Cheap auto-darkening welding masks ...

[Lightweight_911]

.

Thanks Barry - a great factual unbiased post as always ...

I ended up buying a 'cheap' mask/helmet for approx £50.

I haven't done any welding for 10+ years so it will be interesting to see how I get on with one of these 'new' masks ...

.

[Barry]

Last para the best!
I've only used 0.8mm, never 0.6mm, always assumed its use would be more critical and awkward for one like me, very diy.
Must try some.
Can you get away with 0.8 tips?

No, but as you should be replacing your tips regularly anyway, you just keep both .

Talking of tips, here's another one: if you don't do much welding only buy the small rolls, even if you buy a couple. Keep any rolls not in use in a bone dry place (i.e in the house or whatever) as if the wire gets any rust on it, it'll start to eat away at the torch liner and tip.

You'll also get a poor connection between the tip and wire (the tip is the bit that gets power to the wire) and you'll either incorporate that corrosion into your weld or just as likely, breath it in as fumes. Some people advocate spraying your roll of wire with WD40 or similar, but again, more fumes will be created so I'm not keen on that idea now (used to do it in the very early days).

[911hillclimber]

Yes, a bit mean not to get the right tips.

How come my Machine Mart tips last forever? Can't remember when I last changed one, very little/none erosion, same for the shroud, bit of build-up every now and then, scraped it off.

You advised me to use the Co2 Argon mix and that made a massive difference.

My mig is used very infrequently but caught up with wire corrosion a long time back. Oddly, it is working now far better than it did new, about 10 years ago.
I'm probably just getting the hang of it now!

Looking to a TIG welder this Xmas.