Quote:
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.
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.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.