Morris Minor Owners Club

ill this do http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Draper-32 ... 4897.l5658 and what sort of wire?

On a budget, and not using a gas welder thats for sure. Told an Arc welder (which I have) is not appropriate.

The link doesn't seem to work

ah yes.. try this one http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Draper-32 ... 54103320f3

Although my MIG will run gas - I have used it with gasless wire, and it is perfectly satisfactory. Not as neat a finish as on gas - but actually easier to use where the weld is not on show.

So would that welder I posted a link for be suitable with the 0.8mm wire it uses. Just so I can sneak the order in without my gaffer (Mrs S) knowing )

It would do the job OK but you will soon want a more powerful one

Purchasing my traveller and then that 56 split screen in the last few months - Im pushing my luck on man tools!!

It will be perfectly adequate if you're on a budget.Even for the chassis gauge steel.Of course if money wasn't a factor I would advise a gas machine but that entails more expense and the disposable gas bottles are an absolute rip off.If you get to enjoy the welding you'll eventually upgrade to something more substantial.
Mick

Thanks Mick.. I think you are right. I was always advised to get the best tools you can afford, or upgrade as soon as you can. This is just for me to have a got at mending and maintaining for someone who has never done it. I feel like a kid in a sweet shop.. Quite excited!

I think 0.8mm is too big for sheet metal work. I would suggest 0.6mm will produce a neater weld, but have never tried 'gasless', so that may be different?

I have always used .6 for what I believed was the same reason.I recently called in my mates garage(he restores classic vws).He was using .8 and said there was LESS chance of burning through with that.Left me very confused as he's doing it every day.

Welder purchased and comes with 0.8... not sure if it can use 0.6?? So I guess I will give it a go with that.

You can use 0.6mm wire with no problems. One tip I read was to use 0.6mm wire with a 0.8mm tip to prevent the wire from jamming in the tips on gas less welding systems.

OK so I bought this:- this is the stuff I think I will be using http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Draper-77180- ... 3a943dc23b

Thats fine.Go for it!

Couldn't find any 0.6mm stuff to go with this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/361049039091? ... EBIDX%3AIT so I will have to be brave when I finally do have a go.

On the doors where its the underside thats rusted, do they need to be taken totally off the car? That's me being lazy

Another stupid question... You know if you are patching say a piece of bodywork. Where do you get your metal to do this from? AS I think it would be good for me to get some and have a practice.

For tips take a look here, http://www.mig-welding.co.uk
Get some steel off cuts from a local fabricators scrap bin and practice
You will be fine

Just imagine drawing a line with a felt tip,slowly........................

No gas MIG wire is flux cored so I'm pretty sure .8mm is about as thin as it gets. It's about the equivalent of .6mm normal wire in metal content. It's much easier to weld with the job flat in front of you so I would recommend taking the doors off, but if you're feeling confident after a period of practice there's no harm in having a go in situ.
When you get the machine set the wire feed to about half way and the power switches to Low and 2 then hold the tip about a centimetre away from the metal and pull the trigger, see if you can produce a nice weld pool on a single piece of metal - it will only take a couple of seconds. Try turning the power and wire feed up and down to see what happens and once you have got the hang of that try a run. You may find that welding by joining weld pools together will work better - pulsing the trigger and making a chain of pools, doing this will let the metal cool a little before a big blob melts and drops to the floor (or down your ear ) Good luck and have fun.
Your next purchase should be an auto-dimming welding mask, makes life so much easier