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The welding library
Written for Australian conditions — 240V/415V power reality, AS/NZS standards, local gas supply and real local pricing. Tell us where you are and we'll tell you what to read:
Buying my first welder
From "which one do I even buy" to plugged in and laying beads — the short route, in order.
- The best first welder for Australia
Start here — the honest answer, with prices.
- Choosing a first welder
The specs that matter, and the ones sold on the box that don't.
- Best first welders in Australia
Picks by budget, observed prices only.
- Can I run a welder off a normal power point?
The 10-amp reality check before you spend.
- MIG welder price index
What every tracked model costs right now.
- Gasless MIG: when to skip the bottle
How to start welding without buying gas at all.
I own one — something's wrong
Name the fault, find the cause, fix the machine. One line of attack per symptom.
- Porosity — holes in the weld
The most common fault: gas, draft or dirty metal.
- Excessive spatter
Voltage, wire speed or gas mix gone wrong.
- Lack of fusion
The dangerous one — it looks welded but isn't.
- Distortion & warping
Heat management, sequencing and clamping.
- MIG welding master guide
Reset your technique from first principles.
Level up: TIG, aluminium & laser
You can lay a bead. Now the hard stuff — TIG, aluminium, and whether laser is worth the money.
- How hard is TIG to learn?
The real learning curve, week by week.
- TIG welding guide
Setup, torch control and filler technique.
- Best aluminium TIG welders
Only AC/DC machines can actually do it.
- Welding aluminium
Clean, hot and fast — or it fails.
- Can you MIG-weld aluminium?
Yes — with these exact changes to your machine.
- The hidden cost of cheap laser welders
Read this before the $3k ads get you.
Gas, safety & the rules
Bottles, fumes, tickets — the unglamorous stuff that keeps you legal and alive.
- Welding gases explained
Every gas, what it does, what it costs.
- Argon vs argon/CO2 mix
The one decision most MIG buyers get wrong.
- Bottle sizes & prices
D vs G, rent vs swap — the real maths.
- Fume regulations 2026
The 1 mg/m³ limit and what it means for your shed.
- Do I need a licence to weld?
Hobby vs trade vs pressure work, state by state.
Browse
The whole library, by topic
Deep Dive
AC vs DC Welding: What's the Difference and When Does It Matter?
AC vs DC Welding: What's the Difference and When Does It Matter?…
Deep Dive
Argon vs Argon/CO2 Mix: Which Welding Gas for Which Job
The complete Australian guide to choosing between pure argon and argon/CO2 shielding gas for MIG and TIG welding. Prices…
Deep Dive
Best Aluminium TIG Welders in Australia (2026): Machines That Can Actually Do It
Not every TIG welder can handle aluminium. Here are the AC/DC machines that can, with verified Australian prices, what m…
Investigation
Bunnings Welder Review 2026: What to Buy, What to Avoid, and What Nobody Tells You
We tracked every welding machine at Bunnings Australia and compared them against the trade-tier alternatives. Some are g…
Deep Dive
Does Bunnings Sell Welding Gas? The Complete Answer for Australian Welders
Yes — and more than most people expect. Alongside disposables, Bunnings now stocks Coregas Trade N Go refillable swap cy…
Deep Dive
Buying Welding Gas in Australia: A Complete Guide to Not Getting Ripped Off
What welding gas really costs per year in Australia: cylinder hire vs swap-and-go vs outright purchase — the maths nobod…
Deep Dive
Cigweld COMET Range 2026: The Legend Returns (AC/DC TIG)
Cigweld revives the legendary COMET name for September 2026: 250A and 320A AC/DC TIG welders. What we know, what to expe…
Deep Dive
Gasless MIG Welding: When to Skip the Bottle
Gasless (flux-cored) MIG welding explained for Australian conditions: how it works, when to use it, wire options, and th…
Investigation
The Hidden Cost of Cheap Handheld Laser Welders: What the $5,000 Tier Doesn't Tell You
The import tier looks like a bargain until you calculate the total cost of ownership. We ran the numbers — and the $5,00…
Deep Dive
Kemppi vs Lincoln Electric: Finnish Precision vs American Power
Kemppi vs Lincoln Electric: Finnish Precision vs American Power…
Deep Dive
MIG and TIG Welding Explained: Which One Do You Actually Need?
