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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Victoria
    Posts
    6

    Default Welding Machine help please.

    Hi,
    I need to purchase a stick welder,budget puts me into these four.I only need to buy one as I have some posts to weld back into place on a fence and just use it for small jobs,brackets etc.

    I know these are cheap welders,but not looking for anything flash and mig/tig are not an option at this stage.

    Ozito 140 amp Duty cycle @ 25% @ 80 amp...... 3 yr warranty. $98.00 Au

    Cigweld 120amp turbo D/C 5% @ 120 amps.........1 yr warranty $129.00 Au

    Weldcorp 140 amp d\D/C ??@ 125 amp.............1 yr warranty $149.00Au still trying to find D/C of this.

    Rockworth 130amp D/C 25%@ 80 amps...........1 yr warranty $129.00Au

    Features seem to be much the same,fan cooled,over load protection etc.

    Thank you.

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    363

    Default

    How thick is the material, pinedeck? How much experience do you have? I'm guessing none of those machines are DC inverters, they're probably all A/C transformers at that price? On top of the purchase price, you need to factor in helmet, PPE, rods, chipping hammer, etc. If it's a one-off job, it might be a better idea to offer someone with the equipment and experience $100 to do it for you. If it's for ongoing maintenance, maybe try to stretch the budget a bit for a decent inverter since they weld so nice.

  4. #3
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    164

    Default

    Hey mate, I just had a looksie at the plate on my Weldcorp 140a unit, and the duty cycle is 10%@130amps, 60%@80amps and 100%@63amps.
    I don't know about the others, but this one is an inverter. Haven't had any issues with it, just been plain stoked with it. Have had it for about three years now (Maybe more - time flies! )

    The fun thing about stick welders is that you can easily convert them to a scratch start TIG (Buy a handle off eBay, get some gas, go for gold!) so they've got that expandability on their side, for trying something different.

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    27,756

    Default

    As long as you realise that you can't weld anything continuously with them then any one of those will get you started.

    25% at 80Amps is pretty much similar to the little CIG I had. It could weld 4 2.5mm welding rods in a row and then it was a 30 minute wait for it to cool down.
    With 3.2 mm rods, 3 rods and then a half hour wait. I got sick and tired of this and eventually got something a little more heavy duty.

    I agree with Legion about absolutely allowing for extras
    At those welder prices yYou should be spend more on a welding helmet than you do on those welder.
    You will also need a set of long leather gloves.
    A chipping hammer, an angle grinder and some cutting and wire wheels, flap discs, will be essential to prep the joints and clean up the spatter afterwards
    And don't forget the PPE for the angle grinder; Ear Muffs, full face shield (not safety glasses).
    A range of sizes of Steel G clamps and those magnetic right angle holders are incredibly useful.
    I have about 4 of each of 2, 3, 4 and 6" G clamps and 4, 12" all steel F clamps.

    Then practice, practice, practice, it's well known that it takes ~10,000 hours of practice to become Expert at something and welding is no different.

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Victoria
    Posts
    6

    Default

    Thanks Guys,
    Thanks for info on the Weldcorp and that you are happy with it helps me lean towards a product that gets some thumbs up.

    No worries with grinder,clamps,chipping hammer I have all of that, well most of the gear you listed,need welding helmet basically. I have welded before when working, lots hard facing mainly but the occasional weld job,but these where industrial welders,so they never cut out.

    3mm pipe is what I am welding,allowing I will put about 1 to 1 1/2 mm chamfer where it butts up ( was always told prep is one most important things) None are inverters.I did think about just getting someone to do it,but,with each project I do at home I can convince the lady that I need this and that .So a new trailer found its way into the backyard reno and I was thinking of making my own cage to go on it,so maybe an inverter might be the way to go.

    I was leaning towards the Ozito only for the fact it has 3 yrs warranty.

    I will have a bit more a think, 5mm would be the max I would be welding with 3mm the average.

