Well, Demontweeks have told me that they have contacted Sealey and been told that the unit can be used on 230v Domestic supply. Following this I phoned Sealey myself and they assured me that it is fine to use it on domestic supply and that I should just wire a plug on as normal and ignore the grey wire (wrap it in electrical tape or, as I prefer to use, self welding rubber tape) and then remove the post to switch it over to the 230v option. As it is ruled as being 'as described' I am told by ebay that I am liable for return shipping if I want to send it back which, because of my location and the weight of the unit ain't cheap so I figure I am as well to keep it and try my hand at stick welding with it and look at picking up a Mig unit (maybe an inverter?) as well. Thought I'd won a watch and would be able to have them take it back and get off scot free but I guess that maybe the fates want me to learn to weld stick.
Arc welding is easier than Mig or Tig. Just make sure you use the right sticks in it. But it does depend on what you want to weld. For lots of info on welding, go to the welding forum here.
Cannot see properly but have you got yellow/green (PE) earth, red L1, grey L2 and blue N ? Does this make it a two phase welder? Or am I being dim?
Send your photos to sealey and have them explain WTF you have. 3 phase would have a L3. If you miswire the plug and it goes up in smoke your just fecked, but don't have to pay return shipping because they ain't taking it back.
@Tigcraft I haven't actually got anything specific in mind that I want to weld. I just want to have a go at welding in general and then maybe have a bash at creating something. Life is one big experiment and I am willing to play Doctor Frankenstein I am led to believe that this machine is only meant to use two phases of a three phase supply hence the absence of an L3. Don't worry I have instructed the wife that, if I blow myself sky high she should sue Sealey for every penny they are worth as they have assured me that I am safe to proceed and advised me what modifications are needed.
Well, I don't have it in writing but I have a witness in that, on three occasions, the company that sold me the welder stated in emails that they had spoken to Sealey and been assured that the welder could be used on 230v and, despite the front page of the handbook stating that it must be wired to two phases of a three phase circuit, through the rest of the booklet it states that it can be used on 230V single phase. To be perfectly honest, I am going to be taking things very carefully and, even if it goes tits up, as long as it doesn't blow my house up I am not too bothered. If I'm still alive I will have learned something.... A bit like every time I go out on my bikes
Have to disagree on this one. A properly setup MIG/gas welder is not only easy to use but more versatile than stick welding with cleaner welds. The key to successful welding with both types (probably more so with MIG) is good surface preparation and correct feed/power settings. JMO
Ah well, I haven't got that far yet @Tigcraft I have ordered a copy of the newest edition of the Haynes manual on welding to try and get at least a better grip on the basics of Mig and Arc welding as it's a long long time since I did any welding at all and that wasn't a lot of welding. I am thinking I will possibly buy a Clarke Gas/no Gas Mig Welder that looks to be quite a good all-rounder and pick up their regulator and a gas bottle too so I can try both gasless and gas mig welding. I am open to suggestions as to the first tentative steps like: Should I start with clean new metal to practice with or will any old scrap do to get the hang? Is Gas or Gasless the easier option for a beginner? and any other tips that folks are willing to offer. Basically I want to figure out how to do at least reasonable welding for general fabrication and repair. I would like to do learn about aluminium welding too but I don't know whether that's a black art. I certainly know that, many years ago when I was trying to have a crack at the sump plug of a Suzuki GSXR750 engine repaired I couldn't find anyone who was willing or had the know how to do it. Oh I suppose one project I would like to do is build a sturdy metal framed table/workbench for both welding and general workshop duties.
I would say TIG is better suited to aluminium welding with better results possible although not as easy to master as MIG. Having said that I've done ali and stainless welding with a MIG with reasonable results. I'd go for gas over gas less every time, gas (CO2) for mild steel is cheap. I bought my first MIG welder nearly 30 years ago to replate the floors of a Mk 3 Escort I got cheap. An hour or so practicing with some scrap metal gave me a feel for the power/feed/gas settings and was good to go. A welding visor with reactive glass is also a good buy.
Bought a reactive mask at the same time that I bought the welder this thread is about. Wonderful bit of kit compared to what I recall of striking blind all those years ago when you had to line up and then get the mask down before striking or suffer flash burn. Not the easiest trick!
The wiring diagram in your picture shows a connection for just single phase voltage. (there is no 2 phase). The wiring diagram shows only two "hot" legs. and a neutral and ground. Each hot is 115, combined you end up with 230v. In order for it to be three phase, you would actually have three "hot" legs. The diagram shows you not using L3. New metal will weld easier than rusty. Something around 1/8" to 3/16" thick would be a good thickness to start work with. Thin enough you don't run out of heat with a small welder, thick enough you aren't burning through all the time. You tube will be your friend on video's to watch, but nothing beats actually doing it.
Afraid you have me a little confused @crane operator does that mean that, for a domestic UK 3-pin plug I should be connecting two wires to one of the terminals or do I still ignore the 'grey' L3 wire as the manufacturer say? Also any idea what fuse I should use? Normal domestic fuse I would use would be a 13amp but would the unit need a higher rated fuse? I will be dropping an email to Sealey as well so that I have it in writing that the unit is suitable for use on domestic single phase. I should have listened better to the 'Electrical' course when I was at college as we did cover three phase briefly but, as I was in electronics rather than electrical it was never something I had to deal with besides that 'introduction'.
From what I read, you guys use a plug like this. At that plug you have 230v. 110v individually at two of the plugs, and the neutral at the third. Here in the US our houses are mostly 110v and only 220 for dryer/ stove/ water heater. In order to have 3 phase you would need at least 4 wires. 3 hot, one neutral. You need to wire it like the diagram, which shows two hot wires, and a neutral and ground. I don't think you will have acceptable use with only 13 amps. The welder should show its amp draw at full voltage on its tag somewhere. Get a electrician to put a outlet beside your main box in the garage, Have him wire up the plug for your welder to match the wall outlet. More than likely he will put in a more commercial type plug than your standard household plug. I'm going guess you'll need somewhere around 20-30 amps. If you entertain the thought of a bigger welder or a air compressor then you may need more power yet. Seriously- if you don't know what your doing, just get a electrician. Its not worth a fire. P. S. I just reread a earlier post, you said 30 amp, but I'd want to see the tag to be sure. Also I have no idea what your electrical codes are, and I know you wire things differently over there, please just get a sparky.
I’m with Pegscraper on this one. In the late 60’s MIG welding was classed as semi skilled and Arc and TIG welding was a skilled job, I’m talking professionally here. Arc welding can prove difficult for a inexperienced welder when trying to weld thin gauge materials which a lot of hobbyists try to weld. Clean/dry welding rods or wire of the correct gauge along with clean/dry materials to be welded will give a easier and far better finished weld. Try to do your welding indoors(with ventilation)as the gasses given off help to protect the weld whilst it’s in its molten stage,welding outdoors on a windy day may result in a less than perfect weld for the hobbyist.
Always wanted to try electric welding but have never had the opportunity. Used to work at a air conditioning factory brazing copper to copper pipes and one day thought I'd try welding so got a welding rod and just had a go found it quite easy. so would like one day to try tig as it looks similar.
Connect the 13A plug exactly as it shows on the diagram Brown-live, as staeted previously. 3 phase would have Brown, black & Grey- lives, with Yellow/Green- E and often a Blue-N. It will probably pull up to 16A at full power setting so make sure you are using a hefty extension cable.