Our next step in Martin’s project to purchase a welder was to consider whether he needed a Gas or Gas less. Because he was choosing to produce a MIG welder these actually need some sort of shielding gas which can keep oxygen away from the weld. There are a number of options you can choose your looks at gas shielded, which on the technical side the oxygen is displaced by using an inert or semi-inert (active) gas mix contained in a bottle. There is also an option for flux cored wire which uses a protective covering which is produced by a compound in the wire.
To be honest this was a little bit complicated for Martin and I’m sure if you are considering purchasing a welder it could possibly be confusing for you also. There are many disadvantages and advantages to using each method you can of course buy a welder that uses both. But, many people consider the gas shielding to give a much neater finish and you also get less spatter. If you are planning on working outdoors then the flux cored (gasless) might be something you need to consider because it is easy to use and wind conditions.
We decided that Martin simply needed a welder with gas shielding because he was going to be working indoors all the time and he was looking for a weld that would be neater. He also needed to consider the cost of the gas. On average a welder will use 10 L of gas per minute and you can pick out small disposable bottles costing around $10 which should last for around six minutes or so of continuous welding. There are many suppliers out there that can supply bottles of about 2000 L they will simply charge you a cost for gas and then a cost for the bottle rental you simply rent the bottle over a period of time. There are many other alternatives out there and you should check in your local store or where you purchase your welder from just to make sure to see what they have available.
We were now down to making a decision of which will purchase. Martin (with my help) have come up with the ideal specifications that he was looking for. It’s funny how he thought I was an expert on this but some of the decisions we made together just in friendly discussion and then also reading some information websites.