Spot Welder
Turbo Mini Forums

Whilst the old boy is away i've been stripping down my mini and have a nice long list of parts to buy to get it through the MOT.
As he mentioned getting a spot welder anyway i'm thinking about buying one so i can start cracking on with it before he gets back.
Does anyone have any recommendations? we've already got the power sorted so can be either 13 or 16 amps.

Make sure you have a suitable breaker. I had to have my A rated braker swapped for a b rated one.

One with a dial to adjust the time is a bonus, as I have to manually adjust mine using a ruler depenent on the thickness metal I'm welding.

Also look at the cost of additional arms. I'm having to buy some cheep ones and bush them to fit my welder.

As above, the cost/availability of the additional arms affects the price/useability a lot.

With just the standard arms, the use of a spot welder is quite limited and the additional arms can be expensive as they are mainly copper.

Timer is definately a bonus and, as Andy says, check your power supply - amps alone is not enough, it's the instantaneous start current on a spot welder that trips the MCBs and if a standard one doesn't trip, your cable run is too long or cable too small a size so you're getting voltage drop.

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

I've got a Clarke one, I went for the computer controlled one but it needed a 30A supply. It has been really useful and makes a much neater job than plug welding. I have bought some different arms as the standard ones have quite limited uses. I have found a a few issues with using it though; with the 500mm long arms it needs a higher current and pressure and still doesn't seem to make such a neat weld. Also if there is any hint of rust in the metal you are trying to weld it either won't weld it or blows the metal apart. I would definitely say it's a tool worth having though.

Saul Bellow - "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
Stephen Hawking - "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."

Even when I'm on holiday they want to spend my money !!!![/quote]

ive got a clarke one at the moment, and i must admit ive been pleasantly surprised by how good it is!!

And on the 7th day........... God created turbochargers!