    Most reviews on the mentioned welders have not been encouraging,but for the prices I do not expect much,just hoping some people have/had these and sort of say that welder X would suit my needs,occasional welding,nothing heavy and lot looking for long continuous welds. Which I just noticed Bobl said.

    Thank you again.

  7. #6
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    164

    Default

    Oops, my info might not be spot on then, I'm so used to my little inverter unit I forgot that they'd have offered a transformer model, and a quick look shows a fair bit of a price difference

    In that case I'd just say go for the Ozito, they tend to do a fair few goood products (picked up a silent garden shredder the other day, it's been working like a true trooper with the palm fronds I've been throwing through it!) and with that length of warranty vs lowest price, well, you're laughing!

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Lebrina
    Posts
    1,099

    Default

    My advice would be to spend a bit more and get a DC inverter. A quick look on ebay reveals that $150 will get you into a Ching Chong weld 'im good 120A inverter, $300 into a Cigweld 170A and $350 will buy a Cigweld 170 with Auto darken shield. I reckon I could walk in to my local supplier and match the prices on the Cigweld too.
    If you simply cannot spend the extra, then I suggest the exclusive use of 2.5 electrodes as they will weld better and also maximise the capabilities of a little welder.
    If you are welding pipes on to a base plate then no prep is required other than cleaning and removing galvanising and a simple fillet weld will suffice nicely.
    I really would encourage you to step up to the inverter if you can. It really will be a quantum leap.

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    988

    Default

    Just came across this little inverter unit, I reckon it looks pretty good, $121 for a 140A inverter MagMate Brand, sold by BOC, and free delivery.

    http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/MagMate-M...item4176a29f22

  10. #9
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Murray Bridge SA
    Posts
    3,339

    Default

    How far away from a power point are you going to weld, as reading your thread, it sounds as if you are repairing post and rail fencing. The reason I ask, is that if you are running from a long extension lead you will get voltage drop. If you are going to run it from a generator check to see if the welder will run from it.
    Kryn

  11. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Victoria
    Posts
    6

    Default

    Thanks Guys,
    Now you have me looking at inverters. That MagMate does look inviting for the price.I do see the advantage in an inverter, I suppose my max outlay was around the $130.00 mark plus 20 odd bucks for cheap helmet.Just to get this job done.Now I am thinking the Magmate and the what Karl said.

    Kryn,job is about 15 mtrs away and trying to attach the upright post from fence back on,I got about 10inches of pipe sticking out of the ground and about 5 foot to weld back on.I had to cut posts down,so machinery can into back yard.

    Thanks guys,I have learned a fair bit from what you are saying.

    I suppose with the likes of the Magmate for its price and being an inverter,also a brand I am familiar with,I should maybe run with that. For $120.00 it has to be better than what I am looking at and within the price range.Any welding I would do,would not need more than 140amp.

  12. #11
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Lebrina
    Posts
    1,099

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Ch4iS View Post
    Just came across this little inverter unit, I reckon it looks pretty good, $121 for a 140A inverter MagMate Brand, sold by BOC, and free delivery.

    http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/MagMate-M...item4176a29f22
    Haven't had much to do with MagMate gear, but it seems like a winner. I seem to remember they are South African.
    My first welder, (my Father's actually), was a CIG compact 2. It had 2 amperage settings, 80 and 109 amps if I recall correctly and cost $159 back in 1986. Just shows how much more we get for our money now.
    Even though it says that welder is not tig capable, it will Tig with scratch arc, just watch your duty cycle if you go that route. The duty cycle does not specify an amperage, so I assume it is at 140A. Not often you will be up that far though, 115A will usually run a 3.2 quite nicely.

  13. #12
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Victoria
    Posts
    6

    Default

    Well its done, just purchased the MagMate.Thanks again for the input,just got to sort which would be the better rods to buy,more so to the all purpose ones,2.5? Better brand I suppose.

