Any _relatively_ inexpensive TIGs?

I had a tigging job done recently on a workpiece I have historically MIG welded (milled aluminum to cast aluminum).

I can swing a reel gun OK, but the TIG work was purely elegant in both penetration and cosmetics. So, now I'm interested.

I have a small budget (no minimum ). Anybody have experience with affordable TIG units that have enough features to make it work well on aluminum and stainless?

LLoyd

Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh
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As noted by half the folks responding to the similar thread above: find a used Syncrowave 250 with a water cooled torch and cooler.

Reply to
Pete C.

I have an older Lincoln Idealarc 300/300 AC/DC/TIG combo welder that has served well. Got it for $400.

I can't weld AL for beans with it. My son can make it do anything. he's pressure test welded many AL irrigation pipes among other projects.

My old eyes can't tell if there's a weld puddle with AL.

Karl

Reply to
Karl Townsend

Miller Synchrowave 250s are nice. Up from there if you want more features or amps. Used units are available very reasonably in the current economy.

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

No, I don't think you'll see a puddle with AL.

I never have.

It just goes from solid to welded - or to dripping on the floor...

Richard

Reply to
cavelamb

Have you tried using a blue or green lens?

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has inexpensive ($10) blue lenses while expensive ($315) green ones are at
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. Someone who thought using green lenses was a great invention got a patent on it...
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Reply to
James Waldby

I saw a lot of broken ones on ebay, not a good sign. I would stay away, everything I heard about them is negative. If their manufacturer does not even want to put their name on the product, that's not a good sign either.

Reply to
Ignoramus12193

No personal experience, but I'm hoping somebody who's used one of the

3 in 1 TIG / Plasma cutter / Stick welders by Longevity or Everlast will chime in with their experiences. Inverter machines at budget prices. The Miller Diversion (inverter machine) has been getting good reviews from the people who bought them.

RWL

Reply to
GeoLane at PTD dot NET

Those are for welding with O/A, not TIG.

Reply to
Don Foreman

It's called hotshortness. It reaches the melting point, and is so light, it collapses under its own weight. I have never mastered Al. Did a bunch of stainless, and tons of just plain steel. Seeing the puddle, or at least understanding what it is doing is critical in any welding, and yes, there are many times you can't or don't see the puddle, but experience tells you what's going on and the next step.

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

Dont like anything that's three in one. Like scanner, printer, copier. Never had one that worked worth a flip, and if you got problems with one segment, usually the whole thing is useless. Not to mention the thick instruction book. I prefer stand alone welding tools, save the ones that have stick/tig combos.

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

You are right, the pages above refer to O/A welding not tig, and say that a main part of what blue or green lenses do is block orange glow or flare that is caused by burning flux, a problem tig doesn't have due to inert shield gas. I can't find the page I was looking for which I think mentioned amber lenses for puddle visibility while tig welding.

Reply to
James Waldby

I agree.

An Airco 300 Squarewave is too hard to find.

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire. Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us) off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the shit out of you for torturing the cat." Gunner

Reply to
Gunner Asch

Too_Many_Tools fired this volley in news: snipped-for-privacy@z19g2000yqe.googlegroups.com:

nothing over 1/4" in a single pass.

LLoyd

Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh

With TIG you need to consider the minumum thicknesls as well as the max. Generally the less expensive welders will not weld thin material.

Also 1/4 inch aluminum takes a bunch of amps. If I recall correctly Ernie uses 1 amp per .001 of thickness as a starting point. So 1/4 needs a welder capable of 250 amps.

I also do not understand all the posts that say they can not see the puddle when welding aluminum. You do have to use AC to get the cleaning power needed to keep the aluminum oxide from obscuring the puddle, and start with absolutely no oxide on the aluminum. And of course adequate inert gas. But you should be able to see the puddle.

I suspect those people did not clean the aluminum well enough. The aluminum oxide is clear. Scrubbing with a stainless brush is not enough. Use some sandpaper first, followed by the stainless brush just before welding.

Start with some 1/16 to 1/8 inch material and just get a puddle and move the puddle from one end to the other. When I first tried aluminum I had been welding steel. And I did not use enough heat to get a puddle.

Dan

Reply to
dcaster

I got a Lincoln Squarewave 175, the early model that goes down to 12A, second-hand for $1200 about 10 years ago. At that time $1200 was a typical "street" price for them. I bought it from a welding dealer, it wasn't hot.

I've used better ones but it's OK for the little I do. I took it to welding class to practice with and compare to theirs. I was about equally bad, and the instructor equally good, on aluminum with mine and with the big one the school owned.

I spent 8 weeks running practice beads on aluminum. Some came out fine but I never did learn to weld a consistently good bead without a few practice runs.

Jim Wilkins

Reply to
Jim Wilkins

The best lenses I have ever used, although spendy, are the gold plated. They REALLY make a noticeable difference, and FYI, I used a 12-14 for Al. On regular steel, they are a joy to use, and if taken care of properly, last a good while.

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

With TIG you need to consider the minumum thicknesls as well as the max. Generally the less expensive welders will not weld thin material.

Also 1/4 inch aluminum takes a bunch of amps. If I recall correctly Ernie uses 1 amp per .001 of thickness as a starting point. So 1/4 needs a welder capable of 250 amps.

I also do not understand all the posts that say they can not see the puddle when welding aluminum. You do have to use AC to get the cleaning power needed to keep the aluminum oxide from obscuring the puddle, and start with absolutely no oxide on the aluminum. And of course adequate inert gas. But you should be able to see the puddle.

I suspect those people did not clean the aluminum well enough. The aluminum oxide is clear. Scrubbing with a stainless brush is not enough. Use some sandpaper first, followed by the stainless brush just before welding.

Start with some 1/16 to 1/8 inch material and just get a puddle and move the puddle from one end to the other. When I first tried aluminum I had been welding steel. And I did not use enough heat to get a puddle.

Dan

I had to go to a 14 lens to finally see the puddle. Other than that, everything was white. Try a 14 gold.

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

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