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Welding mask and welder

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Welding mask and welder

Postby woodstalker » 26 Apr 2021, 22:43

Can anyone recommend a welding mask? Got my dads old mig welder and got a bit of welding to do but no mask. Needs to be good enough to do the job but not the Festool equivalent in terms of price point because my welding is only ever going to be occasional.

Thanks in advance!
Last edited by woodstalker on 03 May 2021, 21:15, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Welding mask

Postby Dr.Al » 27 Apr 2021, 07:52

woodstalker wrote:Can anyone recommend a welding mask? Got my dads old mig welder and got a bit of welding to do but no mask. Needs to be good enough to do the job but not the Festool equivalent in terms of price point because my welding is only ever going to be occasional.

Thanks in advance!


If you can stretch to it, get a "True Colour" one. They make a huge difference in terms of what you can see. The best one I've used was this one:

https://www.r-techwelding.co.uk/r-tech- ... ng-helmet/

Unfortunately, I had to send it back as there was a (major) problem with it - it had a habit of turning itself off and stopping going dark (this happened mid-weld - presumably an EMC issue). They gave me a full refund and stopped selling the helmets (I don't think it was only me that had the problem). I presume (although I've got no basis for this) that they've fixed the problem given it's on sale again. If I were in the market for a new welding helmet, that's the one I'd buy (bearing in mind that their customer service is excellent so I could always get the money back if there were any issues).

At the time, I wanted another true colour helmet so I went with the Parweld one. It's not as good as the R-Tech one was, but it's plenty good enough for me (and doesn't turn itself off!). It does have the advantage that the controls are on the outside (so in theory I can tweak darkness while welding, although in practice TIG welding needs both hands so I'd have to grow a third one to actually tweak it while welding!)

If you want to save money, then most will probably be okay to be honest, just look for a big window if possible. I've also got a Parkside (Lidl brand) one, which I use when I'm stick welding or plasma cutting (as they're dirty operations compared to my usual TIG welding). It's absolutely fine, except for one irritating detail: mine looks like this:

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The weird-shaped outside visor on mine is now covered in splatter (mostly from plasma cutting aluminium) and I've been completely unable to find a replacement visor for it.
My projects website: https://www.cgtk.co.uk
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Re: Welding mask

Postby novocaine » 27 Apr 2021, 07:55

parweld.

there bog standard wh-1 auto darkening is good enough.

it's the one I keep reaching back for from the 3 I've got, my only gribe is the reflection on the inside of the lense, which I solve my wearing a hat. :lol:
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Re: Welding mask

Postby Philly » 27 Apr 2021, 08:04

I've got the SIP one from Toolstation - brilliant for the money, can't believe I didn't buy one years ago!
Unfortunately it does mean I have little excuse for the bad level of welding I do... :lol:
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Re: Welding mask

Postby novocaine » 27 Apr 2021, 08:17

Philly wrote:I've got the SIP one from Toolstation - brilliant for the money, can't believe I didn't buy one years ago!
Unfortunately it does mean I have little excuse for the bad level of welding I do... :lol:
Philly


grinder and paint makes me the welder I aint. :lol:

I'm a professional bird dropper these days, I haven't welded enough in the past few years.

I can still weld with fluxcore though, which according to everybody else is crap and shouldn't be used by anyone. :shock:
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Re: Welding mask

Postby woodstalker » 27 Apr 2021, 08:27

Cheers guys I’ll have a look at the suggestion. I can’t justify and expensive one especially if the cheap ones are safe enough. If I do more in the future I’ll look to upgrade.
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Re: Welding mask

Postby NickM » 27 Apr 2021, 16:52

I think mine is the SIP from tool station and it does the job. I think (although have nerver used an expensive one to compare) that all of the cheap ones are a bit darker than ideal but they're perfectly useable.
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Re: Welding mask

Postby woodstalker » 01 May 2021, 15:41

Thanks all, i got the Parweld WH1 in the end and it seems to do what i need.

Unfortunately my dads old welder appears to have been sat too long and won't feed the wire so i think it would be easier to buy a new one.

Any recommendations for a budget gasless/ MIG welder? Doesn't need to be anything special my welding is pretty agricultural?
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Re: Welding mask

Postby novocaine » 01 May 2021, 16:05

2 things. Either the tube is kinked or the feed roller isnt right.

Unless you just fired it up with the old wire, in which case pull the tip off and yank it through with pliers.

Pictures of the offending item item please.

And if all else fails i might have something for sale. :D
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Re: Welding mask

Postby woodstalker » 01 May 2021, 16:17

novocaine wrote:2 things. Either the tube is kinked or the feed roller isnt right.

