Its £29.99 and I am tempted. Just for very small odd jobs, I am never going to be doing world class fabrication I just fancy having a play with it

So talk me out of it. My wife has tried but I still got a fancy for it.

Alternatively Lidl have one for £34.95 if you think I need to go more up market

Mmm... I welded up the floor on the everydaydusche for the last MoT with my stick welder
It cost a bit more than those tho
It is certainly less hassel than anything else but like all tools u get what u pay for. If u want to weld up the garden gate it will probably do but anything thinner (2cv) or bigger (a field gate) forget it!
mike

Thanks Mike, what is a stick welder?

The only job I have planned is to weld a bolt to the light bar, as one has sheared off. I imagine if I asked a garage they would probably charge me £40 ish, that is if they could be bothered with such a small job.

And, ironically, my wife's cross-trainer needs a similar repair

So really I am making £10

hi,a stick welder is just another name for an arc welder it uses welding rods or welding sticks , both are the same thing
you need to use the correct thickness rod and experiment with the current settings on a piece of scrap steel
make sure the rods are really dry if theyre damp all you,ll get is a sputtery weld
ive welded bodywork with my arc welder in the past but i could never get a run as it just resulted in holes
make sure u don,t get arc eye! always use the mask, arc eye is a nightmare
a mig welder is the way to go imo
andy

Wot ayjay said!
m

As mike said, it'll be possible for a garden gate repair but likely as not be complete shite for most other things. You could buy a better quality used Arc welder from eBay for similar money, but bear in mind Arc welding isn't a simple 'pick it up and do it easily' skill like MIG welding is, it's quite hard to pick up and be proficient at especially if you're only doing it once in a blue moon. On the other hand, if you've got £30 to spend and are willing to risk it, why not? Once you're run out of welding rods (I assume it comes with a few to get started, order E6013 rods from your local welding supplier.

I've had one for a number of years and have managed one or two decent welds on heavy metal but I wouldn't even attempt bodywork. Mine came with a spot welding attachment which I've never tried, must have a play with that. I have done more brazing with the arc torch which has been fine, but the copper coated carbons are hard to get these days!Mind I had this a long time before ebay,note to self must take a look and see if they have any

see mig welding forum - lidl and aldi buzzboxes ok for welding with but do yourself a favour and have a look at what you really need to weld 0,5mm steel with. cant believe some of the pish on this forum recently

So to sum up, it will probably blind me and melt my car. My garden gates are wooden too. So to now buy it would not be a stella idea. I`ll have to give this some more thought.

Just noticed a mig for sale in 2cv gb mag.Brand new Clarke 90en,in box,never used,offers around 150.00.Michael Lee,01795 842532.Says offers only from club members,If you arent a member,I could ring him.