Thread: buying first mig - have 20 amp fuse but 10 amp plug outlets in shed..

i appreciate your info and i think given the complexity of it , i will either get in contact with an electrician re this or alternatively i will just restrict myself to 10 amp plug welders - which certainly does restrict the range available. I've had my eye on the cigweld 135 mig in case I need to go this way. This is just my first baby steps into venturing into welding so I dont really need a big mig to start off with . I have even considered the sip 100 gasless variety just to get going with.- just to get started on doing some box tubing frame to make a small mesh frame for our trailer.

Someone else I know (not from here I might add) suggested cutting down a plug on a 15 amp extension lead to get it to fit into the 10amp socket. This person suggested that as long as no other appliances get used in the shed - with the 20A fuse - it should be ok - is there any grain of truth to that??.Does anyone know of a good electrician in Adelaide to contact just in case i go the 15 amp way?

cheers

great move woodmama !!!
glen boulton

Originally Posted by woodmama

Someone else I know (not from here I might add) suggested cutting down a plug on a 15 amp extension lead to get it to fit into the 10amp socket. This person suggested that as long as no other appliances get used in the shed - with the 20A fuse - it should be ok - is there any grain of truth to that??.
cheers

Wouldn't recomend it. A normal 10A outlet is designed for 10A, you plug something in that starts drawing more, and they melt! I've seen it, a place I used to work at even had an adaptor made by one of the other sparkies to allow people to do (one of the many reasons I left).
Go with your first idea and get a sparkie to look at it, it's the safest way. Just consider tha ramifications if dodgy wiring is found to be the cause of a house fire, I'm sure any insurance company would be happy they don't have to pay up.

thanks glenn and blonk, yep its true , i guess if you can get away with these things and you are lucky enough well thats the risk you take. I want to be able to sleep at night knowing I havent jeapordised anything in my house. I rang up a local welding store today and was given the price of $990 for a cigweld transmig 165 - which i think is a fair price?,, and that way i dont need to spend up extra on getting new points put in the house - will put that towards a decent auto darkening helmet and safety gear. If there's any of you that have experience with the cig transmig165 i would appreciate any feedback - this will be my first welder.
thanks again for the info

good on you...that is an excent choice of welder, you wont be dissapointed with it. you can go gas or gassless with that machine. mind you - you will find with gas alot easier though. you only need 0.6 mm wire in the mini spool....but i'm sure you have been told this already by the shop.
remember push a mig and pull a stick ....you have a mig so push the weld away from the nossel. this method is the opposite for stick welding. read the booklet throughly before using and there will be a weld pbroblem solving section in it... this information is very very accurate and easy to read.
just advice on the helmet...get the second lowest not the lowest. these helmets do play up with frequency variations. and the better the quality the more advanced the electronics ther for the more reliable. you mention alot erlier that you may be welding outside... gas is good for this . the quality machine you have will deliver good pressure to the nozzle. the shade of lense to the helmet would be tradionly be darker outside. i use a 10 inside and outdoors i use a 12. sounds finiky but the more comfortable the user is the better the results. but you will learn this as you do some hours on it. the auto helmet should have a coulple of setting on it one will be the darkness 8-14 and the other should be the sencitivity. you will change this a few times till you are happy with your own settings.
i would still look into the idea of a dedicated point for the welder...sorry i'm nagging now...but it will make a difference to your welding results. good luck with it and a big pat on the back for giving it a go!! you will love it.(once you get used to the spatter) wear boots with spats. take the hint...you wont find that hint in the book !!!!
glen boulton

Originally Posted by glen boulton

the shade of lense to the helmet would be tradionly be darker outside. i use a 10 inside and outdoors i use a 12.

How do you explain this?????

The lenses is to protest you from the arc of the machine not how bright or dark it is outside

Typically Migs require 11-12 depending on voltage.

Originally Posted by DJ's Timber

Typically Migs require 11-12 depending on voltage.

Shouldn't that be current DJ? ... or have I got it wrong.

it's to do with abient light that is aqround you...in otherwords if it is bright around youthe welding arc seems brighter as ther is more natural light getting in
if it is dark around you then you can use a lighter setting. its a personal preferance thing, not a rule.
hope this helps.
glen boulton

Originally Posted by Vernonv

Shouldn't that be current DJ? ... or have I got it wrong.