Unless you just fired it up with the old wire, in which case pull the tip off and yank it through with pliers.

Pictures of the offending item item please.

And if all else fails i might have something for sale. :D


Hi Dave, there was a small amount of wire but it looks like its rusted all the way to the tip. I've just pulled it all out and read that you can replace the wire liner since it is likely knackered but the welder is so old I can't even find a reference to it anywhere.

IMG_1647.JPG
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Needs a new tip too. It was from the farm before we sold it last year after Dad died so has seen bugger all use in recent years and there is some light surface rust on the feed roller and as mentioned the wire itself had rust on.
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Re: Welding mask

Postby novocaine » 01 May 2021, 16:32

So with the wire out does the roller turn? If it turns, then it will feed.
New liner is a bit of pain on cheap welders but can be done. Meausre the outer but they are pretty much the same stuff.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mig-welder-p ... 890.l49286

New tips are dirt cheap, screwfix used to sell them or ebay. Make sure its the right size for your wire.
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Re: Welding mask

Postby woodstalker » 01 May 2021, 20:08

So just checked and with the wire removed the roller turns and changes speed as i adjust the feed speed control knob.

Measured the wire and it was 1.1mm flux core stuff and spotted with rust so that's probably the problem then. I read on mig-welding.co.uk that the budget end welders have plastic wire liners which could have been scuffed up by the rusty wire spool i had and could also cause feed issues hence i looked at replacing it. I am not an expert welder so thought best to try and remove anything that could cause an issue.

I'll try it with a new spool of wire and a new tip and if it still feeds badly look at a new wire liner. Sound like a good plan?
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Re: Welding mask

Postby novocaine » 01 May 2021, 20:15

Nothing wrong with a plastic liner, my kempii (which is not a budget machine) has one on a euro torch ( i moght be lying there, meed to check the spare ive got in the box).

Perfect plan.
Might be worth looking 0.8 or 0.9mm flux cored. Super 6 is the only brand ive ever found that works well.

The feed wheel should have 2 grooves on it, one for 0.6mm and one for 0.9 or 1.1. Flip it round depending on size.

As you are fitting new wire,reel of the top layer of the old spool and chuck it. Then feed the fresh through without the tip to drag out any smut in the liner.

Reckon you'll be right without a new liner, they can take a fair bit of abuse.
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Re: Welding mask

Postby woodstalker » 01 May 2021, 20:40

Cheers Dave, will let you know how I get on. I went with 0.9mm wire.
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Re: Welding mask

Postby woodstalker » 02 May 2021, 21:01

Looks like the feed motor might be gone. Fitted a new spool of wire and tip (0.9mm) and the wire seemed to feed ok but then when i tried to test it out the motor was totally intermittent; really frustrating. Took it out to have a look but it seems pretty nondescript and no real markings to try and work out what to replace it with...

IMG_1655.JPG
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IMG_1654.JPG
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IMG_1653.JPG
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Re: Welding mask

Postby 9fingers » 03 May 2021, 11:10

Getting the right combination of motor size and gear is going to be tough. You might find a complete wire feeder easier to find.
There is an excellent forum for mig welding and on a par with this place for helpful contributors.

https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/

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Re: Welding mask

Postby woodstalker » 03 May 2021, 12:00

9fingers wrote:Getting the right combination of motor size and gear is going to be tough. You might find a complete wire feeder easier to find.
There is an excellent forum for mig welding and on a par with this place for helpful contributors.

https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/

Bob


Thanks Bob, that’s where I got the info on the wire liner. I’ll see what the say; my welder is pretty old so not sure what can be done.
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Re: Welding mask

Postby 9fingers » 03 May 2021, 12:16

woodstalker wrote:
9fingers wrote:Getting the right combination of motor size and gear is going to be tough. You might find a complete wire feeder easier to find.
There is an excellent forum for mig welding and on a par with this place for helpful contributors.

https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/

Bob


Thanks Bob, that’s where I got the info on the wire liner. I’ll see what the say; my welder is pretty old so not sure what can be done.


You might not get the official spare part designed for your machine but studying the pics there of different feeders in other brands, you might find something to fit. Eg the motor in a clarke welder over there looks pretty similar to yours.
Try also looking at Mabuchi online. They have been making small DC motors since I was a kid and built model boats.

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Re: Welding mask

Postby woodstalker » 03 May 2021, 14:23

Looks like item no 13 on this list:

https://ersatzteil-shop24.de/Schutzgas- ... 400-00000-

but its 83 Euro from Germany, would be better to find it for sale in UK i think if i can. Apparently these machines are rebranded Telwin which explains all the Italian writing on a lot of the internal components.

