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Hi Guys Does anyone have any views/experience of a Weldsmart 130A Gasless Mig welder ? On recent project I've been using a borrowed Weldsmart MIG200 IGBT unit with 0.8mm fluxcore wire & that works just fine for me.....on 1mm-1.6mm mild steel, lap & butt joints , & unlikely I'd want to do anything over 2mm. I know there are lots of opinions out there that gasless fluxcore mig is no good......so I was surprised that it worked as well as it did & a welder I am not...trust me !
Question is.....would that much more basic/much lower cost unit be as successful or would I be expecting too much.....I think it's a transformer based machine with 4 switched voltage settings. The MIG200 has continuously variable controls & digital readouts etc although it didn't need much adjusting to get a reasonable result. The upmarket unit with gas would be great but hard to justify for me so any feedback would be welcome. btw Weldsmart are a Perth company operating from Canning Vale. Thanks Madjack
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the gas only units are generally cheaper than the gas/gasless but gas bottle rental is the killer.
for occasional use gasless is the way to go .
but you do get more spatter, which can be controlled with anti spatter spray, but the weld is generally a bit messier but can be lived with.
the main problem with gasless is that it is dangerous to your health to breathe the fumes too much,they consist of heavy metals like zinc/cadmium/etc. whuch build up in the bones and joints and can cause serious health problems later in life.
if you have the right respirator it can be limited, or do your welding outaisde with a pl;enty of frash air.
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I use a fan on a fairly slow setting - just enough to blow the fumes away from me & out the garage door. I like gasless for the sporadic jobs that I do - you can use it every few months for the odd little job here & there without worrying about gas.
My little MIG is gas/gasless and has a fitting to take disposible bottles, which are more economical for a DIYer than renting large bottles, but once you've fitted one, you can't turn it off (screwing it on pierces the top) and I worry that it will bleed out before I get a chance to use it again. I've only used it once with gas, and find gasless to be practically as good for DIY work - especially welding up holes in the engine bay, and small rust repair patches.
I've used it mostly on sheetmetal, but also welded up a crossmember. I don't seem to have as much of a spatter problem with gasless that others do. It does get messy around the weld, but it's only a buildup of carbon & burnt flux, which wipes off easily.
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Cheers,
Mick
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Judge a successful man not on how he treats his peers, but on how he treats those less fortunate. |
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If your getting a lot of spatter with the flux cored wire, the setting are not right. Try turning the wire down a hair. Your travel speed could be to fast. The angle your holding the gun could be wrong.
If the machine is a gas/gasless set up, make should the polarity is correct. Flux cored welding you need negative polarity to the wire drive and positive to the return clamp.
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Thanks for your advice, much appreciated.
I'd tend to do welding outdoors so the fumes should be less of an issue....but still something to watch, so thanks for the warning.
The gasless mig units I've seen all appear to have switch settings for the voltage, generally with 4 positions.
I guess the machines you use are much like this.....do you find that gives sufficient control especially on thin material ?
From what you all say it certainly sounds the way to go for occasional jobs around the shed.
Thanks
Madjack
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That welder your talking will be fine for the odd job around the shed. It will weld thin steel but do plenty of test bits first to get settings right. If you want good control for the amps and wire speed, you would need to spend a bit more money. Lincoln electric 180c power mig is a good machine, cost $1000. Cig have a machine called a transmig 175i, can stick,mig and tig $1100. I've been using a Lincoln 180c power mig for about 6 years on site. 0.9mm flux cored, 6-20 mm plate, using the machine at full power and never a problem.
My choice for welding thin sheet would be tig or gas mig.
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there is places that you can buy the gas bottle now. and just pay for the exchange for mig/tig welding.
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where can these be obtained?
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Hi,
Here in NSW Gasweld sells the bottles now and you just exchange them like a barbeque gas bottle when they are empty. Cost for me the other day was less than two years rental to own the bottle. Makes me feel real good after paying rental for the last ten years. A lot of profit for someone. I'd rather spend the money on my car. |
Col |
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