MIG welder

Phil Robson

Well-Known Member
My SIP Migmate 130 'Turbo' is defunct - it just clicks when I press the trigger with no wire feed & there seems to be an internal flash!

I've had it for around 25 years & have used it a lot. My question is; do I try & get it repaired or get a new one? If a new one, which is best for a hobbyist like me (who swears each weld is his last...;))?
 
Have you taken the handset apart to see if it's just a problem with the switch? (It wouldn't explain the flash though, of course.)
Personally I wouldn't pay to get such an old machine repaired but I would open it up to see if there's anything obvious. Apart from the circuit board they're not very complicated.
 
I would suspect the two relays on the board, they have a hard life and burn out eventually. Can be a simple identify which type, if they are clear plastic you can usually tell by the scorch marks on the body. To test them you need to remove them from the board, otherwise you risk blowing some other component on the board if not careful.
Just so you have an idea of what to look for inside the machine, here's mine from the an Oxford welder of the same vintage. Mine were Omron DPDT PCB Mount Non-Latching Relay, 12V dc Coil 5 A and a Omron SPDT PCB Mount Non-Latching Relay, 12V dc Coil 16 A, about £3.30 each. Yours would most likely be different. The circuit board should come out quite easily and will probably be covered in years of dust so could be done with a clean up anyway.
 
You may also have damage to the board from grinding sparks or dust.
I do agree that opening it up after 25 years is a good idea, the fact it's lasted that long entitles it to a cursory look, at best.
 
I too had on old mig in the shed that I had used for years and years.
Eventually it stopped working, the wire line needed a new one @ $125 bucks, and there was very limited functionality with the old girl....so I bit the bullet and bought a new "Inverter mig", infinite adjustment of all functions, ... I became an expert welder within 15 mins.
For years I had misgivings about my capabilities, although having completed a 2 year course at the local tech on panel beating and vehicle refinishing, in the evenings.
The new machine restored my confidence and my adventures of joining bits of metal to metal are now only merging into the annals of fame on the eastern seaboard of Australia ? well almost :rolleyes:
Peter the welder :D

my advice : go buy a new INVERTER MIG you will never regret it and think of me every time you use it? :p
 
You may also have damage to the board from grinding sparks or dust.
I do agree that opening it up after 25 years is a good idea, the fact it's lasted that long entitles it to a cursory look, at best.
might even find a rats or a bird nest inside, possibly $ 10,000 in used notes from auntie rose, she liked to hide stuff ..... for another day?
 
The Mig Welding Forum is a good shout. I replaced my 20+year old Mighty Mig with GYS SmartMig 162 and have never looked back. It makes welding a real pleasure.
 
Thanks for all your comments & advice.

I've had a cursory look inside & can't see anything, so have decided to buy a new welder, given that this one is 25 - 30 years old. The best reviews for a 'hobby' welder seem to be for the Clarkes, so I have gone for a 135TE from Machine Mart.

I'll let you know how I get on :)
 
Well, it seems to work well - at least as good as the SiP & a bit more controllable.

A basic practical issue though is the stowage of cables etc when not in use. This is the Clarke:

IMG_4691.JPG

whereas the Sip's lid comes off, so everything can be neatly stored out of the way, through the hole in the upper left front panel!

IMG_4625.JPG

Also, the air line for the gas is fixed & I had to find a bit of hose slot between the different diameters (which worked well):

IMG_4664.JPG

The welding is a bit better than before, although still difficult with 'unclean' metal!

IMG_4688.JPG

This is the gas bottle type I use:

IMG_4665.JPG
 
Hi, One of the first jobs could be making a welder trolley to hold the welder and the bottle securely plus you could also provide handy storage of an angle grinder. One suggestion I would make is to get a flowmeter to further refine gas flow and save wasting gas. Set it at about 8lpm for inside and 10lpm for outside or more if it's particularly windy.

Argon Gas Flowmeter 0-14 LPM TIG/MIG Welding Flow Meter | eBay

Colin
 
Hi, One of the first jobs could be making a welder trolley to hold the welder and the bottle securely plus you could also provide handy storage of an angle grinder. One suggestion I would make is to get a flowmeter to further refine gas flow and save wasting gas. Set it at about 8lpm for inside and 10lpm for outside or more if it's particularly windy.

Argon Gas Flowmeter 0-14 LPM TIG/MIG Welding Flow Meter | eBay

Colin
Q: how does and can , a flow meter assist welding?

also you can buy on ebay some very good ready made trolleys made just for welders and a bottle, I bought one for my set up at the local welding shop for about $90- and it works well.
makes dragging it around the shed a breeze and safely too. A bottle falling on you or your Rover is not wanted at any time!
Peter
 
I'll be interested to hear if you find the wire feed a big improvement over the SIP.


The wire feed is better than the SiP, although I personally didn't have many problems (it's difficult to tell with my welding...:p)

Q: how does and can , a flow meter assist welding?

also you can buy on ebay some very good ready made trolleys made just for welders and a bottle, I bought one for my set up at the local welding shop for about $90- and it works well.
makes dragging it around the shed a breeze and safely too. A bottle falling on you or your Rover is not wanted at any time!
Peter

My problem is cluttering up my garage; I can put the MIG welder under my bench out of the way & store the bottle in a suitable corner somewhere. A trolley would need its own space. If I used the kit very regularly, I would get a trolley.
 
Q: how does and can , a flow meter assist welding?

Hi, It's not so much assisting more a case of not wasting gas, The regulators are not precise enough down to that flow. You can get flow meters that you put over the shroud of the torch to check but the one I linked is in-line and easily checked and adjusted as and when necessary.

Colin
 
got an second hand SIP unit . had issues with 'jerking' in wire feed . eventually changed the 'inner' sleeve and now its working again decently. not that I do. a lot of welding anyway though the Arc welder will handle heavier stuff.
has gas capability but have never bothered buying a bottle. using the flux cored wire seems Ok to me. Only issue I found is cable storage! why do manufacturers assume you want to leave cables laying about? even if a professional unit ( mine isn't despite labelling) who would leave cables. laying around or coiled unsightly over a unit. a tidy workshop is a safe workshop after all.
 
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