TIG welder recomendations

cas3 said:
The big older machines are cheap and will likely outlast any of the new fangled stuff. some say the new inverter types weld easier, but the old welders work just fine. I bought an old miller Dialarc HF, air cooled torch and long leads, foot pedal, with regulator for 500.
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This ^^^

I have 3 Lincoln welders in the garage; only one I bought new was a MIG unit. I picked up an old Square Wave 175 TIG machine complete with 2 bottles, the regulator, a stand and a welding bench for $1k a couple of years ago. Works great! So I'd keep my eyes open for a good used machine.

Also, if you do get a TIG, spend the money and get a GOOD helmet. I bought a Miller and it made a lot of difference...
 
+1 on an old transformer machine if you can find one. My big machine is a Lincoln TIG 300/300 I bought new in 1977, it's still the best for very small welds, goes down to 2A, I welded a ball onto a broken off 4-40 screw this winter to back it out of it's hole, the hardest part was seeing it. And it goes up to 375A. Has never missed a beat in it's life. My everyday machine is a TIG 250/250 from the 80s because it runs quieter. You can buy both of those at giveaway prices and there is precious little to fail in them, no solid state and no circuit boards. Newer machines are nicer for aluminum because of square wave technology and pulsing for thin stuff, seriously consider square wave if you want to weld aluminum, it makes a good welder out of a mediocre one. Inverters are not necessary unless you want to carry it like a suitcase, and come with shorter lifespans and higher repair costs. +1 for a beltsander to sharpen tungstens, and get a quality helmet sooner or later. Get a small torch like a #9 air cooled or #20 water cooled, a big torch makes small work exhausting.
 
Rockfla I don't know anything about the eastwood tig like you asked. I have 175 Lincoln tig. It'll weld most everything thick and thin. I agree with the statement about getting a very good helmet. You don't want to keep flipping it up and down. Buy the eastwood and a miller helmet and let us know how it goes. It'll probably get it done for you. Lincoln and miller will be around, I'm thinking, for quite awhile if anything goes wrong and you need parts.
 
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Good light, good eyesight, and a steady hand are as important as cleanliness to weld Tig. For heavy aluminum castings use aluminum electrodes on your stick welder.


Bruce
 
yoyodyne said it all right there. The old machines have a lot of off the shelf components. the simple parts that might fail are common electrical parts available from many sources. modern machines are designed so that when a circuit board, or anything else, fails, its a specific part only available from the manufacture, for big money. My old Millermatic 35 mig welder needed a contact switch a few years ago. Miller said it was not available, ( buy a new welder?) . Its a contact switch, the concept has not changed in about 80 years. Your air compressor has one, your furnace has one, and they are on ebay, old us made units for about 35 bucks. I found one the correct amp rating, but i had to change the terminal ends. For the most part, the big parts, like transformers are way over built, and usually dont fail
 
just replaced my lincoln mig welder liner for about 30$ off ebay. been using a big roll of .35 wire for a lot of yrs and it was getting some unwanted oxidation.
 
bought a Lincoln Electric Squarewave TIG 200 a couple of years ago. Enough electronics to make me look good like (back in the day when I could see, hold my body still and think straight).
Multi process and a great duty cycle for the average auto enthusiast/home fabricator.
 
Adding - I have a Lincoln 175 Squarewave in my personal shop, it's perfect for most car hobby stuff, and very simple to set up. I think the equivalent new machine is a Squarewave 200
 
I have a Miller 215 as mentioned earlier and very pleased. My son is a welding engineer for Chrysler and that is what he recommended. Both Miller and Lincoln make very good welders. Price is a big factor as well.
 
I have a Miller mig. So far no real reason to buy a Tig. I too am having trouble seeing out of my HF helmet. Any suggestions on what to buy?
 
Wrenchead said:
I have a Miller mig. So far no real reason to buy a Tig. I too am having trouble seeing out of my HF helmet. Any suggestions on what to buy?
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I bought a top of line Miller auto darkening helmet when my old Miller went south after 30 years.

I'll get the model number, but it's great. Many different shading options and super clear vision.
 
I have a top of the line Hobart "Auto-Darkening" helmet. I was having a problem with it and went to see a friend of mine who is a union pipe-fitter and can weld rust to air. At his suggestion, I purchased an inner lens that matched the bifocals on my glasses and it helped immensely. I had tried welding with and without my glasses and had problems. Also, replace he outer shield lens as more often than you'd like. Th at also helps.