The honest comparison every Australian beginner needs: what MIG and TIG actually do, which one to learn first, and the m…
Process Guide
Oxy-Acetylene Welding in Australia: The Complete Guide (Equipment, Costs, Safety)
Oxy-acetylene welding explained for Australia: how it works, equipment costs, safety requirements, gas suppliers, and wh…
Deep Dive
The Real Cost of Starting to Weld in Australia: What Nobody Tells You
We tracked every cost from machine to gas to the helmet that actually matters. The real number is higher than you think …
Deep Dive
Shielding Gas for Aluminium Welding (Australia)
Why aluminium welding requires pure argon (never CO2), AC vs DC TIG for aluminium, and gas flow rates for different thic…
Deep Dive
Shielding Gas for Stainless Steel Welding (Australia)
Which shielding gas for stainless steel MIG and TIG welding: tri-mixes, argon/CO2 limits, and why CO2 content matters fo…
Deep Dive
2026 Welding Fume Regulations in Australia: What Changed and What It Costs
Safe Work Australia reduced the welding fume exposure standard from 5 to 1 mg/m³ in January 2024. From December 2026, WE…
Deep Dive
Welding Gas Bottle Sizes & Prices in Australia (2026)
Every welding gas bottle size explained with observed Australian prices: D vs E vs G capacity, how long each lasts, and …
Deep Dive
Welding Tickets in Australia: Every Ticket Explained, Every Cost Compared (2026)
The complete guide to Australian welding tickets under AS 1796: what tickets 1-9 mean, what each costs by state, how to …
Community Research
What 50 Welding Forum Threads Taught Us About Buying Your First Welder in Australia
We analysed the most-upvoted advice on Australian welding forums and Facebook groups. Here's the collective wisdom — and…
Investigation
Why I Almost Bought the Wrong Welder (And the Data That Stopped Me)
The 180A number that sold me was the same number that would have ruined my first six months. Here's what the spec sheet …
MIG guide
MIG Welding: The Complete Australian Guide
Everything MIG for Australia: how it works, settings by thickness, the MIG welding gas guide (mix vs CO2, flow rates), w…
TIG guide
TIG Welding: Precision, Stainless and Aluminium
TIG welding explained for Australia: tungsten choices, polarity, AC balance for aluminium, filler selection, settings by…
Stick guide
Stick Welding: The Site and Farm Standard
Stick welding in Australia: rod classes and sizes, amperage by thickness, striking technique, storage, and why it's stil…
Flux-core guide
Gasless Flux-Core Welding: MIG Without the Bottle
Gasless flux-core welding explained for Australia: why it wins outdoors, wire choices, polarity gotchas, settings, and t…
Laser guide
Handheld Laser Welding: The Australian Reality
Handheld laser welders in Australia explained: how they compare to TIG and MIG, real prices, thickness limits, the legal…
Spot guide
Spot Welding: Sheet Metal's Quiet Workhorse
Spot welding explained: how resistance welding works, what it's used for in Australia — from auto panels to battery pack…
Cutting guide
Plasma Cutting: Clean Cuts on Any Metal
Plasma cutting for Australia: how it works, amp classes and cut thickness, consumable costs, air requirements, and choos…
Buying guide
Choosing Your First Welder: The Australian Buyer's Guide
How to choose a first welder in Australia: process by work type, power supply reality (10A vs 15A), real prices by categ…
Buying guide
10A, 15A or Three-Phase: Welder Power in Australia Explained
Australian welder power supplies explained: what runs on a standard power point, when you need a 15A circuit, three-phas…
Buying guide
Multi-Process Welders: One Machine, Three Processes
Multi-process welders explained for Australia: what MIG/TIG/stick combos really do, what 'lift TIG' means, AC capability…
Material guide
Welding Stainless Steel: Australian Practice Guide
How to weld stainless steel: gas choices, ER308L vs ER316L filler, sugaring and purge, distortion control, and the conta…