Can go both ways I believe, depends on who you talk to probably

Originally Posted by glen boulton

it's to do with abient light that is aqround you...in otherwords if it is bright around youthe welding arc seems brighter as ther is more natural light getting in
if it is dark around you then you can use a lighter setting. its a personal preferance thing, not a rule.
hope this helps.
glen boulton

Ambient light around you has nothing with the amount off arc getting through the lens. True it looks like you can see more when you're outside but you should never go lighter in shade when you're inside but yes you can go higher when outside and for MIGs generally you stay on 11 or above if you value you eyes.

i'm not going to argue as you are talking about opinion's. here is an interresting link though. if you have trouble beliving this then try talking to a professonal welder as i stated this is my opinoin only.
http://www.tpub.com/content/construc...s/14250_71.htm good luck with it
glen boulton

Originally Posted by Vernonv

Shouldn't that be current DJ? ... or have I got it wrong.

Originally Posted by DJ's Timber

Can go both ways I believe, depends on who you talk to probably

To explain a bit more in detail, Grahame explains it well here

Originally Posted by glen boulton

i'm not going to argue as you are talking about opinion's. here is an interresting link though. if you have trouble beliving this then try talking to a professonal welder as i stated this is my opinoin only.
http://www.tpub.com/content/construc...s/14250_71.htm good luck with it
glen boulton

I'm not talking opinion here, I'm stating facts, those are a general guideline.

I don't need to talk to a professional welder as I am one or rather used to be, am a fully qualified Coppersmith and previously had tickets for doing pressure vessels in stainless with TIG, MIG and ARC plus steel with ARC.

DJ sorrry i didn't mean you were talking about opinion's...i was talking about my opinion, and yes i too am a qualifed boiler maker as i used to repair alloy fishing boats in a slipway for about 2 years. but i got bored with it, so i got started in the building trade instead. as you are a tradei in this feild you will know that it doesnt matter what welding method is used it is the volt/amp (depending on machine) that changes the brightness and a MMW set at 170 amps will throw out a brighter uv reading than a GMAW set at 40 amps with a middle range wire speed. so as much as i would love to get technical all i wanted to do is give simple peice of advice without the theatrics of people tring to show how important they are. yes i still do a good amount of steel fabrication but only on farm implements in the hunter valley and my hot rod. as i said this is what i found works for me and is no guideline to go by. i have stated this all the time and i'm sure woodmama will take my opinoin with a grain of salt as she will work out what is best for her. i'm not here to big note myself ...i just wanted to give a little advice. the shade of a lense is fine to be set at 12 i dont disagree but surly as you are an expert in this feild you must admit that the varibles of an "on site condition" will change not only your settings on veriable peices of equipement but also change the method of the prosess ie: vertical up, vertical down etc..... but realisticly will any of this matter to some one who is starting out welding for the first time... i said very early in the advice that the instructions shoud be read and this will help greatly. you picking the peices out of anything i have to say is not helping. if it makes you feel better DJ'S TIMBER.....YOU ARE A BETTER WELDER THAN ME. and in ok with that. i'm not here to say i'm better than anyone else. please please please dont start quoting the amp and wire setings to me as i was being general, as not knowing the machine that you own i have no idea of saying the settings you can relate to. attention wood mama please disreguard the advise i have given you in the past as it was only my opinion i'm sure dj's timber is far more quaified than i am so just do what he says, i am sorry for taking up your time. and DJ i am sure you are going to pick this to peices and belittle me as much as possible but my intentions were not to start a conflict with anyone. good luck with your welding trials wood mama you will have fun leaning and you will love it. make sure you show me your fist job. i am looking forward to it.
glen boulton

Thanks Glen for your advice and suggestions, I appreciate what you are saying and I understood what you were saying about the ambient light and helmet settings. I look forward to having more chats to you about how things are progressing.

DJ no offence intended but your post did come across as quite harsh in its tone, it wasnt intended for me but I felt a high level of negative criticism in the way it was written. Maybe that wasnt how it was meant, but just wanted you to know thats how it came across.

I'm just here to find out info and to get an education from people who have knowledge and experience in this area i.e. you all. I dont want my posts to be caught up in a difficult and tense standoff between members. Its disrepectful and hurtful - and that doesnt help anyone.

ok i'm off my soapbox

all the best with your venture...after all i still do it after all these years coz i have fun...and i'm sure you will too
glen boulton