    Cheers All

  14. #13
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    363

    Default

    I've gone through many brands of rod trying to find the perfect brand. Kobe RB-26 are popular, cheap and come in 2.6mm. But I've gone off them because I find them best in the flat position only and they make a bit more of a mess than some others. I once tried some Cigwelds but they're not popular on here, despite being for sale at every single hardware store in Australia. I have some BOC Austarc 12P that are supposed to be great that I got for a specific job (and never used) but you need to be sitting down when they ring up the price. My favourite at the moment are Gemini. I'm using Gemini 12 at the moment because I thought they might be better for positional work and they are pretty easy to work with. They come in 2.0mm, 2.6mm and 3.2mm (and even 1.6mm if you're a glutton for punishment). The best part is they are dirt cheap if you can find a good supplier.

    If you have a birthday coming up, the best thing you can get is a $ auto-darkening helmet, especially if you do lots of small run jobs. I do lots of 25mm welds and they are 100 times easier with an auto helmet. Otherwise it's hard to strike without missing the work.

    If you are welding 3mm wall section pipe for a fence, you won't need to bevel. Penetration will be fine. ***

    I built a trailer last year using a whole lot of 20mm NB medium pipe (2.6mm wall thickness) and a few hundred welds using 2.6mm rods and penetration was not an issue - in fact it's the opposite. You could easily blast holes through 3mm material with 2.6mm rods. I personally don't bevel 5.0mm either and a couple of passes gives sufficient penetration. In fact, I stayed with 2.6mm rods for the hitch plates top and bottom and at 90A root pass they dug way deep into the plate.

    So with your vertical pipe, do a test run. You will need to aim slightly up, about 5 degrees. Make sure the fit up is good or you can have trouble with blowing holes. And from my experience, long rods and small pipes are tricky so it will take four or more welds to complete. I wish I could do a whole pipe in one go but you really need to move your hand fast to keep up with the small diameter. Given you're only 10" from the ground, it could be tricky. There might be ground clearance issues with the torch handle. I might personally try welding upside down, but I'm pretty happy with out-of-position work and it might be tricky for you without some practice. Do some dry runs. Maybe set up some fixtures to prop against, because freehand upside down on small pipe is a challenge.

    With 3.0mm pipe and 2.6mm rods and a butt joint, you'll probably be at about 65-75A and moving quite fast. Do some tests on scrap.

    *** Disclaimer - I am not a professional welder but I've burnt quite a few rods.

  15. #14
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    363

    Default

    One thing you could think of is the job itself. Will you ever need to remove the pipe again for yard access? If so, you could do something like find a piece of pipe with an ID just larger than the OD of your existing pipe. Cut a 15" (or whatever) length. Slip it on the new long vertical piece and weld it with a lap join and maybe some plug welds as well if you really want. Then drill matching holes in the cut-off piece in the ground so you can put a push pin through to hold the long vertical piece on the piece in the ground.

    Or whatever, just a suggestion. Plenty of other approaches if you think about it, depending on what the fence needs to keep out/in and how sturdy it needs to be. This idea is like those bollards they put on footpaths to stop cars but sometimes need to remove for maintenance and stuff.

  16. #15
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Victoria
    Posts
    6

    Default

    Thanks Legion,
    very informative info you have given me.Prior to reading your post I purchased some cigweld satincraft 13 2.5mm rods. I made up some sleeves to fit inside the existing pipe,this will slide nicely into the base pieces in the ground,if I need to remove again,I can cut above the new join,slide the pipe off and refit to weld back on,well in theory.Thankfully I can clear the ground around the pipe in the ground to enable me a better welding position.

    I did come across some gemini rods,but due to not knowing what to buy I went with a familiar name,cigweld.

    I have done some practice runs,been awhile since I have welded but the end result was promising,a few blow holes at first but after dropping the amps down it went a lot better.

    Good idea about the helmet for b/day I have one coming up next month so I might drop some hints to the family about it.

    Many thanks again Legion.

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