Cheers John! I'm looking into their website now, and will call their Buderim facility on Monday. I would be more interested in keeping my $$$ here in Australia, if possible. The US seller is also capable of manufacturing to my specs., and can do this at any time I request, so it is good to keep that as a last resort. Speaking realistically, there is still a chance that it may be cheaper to buy from the other side of the planet, than from a retailer here in Aus. Global market indeed!
When my Father in law passed away, I got a good quality MIG welder returned back to me, having given that to him about 7 years ago. That one is a 'real' welder, and is capable of working either with gas or gasless. It can also be adapted to TIG. Tomorrow I will have a little play around with it, to get familiar again, and hopefully use it ongoing from now on. My other one (well, actually I have 2 identical 'others') is only gasless, and although it is quite usable, it does have a quirk in that the wire is always live. The good one only makes the wire live when the trigger is pressed. When I found the other one had that quirk, it took some time to come to terms with. Initially I thought it may have been faulty, but this is not the case, it's just a different way of working. I will be pleased to return to the old fashioned way of working!
When I was spraypainting, all those decades ago, I was taught to MIG by a friend of mine who was a panelbeater. I found it very difficult, because the helmets then did not have a self changing glass, so in the second or so that it took me to lower visor.......well, lets just say I had 'wandered' a little. Still within same post code of the area the weld was intended for, but often astray sufficiently to be useless as a weld! I have a slight tremor that makes me entirely unsuitable to stick welding. The distal end of the rod waves around like I was water divining.
At least with the self changing masks, I can usually get away with MIG welding, even if I cannot use the other hand to stabilise the nozzle.
I have some more welding to do tomorrow on a breech mechanism I am making, and will do that with the better welder. That said, it has become BITTERLY cold here tonight, and I believe tomorrow will still be cold and windy, with possible rain. If there is rain, I won't be welding. All my welding is done outdoors these days.
I'll post again tomorrow night, with outcome of how I went with the good welder. If the results are still not acceptable..............don't expect any photos! Ideally I will be able to finish that part and show it off. With FAR TOO MANY episodes of being let down by the guys that do my blasting, I finally told em I had tolerated their repeated delays too long and would not be giving them any further business. A chance discussion with a long time friend enlightened me that the other sandblasting business in Gympie had changed hands, so I went there on Wednesday with a number of small parts (for both truck & replica artillery piece). The boss took my parts and said they would be ready for me to pickup next day. Sure enough, they were. I had asked them not to etch the parts, because I wanted to see their workmanship. Very pleased to discover they were all PERFECT! Took the two barrel pieces there yesterday, and will get them back mid next week. Don't think I will get them joined together (or to the breech) before I go back to work in a weeks time, but will try. The 40 metres of 55mm wide steel box I brought home recently, will be making the upper & lower edges of the carriage legs. Steel plate will make the sides of each leg. A local welding works has been promised that last task. They are keen to get involved in the project. That's serious welding there, so i'm keen to have them do it instead of me!
