Can anyone reccomend a decently priced tig welder for doing some welding? Im mostly intrested in something that can plug into a 110 outlet. I figure a well known brand name will cost more but I only wanna pay somethin' like $1500 or less if someone can vouch for a good, lesser know brand name.
Tig welders questions?
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I can definately tell you to stay as far away from the asian imports as you can. The still tend to blow up regularly and are a pain to ship back and forth when they do. Hobart has a Tigmate, Miller has the diversion and HTP has the 221. A quick look around craigslist and ebay will robably yeild a miller, hobart or licoln in you price range that will last virtually forever. I have a Miller, a Lincoln and a throw away Asian import. If the import blows I will just toss it and continue to march. If your only doing mild steel then DC is all you need, if you want to do aluminum, then you need AC with high frequency to start the arc. Argon is the only gas I use on tig and I use 75/25 and pure CO2 on my migs. Hope this helps get you started.
Bob
Bob
StainlessBrewing
Well-Known Member
I did a lot of research before buying mine a couple months ago and had the same budget as you. I really wanted a mig too though. I ended up buying this http://store.cyberweld.com/tharcfa18miw.html and am picking up a bottle off of Craigslist tonight. I've already talked to customer care (in USA) about a little issue I had with the packaging but couldn't be more satisfied with the service that was provided. I have not used this yet but I think it will do the job for what I'm looking to do. If I get the bottle tonight I'll give it a whirl and post a pic or two. I've never done any TIG by the way so this will be a learning experience for me.
ebstauffer
Well-Known Member
If you can bump up your budget a bit look at the Miller Diversion 180.
I have used Miller and Hobart, and vastly preferred the (much more expensive) Miller. Both were large 220 welders, so I can't particularly comment on who makes the better small welder.
What I especially liked about the Miller was the foot control. The Hobart had a hand control that I found irritating to use. Some of my coworkers loved the hand control though, so your mileage may vary. For most welders you can add a pedal later if you want, so I'm not sure that should be a deciding factor. That said, in my experience the foot pedal is much easier to use for small, detailed welds or anything where you start and stop frequently.
I think getting 220 run to a garage or the like is fairly inexpensive if you aren't totally set on 110.
Take care
What I especially liked about the Miller was the foot control. The Hobart had a hand control that I found irritating to use. Some of my coworkers loved the hand control though, so your mileage may vary. For most welders you can add a pedal later if you want, so I'm not sure that should be a deciding factor. That said, in my experience the foot pedal is much easier to use for small, detailed welds or anything where you start and stop frequently.
I think getting 220 run to a garage or the like is fairly inexpensive if you aren't totally set on 110.
Take care
If you decide on a 110v model. We have one at work for on sight work. I have discovered a few tips to make it work better. Buy the largest gauge extension cord not over 25 feet if possible. If you can plug it straight in without an extention cord do so. Find the hottest circuit in the board. Common 15amp or 10amp breakers are a bottle neck that nearly makes these machines worthless. Find at least a 20amp circuit. A 30 would be the best. The main bottle neck with these machines is input.
As a former welder by trade I can again tell you that the off shore equipment does not hold up. The Miller Diversion 180 is an ideal welder for you because it will operate as a 110 or 220 volt machine. I usually avoid making a direct recomendation but since you seem to be hell bent on getting into this and possibly shooting yourself in the foot I figured I would speak up again. TIG welding is all about hand, eye and foot coordination. It takes hundreds of hours to master those pretty tig beads you see on race cars and stuff. You initial welds will look like chicken poop and thats just the way it is. As you weld you need to practice a specific task such as proper stick out, proper arc length, and useing both hands to drag and push the bead. Once you master the bead and watching the puddle, then you can consider giving aluminum a try. Aluminum is much more tedious because the difference between fusing and blowing through is very very close, so you are going to blow up a few welds till you learn to see the meatl go shiny and just start to sag. It adds the element of timing to your hand, eye and foot coordination drill. A used Miller 180 can be had regularly for around 1000-1200 if you wait for it to come up on Craigslist or the other sites, so be patient. I am medically retired due to another issue, but I welded 12 hours a day 7 days a week for 2 years in Iraq on armored vehicles and homogonized aluminum structures and I promise you I wont send you down the wrong path. I am definately not trying to impress anybody, I just got those skilz when I was a young man and have used them for many many years to earn a living and feed my family. Welding is truly an art form, it takes time and practice to become adept and continued practice to keep your skills sharp and usable. If you would like to PM me you may, I am more than willing to help you get started and moving along the road to ultimate success. Why do you think all of those used tig welders come available? Because they become frustrated and give up before the miracle happens for them. How do I know this? I have watched and trained literally hundreds of welders and newcomers over the years and can see right through the facade and know whether they will ever "get it" or not. If you set a goal and work up to it in logical and diligent steps you can do anything you sey your mind to, but welding with a tig is a study in patience and tolerance. I hope this finds you well and again, I am definately not trying to discourage any one, I just feel you should know what you are getting youraelf into. Hope this helps, and I am a PM away if you need to discuus your decisions.
