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quote:
Originally posted by tigger

My local Aldi is selling flux cored mig wire, a kilo for just under a tenner, unless it's me it seems to give better results than the normal Machine Mart stuff I used to buy.

Disposable bottles I've used in the past never seemed to last, one minute full the next empty! Plus I've always suspected they leaked when not used for a while,and dont forget to slosh a bit of aquasteel on that exposed metal and surface rust before you paint!

tigger



Not sure if my set is OK for fluxed wire but I think I might have a go with my old set before it goes to the tip - Aldi..brilliant[8D]

'Harvey the RV'
 
Went to Aldi and found the wire - two half kilogram reels for a tenner :) It cost me a small fortune to convert my old mig to take it though - £3.50 to be exact, I had to buy a 1mm drill (pack of 2) to drill out a welding tip to take the wire;) Anyway I had a bash on a piece of scrap and it did quite well - loads of spatter but a good even run, so I tried it for real on a repair to the drivers door step where it performed almost as well as the gas version - bloody awful - but that's my welding for you and after a dressing down with a flapper disc you wouldn't know the difference. I'll definitely use it again on bits underneath - it's so cheap it would be rude not to - I'm going back to Aldi tomorrow to stock up :I
Ever had one of those days when things just don't go right [V] when things are stacked against you and the problems just mount up [xx(] But then again have you ever had one of those days that tell you maybe you luck has changed[8D] I had a few lucky breaks today - I planned to tackled a couple of jobs I wasn't looking forward to - king-pin and relay lever bushes[V] King pin first - grasping the wheel top and bottom and pulling to and fro confirmed a little play in the bushes so bits started to come off - hub, track rod bracket - then I remembered a tip from Martin - give it a blast with the grease gun - low and behold the play disappeared so I'll make sure I do it again just before the MOT - it can't be that bad if a bit of grease sorts it out.
Next up the steering relay lever - the right angled cranked one - no amount of grease would take up the play in that[V] But I bagged a new pin and bushes of ebay ages ago so hopefully quick repair. Once disconnected and on the bench it was obvious the pin was knackered so a quick rummage in my meagre hoard of spares revealed a brand spanking new set - trouble is it's not for a PB, ar too small - bugger. But then a distant memory stirred, didn't I get a few bits and bobs with the van? After a quick search in the dusty recesses of the shed there it was - a fully reconditioned relay lever - yippee:D Along with a spare coil and a rather groovy looking chrome spot-lamp[8D] The new lever is now firmly bolted on and the jobs list has just gotten a bit smaller [^]

'Harvey the RV'
 
Your luck has got to change now and again, I think that you have had your fair share of it - a good with the stearing linkage (and belated hapy aniversary_

th_comn-s.jpg


Dora
 
I've just converted my MIG the other way to gas from gasless! The splatter is caused by the flux, not your welding ability. Did you reverse the polarity of your welder? It is supposed to help.

Being totally self taught, I would not trust myself with structural repairs in critical areas yet, but I have found this website useful:

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/gasless-mig.htm

I tried to join a welding class at our local college recently, but it was over-subscribed (I have my name down for the autumn).

I will be interested to know how you get on with gasless welding and will continue to watch this thread. Is it the longest thread?

'It's not a proper slider'
 
Hi Chris, I'm not a total convert to gas-less but it's good to have the option as I have two MIGs - one set up for gas, the other gas-less. Not sure how to reverse the polarity - have you done it.
I'm self taught as well (believe me you can tell:I) as long as you cut out all the rot back to good metal and your welding is reasonable then trust yourself - welding classes can teach you how to weld but not how to reconstruct a Commer jacking point - that comes from observation and advice. I supported Harvey on his new one today for the first time, the welding wasn't pretty but it is strong (thank goodness:I).

'Harvey the RV'
 
Mine's a Clarke and the earth cable has a choice of two sockets, one positive, one negative.

Fortunately I have not had to contruct any jacking points, my work is largely restricted to panels. The difficulty I have is that there is no Woolfy for the Renault 17 and I have to make all my panels from scratch. My most difficult to date being the rear wheelarch!

I do draw a lot of inspiration from all of your experiences.

'It's not a proper slider'
 
Reconstructing a Renault 17 wheel arch[:0] - and you still think you need welding classes? - I reckon you could give them[^]

'Harvey the RV'
 
Not as difficult as a peak or a fluted panel I reckon and I did cheat a bit by starting with a scrap front wing which had a similar profile in parts.

'It's not a proper slider'
 
Don't you see - you are doing it - inventing what needs to be done to keep your vehicles alive. They don't teach that at night school - you are under selling yourself - you are well capable of tackling anything a Commer (or any other car) throws at you - all you need is the challenge.

'Harvey the RV'
 
Well if you say so!

Here's the result:

http://www.renaultclassiccarclub.com/members_r17s1.htm

Clck on the picture to enlarge.

'It's not a proper slider'
 
Until you go back to the B.O.T.G. But today was good [^] and a few cold beers just tops it off [8D]

'Harvey the RV'
 
Did some of the front valance today - that and a patch on the drivers step to do and that's the welding done [8D]

'Harvey the RV'
 
quote:
Originally posted by Panky

Hi Chris, I'm not a total convert to gas-less but it's good to have the option as I have two MIGs - one set up for gas, the other gas-less. Not sure how to reverse the polarity - have you done it.
I'm self taught as well (believe me you can tell:I) as long as you cut out all the rot back to good metal and your welding is reasonable then trust yourself - welding classes can teach you how to weld but not how to reconstruct a Commer jacking point - that comes from observation and advice. I supported Harvey on his new one today for the first time, the welding wasn't pretty but it is strong (thank goodness:I).

'Harvey the RV'



You may have finished your welding by now! But regarding the fluxless wire I've found that on my Sealy 150 mig upping the wire feed by about 10% and a fraction more amps, my welds went from er... bubble gum to nice flat "waves", get the torch in close and at about 45 degree's, a nice new tip helps as well.
 
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