Am I better investing in a new machine rather than trying to get this one going?
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Re: Welding mask

Postby woodstalker » 03 May 2021, 14:27

Just realised I have been spelling Kombi with a C which is why it won't come up on the Einhell spare parts store.

Have emailed them to see if they can supply the parts and at what cost but this page says the part is Out of Stock.

https://www.einhell-service.com/en_GB/1 ... -2000.html
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Re: Welding mask and welder

Postby novocaine » 04 May 2021, 07:52

did the motor turn when you pulled the the feed button?
if it turns it will feed, what is more likely is that the feed roller isn't gripping the wire correctly. remove the tip, tighten the roller then with the wire feeding back of the tension till it just starts to slip, add a 1/4 turn and your done. if it still won't feed then new liner.

if it feeds smooth when it's not welding then it isn't the feed roller that's the issue when you are. you've got your wire feed to low and it's burning back to the tip on arc without having enough feed to move beyond the tip, it's called pecking. similar issue can happen when the feed is to high, it will come out to quick and try to push the gun away from the metal.
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Re: Welding mask and welder

Postby woodstalker » 04 May 2021, 09:33

So the motor turned intermittently when the trigger was pulled but no wire loaded, same as when the wire was in. I checked the connections in the motor and the seemed fine. The welder has been stored in a barn and it was probably slightly damp in the air; there’s some surface rust on some components.

I suspect due to the age of it and difficulty in getting parts it might be more economical to scrap it and look at a replacement (new or good quality used). I’d rather have a good quality used than the same cost new because like a lot of power tools these days unless you spend decent money most budget units tend to be quite poor quality.
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Re: Welding mask and welder

Postby novocaine » 04 May 2021, 09:49

woodstalker wrote:So the motor turned intermittently when the trigger was pulled but no wire loaded, same as when the wire was in. I checked the connections in the motor and the seemed fine. The welder has been stored in a barn and it was probably slightly damp in the air; there’s some surface rust on some components.

I suspect due to the age of it and difficulty in getting parts it might be more economical to scrap it and look at a replacement (new or good quality used). I’d rather have a good quality used than the same cost new because like a lot of power tools these days unless you spend decent money most budget units tend to be quite poor quality.


fair enough, wasn't trying to teach you to suck eggs, I promise. you could try cleaning the brushes but I agree it might be economically more viable to buy again.

my issue with secondhand (my kempii is second hand but it's an industrial size machine) in this market is that it will most likely have been bought by a numpty who will have fiddled with it till it just about worked and then slung it in a corner because "it's the machines fault I can't weld". normally what's happened is they've stood on the liner, overtightened the feed roller and ignored the duty cycle. All of this can be fixed if you now how to spot the issues but at what cost?

for what you need I'd look to machine mart and the clarkes units. ignore all the gas/no gas bullhonky, a MIG set can be run on both by reversing the polarity (which reminds me, I'm not sure I did that on my little kennedy red box when I put flux core in it). the little 106 or 145 units are acceptable for the home gamer. both would need a regulator for a bottle if you wanted to have gas (there is a joke in there somewhere). 60% duty cycle isn't to bad either.

otherwise, keep a look out on the usual scumbags for a similar machine, they are all made by the same company and rebadged (I've forgotten who makes them, I want to say it's an italian firm but can't quite remember).
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Re: Welding mask and welder

Postby woodstalker » 04 May 2021, 10:03

Thanks novocaine; certainly wasn’t accusing you of teaching me to suck eggs I need all the help I can get which is why I love this forum. Everyone is so generous with their advice and help.

Telwin is the manufacturer in Italy that made this one I think based on my internet searching and then it was rebadged as Einhell.

I will keep looking then for a budget new one unless you do have something for sale that might be suitable? (Not sure where you are in the uk mind!)
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Re: Welding mask and welder

Postby novocaine » 04 May 2021, 10:10

woodstalker wrote:Thanks novocaine; certainly wasn’t accusing you of teaching me to suck eggs I need all the help I can get which is why I love this forum. Everyone is so generous with their advice and help.

Telwin is the manufacturer in Italy that made this one I think based on my internet searching and then it was rebadged as Einhell.

I will keep looking then for a budget new one unless you do have something for sale that might be suitable? (Not sure where you are in the uk mind!)


Telwin, that's the one, thanks.

I have a kennedy that I only use for flux core (when I can't be bothered pulling the big gas unit out), but to be honest it's going to cost as much to send as you'd most likely spend on something closer. it's a rebadged Telwin and clarke used to sell the same machine with their name on, as did SIP and countless others.
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