Everything You Need To Know To Find The Best builders warehouse welding machine

Buying a welder can be difficult if you don’t know what to look for. Several types are available, all suitable for different uses, and the technical terminology can get confusing.  

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We’ve put this welder buying guide together to help you. It covers what welders are and how they work. It explains the types of welders, what they are best used for and their pros and cons. It also covers the materials welders can be used for, plus welder features and maintenance. And finally, it highlights some key things to consider when buying a welder and answers some frequently asked questions.  

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Different types of welders work slightly differently from each other depending on their welding process, but their basic function is the same:

A metal workpiece is attached to the welder via a ground clamp. Then an electrode is also connected to the welder. When the welder is switched on, the electrode and the metal workpiece have a strong electrical current fed to them through the welding machine. When the welding process starts, the electrode is placed against the metal workpiece to complete an electrical circuit and is then pulled back a few millimetres. When this happens, an electrical arc (like a lightning bolt) jumps through the air from the electrode to the base metal. The extremely hot arc melts the electrode and the base metal, creating a weld pool – a pool of molten metal that will form the joint between the pieces of metal being joined.  

Different welders use different types of electrodes to create their electrical arc. For example, the electrode could be a stick electrode or a piece of wire fed through a welding gun. 

All welders also have a way of producing a shielding gas, such as argon, helium or carbon dioxide. This protects the metal from reacting with atmospheric gases, which can cause imperfections and damage the quality of the joint. Depending on the type of welder, the shielding gas may be released from a canister, or the electrode can be coated with flux – a material that releases shielding gas as it melts.  

MIG welders explained

MIG is an acronym for Metal Inert Gas. MIG welders work using an arc welding process with a continuous solid wire electrode that’s fed automatically through the welding gun at a constant pre-set speed. The electrode melts with the metal workpiece to create a weld pool that’s used as a filler metal to form the joint. 

There are two ways that a MIG welder can produce a shielding gas to protect the weld pool and metal from reacting with airborne contaminants. First, the welding gun can feed gas from a canister alongside the electrode. Or a flux-cored wire electrode containing a shielding gas releasing material can be used.

MIG welders are perfect for beginners because they are easy to use. They produce a neat and clean weld with no slag (waste material), so there's less post-weld cleaning required. They deposit the weld pool at a higher rate than other types of welders, so welding tasks can be completed in less time. And the continuously fed wire electrode means less time is wasted compared to welders, where you must frequently stop to change the electrode. In addition, the flux-cored electrode option works well on dirty or rusty materials, but the continuous wire electrode method requires the base metals to be clean before welding. 

There are also a few disadvantages. Such as, the initial set-up and maintenance costs are high. They can only be used in non-draughty conditions (so they can’t be used outside). And they are less efficient if you need to use them for long periods due to their low duty cycle (i.e., the amount of downtime they need to cool down between uses).

MIG welders are best used for joining steel, stainless steel and aluminium in a wide variety of thicknesses.

What gas is needed for a MIG welder? 

Argon is the best gas for MIG welding. It can be used on its own or mixed with one or two other gases such as helium and carbon dioxide to allow deeper penetration into the metal.

Are MIG welders AC or DC?

MIG welders use a DC current for welding, providing a smooth welding output, less spatter (metal particles thrown out as it welds), and a more stable arc. 

MIG welding diagram
A MIG welder is made up of the following features and functions:

• Welding machine: this plugs into an electricity supply and feeds the electrical current into the base metal and electrode.
  Ground clamp: this is attached to the base metal and is connected to the welding machine by a cable.

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• Welding gun: this is connected to the welding machine via a cable.

• Gas nozzle: this runs through the welding gun to supply the shielding gas. It’s connected to a gas canister.

• Contact tube: this copper tube runs through the welding gun and supplies the electrode with an electrical current.

• Consumable electrode: this runs through the contact tube.
  Arc: the electrical current that jumps between the electrode and the base metal to create extreme heat.

• Welding pool: the molten pool of metal created by the electrode used to form the joint.

• Gas shield: the protective layer of gas surrounding the welding pool.

Parent and weld metal: the two pieces of metal which are being joined together.

Arc welders are also known as stick welders. They use an arc welding process with a metal stick or rod electrode as a filler metal. The sticks are covered in a flux material that releases a shielding gas as it's melted to protect the molten weld pool from contamination. The sticks are available in different diameters and lengths, and it's essential to use the correct type for your application.

Arc welders are simple to use and easy to learn, so they are ideal for anyone with little welding experience. The arc is not affected by wind, so it can be used outdoors and inside. And they also work well on dirty or rusty metals, meaning no cleaning is required before welding. Another advantage is that the absence of an inert gas supply makes them cheaper to use and easily portable. And the sticks are quick and easy to change, so they're ideal when frequently switching between different welding tasks.

There are a few disadvantages of an arc welder. For example, this type of welding deposits slag (waste material) onto the joint which must be chipped or scraped away as you work. And while the filler stick is easy to replace, it has to be replaced every few minutes. So, constantly stopping work to clean the slag and replace the stick makes working with these welders relatively slow. Arc welders also create more spatter (metal particles thrown out as it welds) than a MIG welder. 

Arc welders are best used for joining steel, stainless steel and iron and are designed for jobs such as repairing pipework or equipment or fabricating metal shapes. However, they aren’t suitable for welding metals thinner than 1/8”.  

no silly like I said its home DIY: fences etc. Going to be building in Hogsback in the not too distant future so its going to be very useful down there.

To weld Al you need a TIG welder which is 10x the price, and best left to the pros.

Thanks sawdust will go past Makro.

I'm in the market for a new Arc Welding machine for home DIY use (not Inert gas or anything fancy)

Had one of those old skool Oil bath transfomer types before, but now looking at semiconductor DC Inverter type, big advantage that they are so light.

Been looking at the Builders Warehouse, Mega Mica (Eastgate) and also at the Adendorff catalog. All seem same brands that dont mean much to me, about R for a 220W 7kW (single phase)

Anyone with any experience with these welders or this technology? Brands and sources? I am not looking for the cheapest but a good product, happy to go with a pro product if I could find one.

Thanks in advance.

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