Welding

I would like to add welding to my DIY toolkit, what sort mig, tig etc ? And is there any must have features I should look for in the kit?

Edit: wrong forum soz

I’m no expert but I think you’d need to put some more information. Like what it is you want to weld maybe?

As per bikeneil, what material/s are you wanting to weld and what thicknesses?

No specific purpose so perhaps the question is what’s the most versatile method, the most likely use would be car panels but I also have a vague idea that repairing bike frames may or maybe even the occasional bit of hobby construction like a bbq or making a gas bottle log burner could be interesting projects.

MIG for car panels, TIG for bikes.

ARC for cheap home odd-job stuff, TIG/Oxy for bikes and fine details.

Oxy-Acetylene is one method I haven’t even played with but what I’ve picked up is it’s technically inferior to TIG but more accessible.

The MIG machines I’ve used have been great for throwing down stonking amounts of structural weld, I’m not sure why chrishc777 says for car panels above – must be able to do it quite low heat if you want.

Arc welding setups can be had very cheaply and although they’re a bit rough to start with (and clean up after), I could put down a good weld with a lot of practice.

I’ve never actually made anything properly with the (small amount of) welding skills I picked up – I’ve be wanting a lot of detailed and specific practice before I welded anything in anger.

I’ve got a cheap arc which I can use to birdshit bits of steel together badly. But it’s not an easy skill to pick up ime, mostly I just spent hours either failing to make a spark or sticking the rod to the work.But it’s a very cheap way to get into it.

Top tip – with arc, invest a few quid in an automatic mask. Means you avoid the inevitable juggling act of pulling the visor down while you try and strike the arc but not getting the stick stuck. You’ll get better much quicker.

I served my time as a plater (heavy steel fabricator), although not a welder, I’ve used all types. Gas is prehistoric, tig is mainly for pipework etc and MMA for heavy steel. Mig is IMO, the best all rounder for DIY use and has a short learning curve.
But….. As with everything, the lower priced models are pretty poor, I’ve got one and it’s a pain sometimes and then works fine ten minutes later!
If your using it a lot, rig it up to a co2 bottle as the small gas bottles don’t last long.

I’ve been a fabricator and maintenance engineer for a few years now. I’d say for general home/diy projects, go with a MIG. I’ve always struggled with MMA. It’s ok for farm machinery and specialized welds, but generally MIG will do the job 99% of the time. Clarkes do a good range, the 135TE is about the most powerful one you can run off a 13A plug.
Oxy/Acetylene, although prehistoric, does have its uses though; for car panel work, it’s very useful, as the weld is softer than any arc produced joint, meaning it’s easier to planish and beat about.
If you were interested in building steel bike frames, gas brazing would be a good start. The motor skills you’d gain from that would be a good start to move onto TIG, if you wanted.

Clarke do a fairly nice little stick/scratch start tig set. I use one at school for teaching and while I’d like all the bells and whistles, it does the job and teaches good arc/puddle control. I’ve got the AT131 but not sure it’s still in production…

I’d strongly recommend an auto darkening mask and good (I like gold tip ones) electrodes rather than the cheap pure tungsten ones which tend to come with a set.

A MIG set with good adjustability for welding current, most of the cheap sets have large steps where you have to adjust the wire feed speed to compensate.

Don’t expect to get into a big project straight away. Find some offcuts, from a fabricator, and practice different joints and positions.

For most steel cheaper CO2 gas is fine, if you start to do specialist work, or different materials then you need Argon/CO2 mix.

If you did chose to mess around with oxy-acetylene, for some strange reason, be careful.
Acetylene can explode if the bottle is dropped, Oxygen will combust when mixed with oil. Flame arrestors can fail etc.
There is a reason you are not supposed to keep acetylene within 500m of residential areas.

Have never used MIG but was going on what my landy defender obsessed uncle uses, I use TIG for bikes and as said above stick ARC for odd jobs. The trick with stick arc is to strike the rod a couple times before starting, warms it up and means it needs less contact and hence less risk of sticking the rod to whatever you’re trying to weld.