 

[SFK]

Welding without gas
Where ordinary mild steel MIG welding wire needs an inert gas shield to prevent it from oxidising when melted, gasless MIG wire has a flux core which forms the gas shield around the weld to keep oxygen out.

Flux cored is an economical way to weld mild steel if the welder is used only occasionally. Apart from that it's only real advantage over mild steel wire with shielding gas is that it can be used outside in moderate wind conditions.

It is difficult to use while learning MIG welding as the smoke and flux make it difficult to see what's going on. Also the flux doesn't conduct electricity so you have to be careful not to weld over the same piece twice once it's cooled.

From here>>> https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/gasless-mig.htm

@Keithmac,
They have a Forum that might be the better place to ask this question.

SFK

 

[mitch66]

Hello all, I've mentioned a gasless MIG welder would be a good addition for our workshop.

Can anyone recommend a good quality unit that's not silly money?.

Probably maximum thickness would be 3mm steel or so for welding, normally a lot less.

I've got an SIP Migmate at home, it does the job but not the best.

Just something half decent that will put up with some light to medium useage would do.

Cheers all.

I'd get a proper MIG unit with a bottle for what "I think you want". Big bottle of argoshield or whatever is in fashion now lasts a good while.

 

[Keithmac]

I was going to go into the semantics of Gasless MIG but didn't feel the need, it is still MIG by the way.

Will have a look into the other forum thanks.

For what we need Gasless is fine, I might get a dual one so we could go gas if required.

 

[Mottie]

I'd get a proper MIG unit with a bottle for what "I think you want". Big bottle of argoshield or whatever is in fashion now lasts a good while.

I've had a half size bottle for over ten years now!

 

[Mottie]

I was going to go into the semantics of Gasless MIG but didn't feel the need, it is still MIG by the way.

Will have a look into the other forum thanks.

For what we need Gasless is fine, I might get a dual one so we could go gas if required.

Can’t you just get a gas one but use gasless wire?

 

[Keithmac]

I've done that with my SIP but ideally you need to reverse the polarity with Gasless.

I did rent a bottle from BOC for home but it's just dead money if it's sat around doing nothing.

 

[Mottie]

I did rent a bottle from BOC for home but it's just dead money if it's sat around doing nothing.

Ah, right. I borrowed mine from a place I used to work for which closed not long after I borrowed it.

 

[jeds]

I recently bought the smallest Clarke unit from Machine Mart for £150 to weld a steel handrail. It did the job quite well. 14 joints on 40mm steel tube took me a couple of days. (the time was in grinding the joints - not the welding.) I put it on ebay for £135 and it sold the same day. If I was buying one to keep I'd buy the one that is about £300 gas/no gas option. The small one is good but the flux core wire does cause a bit more spatter than with gas so you do have to do a bit of cleaning up.