i bought a welder

[BlackTieTD]

got a great deal on it (i think i did anyway). most times these welders sell for $340-360 on ebay from this supplier (i've been watching) but i got a better deal than that. if you are looking for a welder for personal use and you are in ontario, this may be a good solution for you.

i've spoken with a guy who bought one, he's happy with it, and all the company's online feedback has been good. i'll post my opinions when the welder arrives...

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4311322408

(i don't think that picture they use is correct..but i'm more concerned with the description).

i know this isn't super heavy duty.. but i think (hope?) it will be enough for what i need.  

[farkman]

Good buy Lanny

That looks like a good welder. Does it come with a regulator? Are you going to use flux core or MIG? or both? Flux core would be easier if you don't want to deal with getting gas. If you have a Princess Auto in your area, you should check out what they have because they are usually cheap. By the way, I have a Lincoln MigPak 15 from Canadian Tire and it works pretty well, but it's nothing compared to my TIG.  If you have any questions let me know.

Good Luck

Peter

[fspGTD]

MIG huh?  Neat.  I've got an oxy-acetylene torch.  I've used it to successfully weld 304 stainless steel and it works great!  (Welded a complete exhaust system for my Rabbit that way.   )  Gonna try welding aluminum with it when I get some free time to experiment.  I've always wanted a TIG but looks like I'm making this ol' oxy-acetylene do most of the things I'd want a TIG for anyway.  Anyhow, playing with molten metal is fun.

[BlackTieTD]

Does it come with a regulator?

tbh, i don't know! this is all pretty new for me, but when i spoke with the gentleman on the phone he said that it will include everything needed to arc weld, and if i want to buy some gas then its ready for MIG. do i need a regulator?

Are you going to use flux core or MIG? or both? Flux core would be easier if you don't want to deal with getting gas.

well i figure i'll just rip open the box when it arrives and get going with the flux core... although i'm sure i will buy some gas to experiment with eventually and decide what i prefer. they just opened a new princess auto about 5 minutes from home (and about a minute from the school i'm trying to get into)... incredibly convenient.

If you have any questions let me know.

Good Luck

thanks peter   i have a good friend who is quite handy with a welder so we'll see what he can teach me before i bug ya. i am going to bug you for some of those bent pipes though!

I've used it to successfully weld 304 stainless steel and it works great!  (Welded a complete exhaust system for my Rabbit that way.   )  

thats the first order of business. i figure, why pay someone to weld up a downpipe for me when i can buy a welder and do it myself? it might be a 'it seemed like a good idea at the time' kind of thing, who knows.. but i'm going to take a stab.

Anyhow, playing with molten metal is fun.

can't wait!  

[farkman]

Lanny

You will NEED a regulator if you want to do MIG. If your welder doesn't come with one then you can probably buy one from princess auto.  You're so lucky that you have a princess auto 5 minutes from your house. All the tool/machinery/metal stores I go to are in the 401&Dixie (industrial area) about 15-20 minutes by car. That's also where I buy my diesel too (Sunoco of course ). If you are going to weld your stainless exhaust then you will surely need to get a regulator and a bottle of shielding gas designed for welding stainless. Unless of course you can find a small roll of flux core stainless wire, but i've only seen large spools, 33lb+ which will not fit your welder.

Anyways good luck

[BlackTieTD]

You will NEED a regulator if you want to do MIG. If your welder doesn't come with one then you can probably buy one from princess auto.  

thanks for the heads-up. any idea how much a regulator should cost? the welder has 'quad heat settings' and 'infinite wire speed'....  :?

You're so lucky that you have a princess auto 5 minutes from your house. All the tool/machinery/metal stores I go to are in the 401&Dixie (industrial area) about 15-20 minutes by car. That's also where I buy my diesel too (Sunoco of course ).

i'm lucky about the princess auto for sure... when i saw they were building the store there i was very surprised. its off the beaten path sort of in the middle of nowhere... seems like an odd location for a new store but it does have 401 exposure so maybe that was their reasoning. i'm not complaining either way. here is the map of where it is (i live in the top left corner just off the map, the school i hope to go to is the purple shading at the top) however, i still haven't found a sunoco around here that sells gold diesel  

[farkman]

Lanny

A regulator will probably be around $50-$70 and you will also need the hose to connect the regulator to the welder (if your welder or the regulator don't come with one). Make sure to get one that is rated for argon, N2 and helium that way it is compatible for any type of shielding gas you will use.

My MIG welder has the same design, 5 voltage settings and infinite wire speed. You select a voltage setting for the thickness of material you're welding and fine tune the wire speed until it sounds like bacon frying in a pan.

On the TDI club forum I remember someone saying that all Sunoco diesel sold is now Gold Diesel. The Sunoco I go to says 'Low Sulphur Diesel' on the pump. Nevertheless, it's the cheapest Sunoco diesel I have found and I just add my own additive mix (kleen flo diesel fuel conditioner, kleen flo low sulphur diesel fuel conditioner & Amsoil cetane boost) which should make up for any deficiencies. The mix ratios unfortunately are a secret :lol:.