TIG Welder recommendations?

[otto_kretschmer]

I'm finally going to bust open the piggy bank for a TIG welder and I'm asking for recommendations.

The last time I was toying with buying a new TIG was when I was looking at a Miller Econotig and I remember them going for around $2k.

More than a decade ago an old timer friend at Rocketdyne was selling his rig that he had from his days as a professional welder; a 70s era Miller Goldstar. He was selling everything; welder, torch, reg and bottle. I never asked how much he wanted because he said the thing weighed 800 lbs and there is no way I can move such a thing around at that time, and not really any place to keep it.

So I'm looking at whats available for hobbyist and there are many to choose from.

1. Harbor Freight Vulcan 205

2. Eastwood has a line

3. Prime Weld

4. Everlast

There probably are more. There seems to be a lot of competition and the price has gotten a lot more friendly.

I've never welded with TIG but I can acceptably weld with both MIG and oxy-acetylene. I may take a class at the community college but I'll most likely teach myself with the help of Youtube.

What I'm looking for is

120/240v
air cooled torch for now
AC/DC
pulse

How many amps and duty cycle I'm up for suggestions.

I'll be welding mostly aluminum sheet metal and steel. Stainless and copper would be nice but it would be rare.

Here is a vid from one of my fav youtubers

[Bill Douglas]

Lincoln is another brand to consider.

I did the night class thing and it really got me up to the speed where I could practice at home and understand youtubes to get better.

Yep, TIG is for detailed and fine work. I met a guy who did all the stainless steel work on a large yacht he built. He love TIG and said you really get to understand it.

[rfuerst911sc]

I would recommend taking the college welding course before you buy your own . First off you will learn the skill . Second you can see and work with whatever brand they are using . Do you like their machine ? Don't like it ? Also pick the brain of the teacher/s on what they recommend . And finally you might be able to buy one of their machines . I have to assume they have a budget to burn for new equipment and the old equipment has to go somewhere .

[Zeke]

No on Eastwood. It's simply a relabel job. The answer is pretty simple. A lot of local welding supplies (LWS) will match internet pricing on 'quality' units. They have the ability to service them and have parts.

AFAIK, HF now has some parts but no service facility. There are several online stores that are full on welding supply stores that sell their own brand and everything else you need, including some self service parts. Many torches and accessories are universal.

Head on over to Welding Tips and Tricks dot com or watch his videos under the same name. He has partnered with CK Worldwide (welding). He has tested Everlast and AHP and about anything that isn't a box of crap. Spending more more money will get you red and blue, plus ESAB and Hobart. I can't begin to name them all.

The one I bought hasn't changed in price since 2017:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076BSD6PG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It hasn't had a lot of use. And it features a lot of knobs and no touch display like the new one. I like that.

The schools pretty much use red and blue. You're not going to see a wide variety of off shore welders, some of which are very good.

[908/930]

What thickness of aluminium do you expect to use? That will determine amps. You will need a water cooled torch pretty quick if welding thicker aluminium. For steel and stainless 1/16" thick needs about 60A DC so small machine takes care of that pretty easy with air cooled torch.

[john70t]

Practice drawing scallops on a piece of lined paper.
Two pencils held by both hands.
Start counting slowly until that rhythm feels dependable (or use a metronome).

[Zeke]

Feeding wire one handed has been the most difficult to learn for me. I have heard that new welders will sit for hours watching TV or something while feeding wire over and over. Like learning to juggle.

There are at least 3 quite different methods. The weird part is advancing the wire while compensating by moving the hand away. A very good way to do this is to cut a slot in cardboard or sheet metal and practice sending the wire through the slot while moving it back and forth and not side to side. The slot need not be long, a 1/4". Wire can enter the puddle from 10º to almost 90. So a lot of method has to be practiced.

But at the same time you don't want to remove the tip of the wire out of the inert gas zone. Even as you end the weld and shut the arc down. Wire and tip cool down from red to gray in post gas flow before you pull up.

If you can pat your stomach and rub your head at the same time while walking, you have a head start.

[otto_kretschmer]

Originally Posted by 908/930

What thickness of aluminum do you expect to use? That will determine amps. You will need a water cooled torch pretty quick if welding thicker aluminum. For steel and stainless 1/16" thick needs about 60A DC so small machine takes care of that pretty easy with air cooled torch.

.125, or 1/8" probably will be max thickness. I'm sorta will be doing the same stuff that Superfast Matt is doing. I have a thread about a newly acquired Austin Healey Sprite. I bought two. The first car will be a stock rebuild and the 2nd will get a bit wild like Matt's Honda S600. He had to fab a plenum and oil pan for a liter bike motorcycle engine.

I have the engine block and crank at the machine shop now so I'm putzing around painting things like the oil pan and valve cover.

I keep finding welder brands. On the vid I posted Matt took a class where they used Alpha tig welders.

I'd love to get a Miller but I'll be spending 2x to 3x compared to a Harbor Freight or Prime. If I was making money with this tool I would go blue but I'll be using it only a couple times a year.

I took a oxy/acetylene class at Pima Community College when I was in college in 92 and I still remember the fundamentals of torch and wire control. I don't expect TIG to be that big of a leap. I got a pic of a tool I made to hold the chain tensioner compressed on my 911 when I was changed them from solid tensioners to the original hydraulic.

There is a video of a guy in England building an aluminum tank for a vintage (60s) gran prix bike. It took him 40 hours. He welded everything but the filler with gas. He did the filler with TIG. Some people have real talent.

[otto_kretschmer]

[otto_kretschmer]

Here is my home made tensioner tool. It worked perfectly and will sit in my tool box for another decade for me to use just like the crowsfoot for the timing chain sprocket.

TIG would look better but gas will suffice at times.

I tried welding aluminum with gas but gave up.

[1990C4S]

Originally Posted by otto_kretschmer

Here is a vid from one of my fav youtubers

+1. His videos (and his projects) are great.

[908/930]

For welding an oil pan from 1/8" I would want a welder that could run at 125 amps continuous, so likely 250A or 300A machine. Reason is once all pre heated would like to do continuous welds for each side and not have to worry about machine shutting off, water cooled torch required. For that oil pan was the sealing face thicker material? Would likely need to grind it flat after welding.

[cjh]

The other thing to know about is the "duty cycle" of the machine. Make sure you get one that will run long enough to weld what you plan on welding before it get maxed out. My Hobart 135 wire feed welder starts throwing a lot of spatter and the arc wonders once it runs beyond the duty cycle. The cheaper the machine, the less aluminum or copper windings, the lower the duty cycle.