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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2020
    Location
    Brisbane
    Age
    54
    Posts
    41

    Default Help for a Newby

    Hi, looking for some advice on buying a welder. Just for some home workshop stuff, occasional use really. Wanted to but a TIG but realistically I can't put the time in to learn to do it well (Lots of hobbies and not enough hours in the day.) Did Arc and Oxy many years ago at college and recently had a couple of hours tuition with a MIG welder so decided to buy a MIG welder. The one I am looking at is a Bossweld MST 188X. Available from my local tool shop where I buy most of my stuff and get great service. I can get this for about $700 with a trolley, 2 rolls of wire and some gloves. Is this a reasonable choice for the price or is there something better out there for the same or similar. Completely new to all this.

    Cheers, Stu.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default

    Hi Stu,

    Welcome to the MetalWork forums.

    In case you weren't aware of the extent of the current Forum here is a guide to exploring it.

    If you click on the down arrow in the FORUM box -Top LH corner

    A pull down menu appears by clicking Forum Home.Forum Home and it takes you to a scroll -able page.

    The Terms of Use please read them are right on top and the rest as you scroll down are help areas and sub forums . Some of the sub forums have stickies on top to guide the user.

    We are privileged to have a group of big hearted and helpful folk here.


    Regards your Bossweld 188X,the good is : that that it is 180amp ,the IBGT inverter chip,3yrs years warranty. The Mig torch that it is std equipment seems to have standard spares which are readily available and not expensive. A 3 year year warranty is also good.

    It only has 3 meter long stick and earth cables which you may find too short after a while.

    The duty cycle is only !0% at 180 amps total output which I would have problems with. Remember that at full output the machine takes 9 times as long as it welds,to cool down. Honestly with all those other positive features, a 10% duty cycle is really disappointing.

    However if you weld at lower amps no problem. If you opt for gas shielding (that's what makes it a true MIG-Metal Inert Gas - maybe another $500 to buy and fill an E size cylinder.

    If purchased with intent to run gasless be aware that you might not be able to do automotive sheet metal.In the older gasless ( flux cored ) wires they were acid flux and the acid plays havoc with automotive sheetmetal. Hopefully these days that may have all changed.It is worth checking on

    If not I would ask the guys who have run .9 gasless wire what their opinions are on using that sized wire.

    Welcome to the forum
    Grahame

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2020
    Location
    Brisbane
    Age
    54
    Posts
    41

    Default

    Thanks for the reply Grahame, much appreciated. Since posting I have managed to speak to a couple of guys willing to give me a couple of hours tuition TIG welding, so I have changed my criteria back to what it was originally going to be, an AC/DC tig welder. Another minefield again trying to find a suitable welder within my budget. I have managed to locate several threads within this forum though regarding the same issue, so hopefully will be buying very soon.

    Cheers,
    Stu.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    Rockhampton, QLD
    Age
    68
    Posts
    454

    Default

    Welcome to the forum Stu.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2001
    Location
    Melbourne S.E Burbs
    Posts
    5

    Default

    Hi Stu,

    re. an AC/DC tig, I've just bought one of these; https://www.australiaindustrialgroup...elding-machine which has been mentioned in a thread or two.

    Only a few hrs use so far, but am very happy with my purchase. General feedback seems good, time will tell in my case. I just couldn't go past the price vs features.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2020
    Location
    Brisbane
    Age
    54
    Posts
    41

    Default

    Hi Justin, thanks for the post mate, unfortunately I have just ordered today a Unimig Razor 200 AC/DC machine. Going to work tomorrow for 5 weeks so hopefully everything will be here for when I get home.

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