Any welders? Need advice on equipment.

[Brad93]

I have domestic single phase power and a 200amp Rohr MIG welder. I have tried another stick welder and using the Rohr as a gassless MIG. Neither were that great, gas shielded MIG is the way to go. The Rohr is fine but it is and feels like a cheap Chinese model, I had to work out the speed and power settings myself (and make a cheat sheet). 10mm steel is quite thick and I would feel a bit underpowered, I have recently started pre-heating thick metal which helps a lot.

a friend bought a Rohr MMA machine, I tried it told him it was useless, he tried a proper machine (Lorch) and the Rohr promptly went in the bin.

 

[Brad93]

It’s mostly steel. Up to 10mm. No issue with power supply.

Oddly enough as it’s been mentioned I’m currently pondering an ESAB 210pro.

I don’t want gasless, I currently have a couple of welders and one of them is a little Clarke 140 gasless, great for small jobs but trying to run a nice weld even on clean plate is a bit iffy.

Regards,
Gixer

10mm is too thick to weld with a 200A machine in my honest opinion. You'd struggle with penetration on fillet welds. Probably manage on a double bevel butt weld but it's still not going to be ideal.

You're looking at 300A+ for fillet welding 10mm thick plate.

 

[Flash G 74]

Hello, Up to 10mm steel plate your need an Industrial type welder, Would not even try with my DIY 160 amp Arc Welder, As Brad mentioned 250/300 Amp ,

 

[eldon]

Inverter or transformer is the key decision.
Inverter has more functionality.
Transformer is time proven and easier to repair in the future.

I went for the transformer as my previous Cebora lasted me over 25 years and got passed onto my mate who for £150 got it professionally repaired.

 

[75]

I've got a Jasic stick which it very easy to use and perfect for being a bit portable. I've run it off a genny around the farm. A bit easy to blow through thin stuff though - I've made a couple of highseats with 1.5mm wall box and it's definitely doable but takes a bit of care. I also got a Blackline MIG a while back - plenty of reviews on the mig-welding forum. Cheap and cheerful and I can turn out a tidy weld very easily, especially with thin stuff. Takes up more space, needs a bottle, not ideal outside etc.

 

[muddy42]

a friend bought a Rohr MMA machine, I tried it told him it was useless, he tried a proper machine (Lorch) and the Rohr promptly went in the bin.

Interesting, can you be a bit more specific on its problems?

Ive heard that these cheap MIGs lie about the max power output. I can't test mine, but I suspect that the power may be on the low side. For example if I follow the suggested power settings from those online calculators like Miller welding, i can tell the power needs adjusting upwards more. This adjustment isn't really a problem until I try and weld above 5mm, but I have found pre-heating helpful.

But is it just a question of max power or is the power inconsistent or is it something to do with the wire feed or gas output. Can you be a bit more specific about the issues?

Thanks,

 

[Smellydog]

I'd have a jasic over any esab today!