Opinions please on whether to scrap or weld

What do you recommend as a decent welder - there are so many out there - Portamig ?

 

Portamig is British built but too expensive for what it is ! Look at the big players: Kemppi, cebora , fronius, esab, lorch, ewm, they all have competitive products ! Failing that rtech, everlast and many Chinese welders sold under licence will do just well !!get on migwelding forum for advice and scour the classifieds for good deals !

 

Yeah used a Lincoln Synergic and a R Tech Mig both do the job. Lincoln has loads of fancy features, screen etc but at the end of the day its just a big powersupply and a motor. R-Tech use Chinese welders but you are paying for 11/10 customer support, you'll struggle to find better.

Whatever you get just get some scraps of metal and practice as much as you can, Helps you understand what the settings do and its not a problem if you blow a hole in them. Get a decent auto dimming mask (bigger the lens the better), some leather MIG gloves (no need to splash out the TIG ones, they just give you more dexterity).

If you do any welding on Galvanised (most new panels), then either grind off the galvanising around the weld area, or get a P3 filtering Half Mask to be safe. They're not too expensive and, to be honest, price shouldn't matter when it comes to your lungs and eyes. I started with disposable 3M one then I switched to a reusable 3M one and just wore it all the time. They have special slim filters to go under welding helmets. Ideal for grinding, removing underseal and anything else really too that generates particles