Lidl's cheap welder

[Mike13]

.......especially if the material is galvanised - nearly topped myself with that one back in the 70's
John

The Zinc flu is so nasty, I shivered for a day with that one, as well as needing 10 blankets to sleep!

 

[Fab5Freddy]

Thanks for the tips all.
Been away, so couldn't reply any sooner.
This is cheaper than the lidl mask, the reviews say it's not bad...any thoughts before I pull the trigger on it?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01B0S50JQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2EKH8T0LOMISL&psc=1

 

[Burnerman]

The reviews are pretty good, but until you’ve tried it....
The issues are:
Response time ( they all darken pretty quick) but can sometimes take a little long to brighten again;
The window size - bigger the better;
If you are in a pretty dark workshop to start with, sometimes the helmets are so dark - even on position 9 - that you can’t see your work unless it’s flooded with artificial light anyway.....that’s my main grouse with mine, which came from the Welders Warehouse.
They’ve been great with replacement lenses and glasses though.
I think I’d buy it!
John

 

[mattylad]

I worked in a workshop with over a dozen welders once, they mainly stuck to good quality auto darkening masks or the std dark mask because there was a tendancy of the auto darkening system to fail through lots of use/misuse/chucking around when working.

 

[Fab5Freddy]

cheers all
I'd be doing most of it (if not all) outdoors, so light should not be too much of a problem.
I'll check response times, and have a look on Welders Warehouse too

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

There's quite a good honest YouTube review of the Lidl one somewhere.

 

[lostinthelight]

cheers all
I'd be doing most of it (if not all) outdoors, so light should not be too much of a problem.
I'll check response times, and have a look on Welders Warehouse too

Its good to have a mask that the hood part comes back over the top of the head as possible . It helps shields light coming from behind which reflects off the rear of the lens and you cant see sod all.

 

[Burnerman]

Mine is a Speedshield V, without the grinding facility.....if I look at diffused sunshine it starts flickering.
I haven’t welded for over 12 months now so I’m wondering if it needs replacing - its many years old now.
John

 

[lostinthelight]

Mine is a Speedshield V, without the grinding facility.....if I look at diffused sunshine it starts flickering.
I haven’t welded for over 12 months now so I’m wondering if it needs replacing - its many years old now.
John

If the battery is solar charged and not exposed for a long time this can happen so if you haven't already done so, stick in the sunlight for a bit

 

[scbk]

Some of the auto helmet are solar powered for the darkening bit, but the switching in the first place is done by a little internal button battery, so when that's flat you have to take the thing apart and solder in a new one, pain in the bum

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

You need to go back to lidl and buy the mask, an automatic mask makes like sooooo much easier

An automatic makes the world of difference. Instead of hoping, guessing where the end of the rod is and your metal, or risking eye burn, you can see it with mask in place.

 

[Fab5Freddy]

UPDATE - well, I got a £30 helmet from Screwfix that had got a lot of good reviews.

IMPAX IM-ACC-AWH Automatic Welding Helmet

Order online at Screwfix.com. Professional welding helmet that gives instant eye protection as the arc is struck. Provides a clear view when not welding but instantly changes to the required amount of shade or filter when arc is struck. Adjustable headband provides a comfortable no-slip fit for...

www.screwfix.com

Just set it up and gave it a go- nothing to compare it to, but it is nice and light, comfy and gives a good view of what you're doing

Just spent an hour or so trying out the 6013 2.5 rods with this Lidl welder
I had to have the welder up to almost full on power to get it sparking and holding an arc. Used on and off for about 30 mins and no problems

As you might imagine for a beginner, loads of sticking rod to the metal, lots of totally messy crap. (all this on a scrap piece of 3 or 4mm thick,1 inch wide piece of flat bar)
Then a couple of sticks in, I got a fair enough run of about 6 inch bead that I wasn't too embarrassed with and thought I was the next gift to the welding community and had cracked it. So I decided to weld a nut on to the plate, which I did by holding it there using a threaded rod in it, and it went really well...so by this point I think I can weld a whole bridge together over the Trent in an afternoon at this rate

To cut a long story short...I then tried to join a couple of pieces of bar together and realised that welding is bloody difficult and that I am going to need to use up the whole carton of 6013'a before I can even think I can do this even half ok.

Hat's off to welders everywhere, it's certainly not as easy as it looks or I thought after 20 mins! But, I think it's do-able for total beginner if you 'stick' at it , haha

 

[Burnerman]

That helmet looks like a cracking deal......when you strike the arc, is the material still nicely visible? Pulling the arc slightly away helps to keep things lit up somewhat.
Try, using a piece of flat bar laid flat, starting at the end furthest away, strike the arc and progress towards yourself using the 'U' technique in a straight line. If the slag comes away in one piece then you are certainly getting there!
For two bits of bar laid flat, tack them together top and bottom, leaving a 2mm gap between them....this helps as a sort of 'prep'. Then weld an inch at the top, same at the bottom then turn the bars over and do a run in the middle - this can help with the distortion which will certainly come.
If my experiences are anything to go by, you'll have good days and bad ones!
Do keep us updated!
John

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

so by this point I think I can weld a whole bridge together over the Trent in an afternoon at this rate

Well, it is much quicker than hot riveting, but I don't know about a bridge in an afternoon.

 

[Fab5Freddy]

That helmet looks like a cracking deal......when you strike the arc, is the material still nicely visible? Pulling the arc slightly away helps to keep things lit up somewhat.
Try, using a piece of flat bar laid flat, starting at the end furthest away, strike the arc and progress towards yourself using the 'U' technique in a straight line. If the slag comes away in one piece then you are certainly getting there!
For two bits of bar laid flat, tack them together top and bottom, leaving a 2mm gap between them....this helps as a sort of 'prep'. Then weld an inch at the top, same at the bottom then turn the bars over and do a run in the middle - this can help with the distortion which will certainly come.
If my experiences are anything to go by, you'll have good days and bad ones!
Do keep us updated!
John

Thanks John - the tint is green before you strike and then once underway, I would say it's totally fine visibility, you can see the stick point 'bubbling' and i can see how far from the edge I am and roughly where I have been - but as I said before, I have nothing to judge it against as I only arc welded for 20 mins in 1981when a mate asked if I wanted a go. These new darkening masks are incredible, a bit like voodoo magic really. I was a little nervous for a while thinking 'how can this turn on quick enough to protect my eyes?'

On the 6 inch section that I felt I had done ok, the slag came away much easier not quite once piece, but cleanly

I did distort my bar when trying to get the 2 pieces welded together - but realistically, I should just stick to practising doing a straight line bead for a while - I just got a bit ambitious and then came back down to reality that most things worth learning aren't quick and easy.

Thanks for the tips