Material guide
Welding Aluminium: TIG, Spool Guns and the Oxide Problem
How to weld aluminium in Australia: why the oxide layer rules everything, AC TIG settings, spool-gun MIG setups, ER4043 …
Material guide
Welding Cast Iron: Preheat, Nickel Rods and Patience
How to weld cast iron without re-cracking it: nickel filler, preheat, short staggered beads, peening, and slow cooling —…
Material guide
Welding Galvanised Steel: Fume Safety and Practical Settings
Welding galvanised steel safely: zinc fume risks and ventilation, grinding the coating back, process and settings choice…
Beginner guide
Welding for Beginners: The Australian Start Guide
How to start welding in Australia: what process to learn first, what machine and safety kit to buy on a real budget, whe…
Safety guide
Welding Safety: The Complete Australian Guide
Welding safety in Australia: PPE standards, fume hazards by material (including hexavalent chromium and zinc), fire watc…
Gases guide
Welding Gases Explained: Argon, Mixes, CO2 and Bottles
Australian welding gas explained: argon vs argon-CO2 mixes vs 100% CO2, flows by process, bottle sizes and hire economic…
Standards guide
Australian Welding Standards and Tickets Explained
AS/NZS 1554, AS 1674, AS 1796 and AS 2214 explained in plain English: what each governs, when certification is legally r…
Careers guide
Welder Careers and Pay in Australia (2026)
Welder pay in Australia 2026: award rates to FIFO packages by segment, the ticket ladder that raises the ceiling, job ma…
Methodology
The WeldBase Price Index: Methodology
How the WeldBase Australian welding machine price index is built: sources, observation rules, refresh cadence, GST treat…
Topic
Basics & process choice
- What is the difference between MIG and TIG welding?
- MIG or stick — which should I learn first?
- What is welding and how does it work?
Topic
Laser welding
- Common laser welding mistakes and how to fix them
- Can you do laser welding outdoors?
- What angle should the torch be for laser welding?
Topic
Safety
- Can you weld galvanised steel?
- What is arc eye and what causes it?
- Can welding galvanised steel make you sick?
Topic
Shielding gas
- How much does welding gas cost in Australia?
- What gas do I need for MIG welding?
- What is pure argon used for in welding?
Topic
Buying welders
- Is it worth buying used handheld laser welders?
- New vs used vs imported: buying handheld laser welders smart
- What power supply do handheld laser welders need?
Topic
Standards, tickets & careers
- Do most welders in Australia earn over $100,000 a year?
- Do you need a licence to weld in Australia?
- Do I need a licence to weld in Australia?
Topic
Flux-core welding
- Common flux-core welding mistakes and how to fix them
- Can you do flux-core welding outdoors?
- Push or pull: which technique for flux-core welding?
Topic
MIG welding
- How hard is mig welding to learn?
- What gas does mig welding use?
- What thickness can you weld with mig welding?
Topic
TIG welding
- Can you do tig welding outdoors?
- Push or pull: which technique for tig welding?
- What settings for 3 mm steel on TIG?
Topic
Stick welding
- What settings for 3 mm steel on Stick?
- How to weld vertical-up with Stick
- How does stick welding work?
Topic
Spot welding
- What thickness can you weld with spot welding?
- Common spot welding mistakes and how to fix them
- Can you do spot welding outdoors?
Topic
Plasma cutting
- What settings for 3 mm steel on Plasma cutting?
- How does plasma cutting work?
- What is plasma cutting used for?
Topic
Troubleshooting
- Why does my weld have porosity?
- Why does my weld have excessive spatter?
- Why does my weld have undercut?
Topic
Consumables
- How do I clean a MIG liner?
- How should I store my welder and consumables?
- Does Bunnings sell argon gas cylinders for MIG welding?
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