Wheelchair Bob
Wheelchair Bob
Ive done alot of mig welding using a lincoln electric 140 (I think). Not sure of the model number but I bought it from Lowes and if your into migs then I would highly reccomend one to someone. I paid about $650 I think its been awhile since I bought it.
So I decided after selling it Im wanting to get back into welding again. So I decided that maybe Ill give tigging a try. I hate the splattering effect of migs! After migging for several years being self taught Ive developed some skill and alot eye burns, which are not fun at all!!! I really need to stick to 110 being that I seem to move around alot. I dont think my landlord would like me tinkering with the electric panel, ha,ha!
RB- Ill do some homework on the miller and see If they fit me, let ya know.
So I decided after selling it Im wanting to get back into welding again. So I decided that maybe Ill give tigging a try. I hate the splattering effect of migs! After migging for several years being self taught Ive developed some skill and alot eye burns, which are not fun at all!!! I really need to stick to 110 being that I seem to move around alot. I dont think my landlord would like me tinkering with the electric panel, ha,ha!
RB- Ill do some homework on the miller and see If they fit me, let ya know.
StainlessBrewing
Well-Known Member
Search "Tip Tig". Crazy fast! It's like a mig and tig in one.
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WCoyoteSG
Active Member
stay with the red, blue or tan machines. Also I would highly recommend an air cooled machine.
what should i look for when im shopping around for a tig welder? Im intrested in tigging ss, alum., and steel. i guess that a general purpose one is what i need?
also, what gas mixes should i consider? is there a gas mix that will allow me to weld for all three?
also, what gas mixes should i consider? is there a gas mix that will allow me to weld for all three?
Tig is primarily done with pure Argon gas, I do all three with the same tank. AC and DC output, the longest duty cycle you can afford. Duty cycle is how many minutes out of a 10 minute period you can weld without overheating the machine. You probably dont need or want all the bells and whistles till you progress much farther. Adjustable pre and post flows are nice and downslope programming is too. The diversion 180 is very basic and does not have any of the bells and whistles. It's just a basic entry level tig machine. Learning to tig without all the extra will help you a ton. The gee whizz stuff can be frustrating because as a beginner you will have difficulty adjusting all of those parameters correctly and consistenly. I learned on a machine that did not have a foot control and you had to scratch start the arc, what a PITA that was. But I lay down some sweet beads because I didnt have a bunch of stuff slowing my learning proces either. Once you get a grip on welding tig, you will want a much higher amp machine with a water cooled torch and frequency control with pulse. But til then a small entry level machine is where you need to be to stay within your budget.Remember there is also a helment, gas. rods. tungstens, cups and insulators as well as good solid IR/Heat protection for your hands, face, neck and upper body. Dont scrimp on the safety gear, you will regret that pretty quick. Plan on contaminating a lot of tungstens till you get the steady tig hand. And a shade 13 helment for tig is the best way to go so you dont get flashed or the scene is not too bright to see whats going on in the puddle.
Bob
Bob
You will need a machine that does AC (alternate current) for aluminum. Stainless and mild steel can be done with a DC (direct current) only machine.
thanks for all the input. im dead set on getting a tig welder for sure, though it will be awhile till i can save up some money. ive done alot of miggin'. i once made a chicken coop from alot of free and salvaged materials. ive posted some pics on a popular chicken forum. do a search and im sure someone can find it, my username is either sticks or sticks22. anyhow, im learning alot these past few weeks!
Cool. I'm glad you have a bit of experience behind the lens. If your pretty good at mig then the rules of tig will seem pretty easy to grasp. It will just take a while to get the rules and practice in. I appologize if I sounded like I was preaching to a noob, Just trying to help and certainly not discourage any one from trying either. Let us know what you get.
Wheelchair Bob
Wheelchair Bob
Here is my last sit down with a pedal operated, water cooled Tig machine.
This is 14ga aluminum.
Could have gotten a little better consistent penetration. Aluminum is by far the toughest. Its a fine line between good penetration and a big burned down blob of a mess.
This is 14ga aluminum.
Could have gotten a little better consistent penetration. Aluminum is by far the toughest. Its a fine line between good penetration and a big burned down blob of a mess.
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