mig or arc welder

bk1991

hi guys posted a few weeks ago bout this
first of all i must say i never welded before and i have heard mig easier than arc ?
i will be welding loader attachments gates harrows and repairing farm machines ...
which is a better welder mig or arc ?
what amps would i need to be going for more than 200amps ?
what makes models are good welders ?



bk1991

bushy...

Not that much into it but sounds like you'd be welding stuff out n about , maybe a diesel engine powered welder ?



It'd be easier than trying to weld at the end of every extension cable in the place

Get the right one and you'd be able to plug in a wire feeder etc too so you'd have the best of both worlds.

http://www.bakersgas.com/LINK521.html

* check all the above waffle with someone who welds for a living !

Grizzly 45

Well, as somone who is qualified to run a hot torch.
From what you sound like you are welding,I would say ARC.
Arc welding while more finicky to learn,is alot more forgiving and stronger for the work you are talking there.Which sounds like high tensile steel parts.MIG is fine I find for lightweight clean metal[say car panel strength.ARC will handle "dirty" metal alot better.By that I mean used wquipment that needs to be repaired,patched,etc.
It's a horses for courses situation you describe there Mig for some ARC for others. 200amps should handle most situations pretty well,unless you are doing some ship building as well..
Thing is,you say you have never welded before??It's simple enough,but bloody horrible and dangerous if you havent done it before.It takes ALOT of practise to get it right,so before you start hot torching somones dumper bucket together,may I suggest you go and take a course in doing this ?Failing that maybe hang out with a welder for a week or so as an unpaid gofer.To let him show you the basics of this skill.Then get yourself a machine and spend a good few hours practising your welding techniques.

kerryman12

Grizzle45 gives some good advise there, try to do a introductory course or something though.
One suggestion I would make is if you are looking at a MIG welder consider a gasless welder with coreflux wire. This way you have the drum of aire so u are not changing rods all the time and you can work away outdoors in all weather withouth the shielsing gas blowing away.

Just a though.

JohnBoy

arc all the way for agricultural work. most of the time repairs end up being done outdoors and on heavy gauge metal, unless you've a relatively expensive mig you're limited to lighter work.

arc is also more forgiving of dirtier work, but good preparation always pays dividends.

ask in your local tech school to see if they do nightcourses. a couple of hours instruction from a good teacher is worth it's weight in gold.

Spiara

Hi,
Does anyone Know where i can do evening welding courses in limerick?.I have never welded before. i want to be able to weld/make strong frames,Shelves,Racks,tables ect.What kind of course would i need to do for this type of work?.Does it take long to learn?.I want to do it right and safely.

bk1991

Spiara wrote: »

Hi,
Does anyone Know where i can do evening welding courses in limerick?.I have never welded before. i want to be able to weld/make strong frames,Shelves,Racks,tables ect.What kind of course would i need to do for this type of work?.Does it take long to learn?.I want to do it right and safely.

i never welded before until last week when i baught the welder and started makeing a bale handler for tractor loader i picked it up fairly handy and the thing i made will handle over 500kg no one can show u how to weld i was told its practise makes perfect

Claasman

Spiara wrote: »

Hi,
Does anyone Know where i can do evening welding courses in limerick?.I have never welded before. i want to be able to weld/make strong frames,Shelves,Racks,tables ect.What kind of course would i need to do for this type of work?.Does it take long to learn?.I want to do it right and safely.

fas do night courses in both arc and mig welding in galway over the winter months. 8 weeks, 1 night a week, 3 hours of welding. The teachers there are professional welders, and make it very easy to pick up.

Figerty

LIT run a nightclass on basic arc welding and I think a bit of MIG as well at the end of it. It sounds perfect for you, but I think its a bit expensive. Only thing is you get to burn a lot of rods and use a lot of metal so in reality it would be a lot more expensive and frustrating trying to figure it out on your own.

Spiara wrote: »

Hi,
Does anyone Know where i can do evening welding courses in limerick?.I have never welded before. i want to be able to weld/make strong frames,Shelves,Racks,tables ect.What kind of course would i need to do for this type of work?.Does it take long to learn?.I want to do it right and safely.

biblio

Try the FAS training centres at Raheen and Shannon,

Shannon
http://jobbank.fas.ie/servlet/Watis?SESS=7913_8&SERVICE=CRITERIUMBROWSE&COURSE_CODE=Q68&TEMPLATE=WWW_JS_TRAIN_CRITERIUM_BROWSE.HTM&ROW=3&BACK=TEMPLATE%3DWWW_JS_TRAIN_CRITERIUM_OVERVIEW.HTM

OR
Limerick
http://jobbank.fas.ie/servlet/Watis?SESS=7913_10&SERVICE=CRITERIUMBROWSE&COURSE_CODE=Q68&TEMPLATE=WWW_JS_TRAIN_CRITERIUM_BROWSE.HTM&ROW=6&BACK=TEMPLATE%3DWWW_JS_TRAIN_CRITERIUM_OVERVIEW.HTM