Before I bought the Hobart, I had a cheap Northern Tool aut helmet. I really should go back and try that with the magnifying lens and a new outer lens and see what happens.

All I need is the time.
 
Before you head down the path, make sure you add up ALL the costs. You'll need an Argon bottle, you'll need an Argon gas regulator, you'll need a good torch, you'll need a good helmet, etc..

You'll find that all the accessories are as much (really more) than the cost of the original machine (in the lower cost area of the market). Also, consider what exactly will you be welding? I have a Miller Maxstar (does not do aluminum). The reason I chose it was because I really thought about what aluminum parts I'd be welding? About the only things are castings and big pieces of billet - and if I have a set of cylinder heads or a transmission case that needs welding, I'll bring it to somebody who does it ALL YEAR LONG - I can't afford to "get good" via screwing up expensive parts. In the last 15 years, I've only needed to have aluminum welded about 5 times - and I have Professional welder friends to handle those occasions.

Learning to be proficient at TIG takes good equipment (and a good helmet), a good comfortable place to sit and weld and really good part setup - and a lot of practice before you get into anything suspension oriented or where there are safety concerns. You need to understand heat penetration, proper setup, proper tungsten selection and prep, proper rod material and size selection, etc.. Lots of things that all need to come together to enable you to create strong, functional and aesthetically pleasing welds.

Setup: You can't get away with big gaps, dirty materials and the "grease gun" approach that some MIG welders seem to be comfortable with (just pull the trigger and fill in the gap). Proper setup, clamping, positioning (all the prep) in many cases takes more time than the welding - but it is key.

Amps: For the work that you're doing, you'll probably never need more than a 200 amp machine . . . which will also require a 220V service in your shop with enough amps to run it. The older transformer machines will probably take at least a 100 amp dedicated circuit, while a newer inverter "suitcase" machine will require less than 1/2 of that (so consider the shop wiring into the equation).

And then you'll need a welding cart . . . maybe your first project! ;)

I love TIG welding - so I'm not trying to scare you off - it is the only type of welding I've done for the last 15 years or so.

Best of luck!
 
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Tig is a slower welding process. But it's a far better weld and versatile over mig. Either will work very well. If I had to choose one in my shop I would go tig. Certainly it depends on what you are doing. If I was running a muffler shop, then a mig.


Last helmet I bought was from here. Hard to put a price on your eyesight.
https://store.cyberweld.com/autdarwelhel.html
 
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I have an AHP Alphatig 200X. An import inverter machine with dual voltage (110/220). I actually really like it. It's pretty popular for a reason. My first was sent back due to a HF start issue but CS was excellent. The only complaint is that the digital amps are off from the perceived amount on the dial. I swapped to a better pedal but I think that's been the only mod. I wouldn't mind a transformer machine but they are huge, heavy, and don't have variable frequency or generally pulse. Don't need them much but options help.

When I got it I still had a HF auto hood for my mig. It flashed me continuously with the HF start of the tig so that I was snow blind for the weld. Bought a Lincoln hood with the large lens and it's great.
You will spend on gas, accessories, maybe dual output gauge for stainless, etc. Everything you get will cost money and the better stuff costs more for a reason. But you just can't get there from hear any other way. Came out to an empty tank one day so chucked the provided gauge.
Don't limit yourself thinking, "I only want to do thin steel" and then limit your abilities and things to learn by going too cheap. Yes, it's a more affordable entry but all the other things are the same so not much is saved on buying a lesser machine(if an inverter).

Tip: Get closer than you ever though you would need to. I have progressive lenses but still remove them to be able to see closer. When I started using mig, I would not even see a bead - just light. Sometimes I wasn't even on the seam. You can't effectively weld what you can't see - especially with a tig bead.
JMO,
D
 
As JMO noted - being able to really see the puddle, rod and the tungsten is key. When I first started TIG, I was thinking too much about other things and not concentrating on what I was SEEING during the process. A really good large-lens auto-darkening helmet should be one of your mandatory buys - don't scrimp on this!

Also, having a good steady place to rest your elbows or arms as you're learning and a comfortable place to sit and weld will really help your learning stages. Don't stand, don't weld vertically, etc . . . until you've learned and can do quality welds sitting down.

I didn't appreciate how important setup, vision and comfort was until AFTER I'd made a few ugly bird **** welds and a lot of cussing had already transpired . . . LOL
 
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