HELP How did you wire your Harbor Freight TIG?

Green should go to the "L" shaped prong. Black goes to one copper prong, white to the other.

I've never been quite comfortable using the white wire in a three wire cord for a hot lead on 2-wire 220 w/ ground, but it's very common. I would prefer red/white/black for two hot, one neutral (Would rather have

4-wire in that case with green for ground) or red/green/black for 2-wire 220 with ground.

Manufacturers, however, do things their own way. Apparently it's OK by NEC. For additional safety, you might wrap the white wire with a piece of red marking tape to tell someone else who might work on the machine and its supply that it's a current carrying conductor.

Disclaimer: Last NEC I have read was 1981, so I could be all wet here too.

The black and white go to the blades, the green (ground) goes to the L shaped prong

Gunner

Liberals - Cosmopolitan critics, men who are the friends of every country save their own. Benjamin Disraeli

It's still done, in the field if not at the factory. It's best to put a piece of red or black (or other "hot" color) tape around the white wire

- on each end - when using it as a phase wire. This is in AC circuits. In DC I believe the black is often the ground! :-)

Obviously this can't be done when one uses a cord that has a molded connector on either end, but when you actually turn the screws and make the connections it's good practice.

I Too just asked the same question in the other group.

my first attemp was putting the black and white wire for hot power, Green wire for ground. but then I plug it to 220v . it made a flash at the plug. that made me think it short circuit. but the fact is it's just charging up the capacitor inside the machine which is normal.

so I wire it again this time put the black for ground and other two for hot wire. strange... The power red LED is on ..the green welding light lid up when attemp to weld. the cooling fan run at about 30% of it normal speed. but the arc is so small at the tig torch tip, and I don't think that was even a welding arc at all.

so I change it back to my first configuration. and now it works. lucky me I didn't fry it.

sunnyboy

There have been some remarks about power surges, flashs/sparks at the plug when pluging it in, and even circuit breakers being thrown when the capiciters charge up. I wired mine like was reccommended on this site, and plug it into a 50amp 240v circuit. and haven't experenced any of these problems.

It does do a good job welding. I haven't done anything in aluminum other than join two pieces of scrap outboard mortor, just to test it out, but I did do about 2 feet of vertical welding on ¼ inch steel, (beveled joint) using 1/8-inch 6011 rods, 100% CO, with the power turned down to just under the 4th mark (there are ten marks on the dial). It was a little difficult striking an arc, and my hand had to be rock solid steady to hold it at this low power setting, but I was able to burn a complete rod chang it three times, continuning to weld without the overheating light coming on. Yes, the light will come on and does work I tested it! I would estimate from the size of the rod, the ARC, and melt, that it was probably about a 25 amp setting.

Man I had forgot what a pleasure stick welding with DCEP could be, after using my AC buzz box or my MIG for the past few years.

I have a fresh bottle of Argon coming today, and I can't wait to burn something up. OK, OK, I fess up I distroyed that scrap aluminum using 75 Argon/25 CO2 testing the TIG on that scrap. But I couldn't wait any longer, and I didn't have enough Argon left in that bottle to blow out a candle. I had to play with something.

At this point the only complaint with the Harbor Freight TIG is the ground clamp. Its better than what is found on most really cheap welders (battery clamps) but its still very light duty. I will put a real ground clamp on there today.

This is why many or most welders have switches on them. Plug them in cold. Then throw the switch. Surges can fry Electronics inside if not pure electrical. We don't know how perfect a design is until it fries. As my ESD Training told me - ESD can hit multiple times (finger on a knob...) and then something happens. If it is a strong enough hit, (voltage swing) it might take one. When plugs flash like that, metal vaporizes. You eat the plug up. The metal goes somewhere. Your eye is the worst place.

Martin [ Has turned on more than enough High Voltage, High Current, High Power systems. ]

So can we add a switch between the plug and machine? since this Tig welder is not the only permanent resident on my 220v plug. I notice that power plug are eaten by the flash bit by bit. Or later I have to count it as consumable as tungsten electrode?

another question... how high to set CFH for the argon.

sunnyboy

systems. ]

Sure you don't have breakers on the back side of the welder ? I have two Plasma and TIG both do. If not, then the breaker panel is a ok but less or poor way. Best way is a jumper cable - a short extension with a box and switch in-line. Be sure it is rated for the current and reactance (e.g. motor use (de-rates the high end normally). That will save both plug and socket and the dangers.

The use of a breaker box puts wear on the switch design and may not operate properly after xx number of throws - e.g. who would blow a breaker 1000 times ...

Arcing connectors can ignite all sorts of gases that might be in the air.

Argon pressure - 25 to 30 normally. After a while, looking at results will give data.

Martin

Plasma and TIG both do.

jumper cable -

current and reactance

socket and the dangers.

properly after xx number

You could get fancy and use a mercury contactor or oil-filled switch.

--- Rich