R
Road gear Deere
Hello all i was curios what some you are using or recommend for a tig welder ? needs to be able to do aluminum. Thanks
For future reference, this should probably go under the metalworking or tools section, not SPI product specific section since it's not a SPI product related question.
Next, Miller and Lincoln are going to be the bigger names and more costly as well. You may want to add your budget in since that is pretty important. There is several less expensive brands as well, but the quality is called into question then. We purchased a Everlast TIG that wasn't too terribly expensive, has worked well for me so far but I'm not an experienced TIG welder, so take that for what it cost you. It has pulse, high frequency start, water cooler capable, and quite a few other decent options.
There is a website called welding tips and tricks, great for beginners and I'm sure an experienced guy could still learn a thing or two. He has welder reviews and youtube videos of them as well. Here is his thoughts on Chinese welders
http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/chinese-tig-welder-review-video.html
Next, Miller and Lincoln are going to be the bigger names and more costly as well. You may want to add your budget in since that is pretty important. There is several less expensive brands as well, but the quality is called into question then. We purchased a Everlast TIG that wasn't too terribly expensive, has worked well for me so far but I'm not an experienced TIG welder, so take that for what it cost you. It has pulse, high frequency start, water cooler capable, and quite a few other decent options.
There is a website called welding tips and tricks, great for beginners and I'm sure an experienced guy could still learn a thing or two. He has welder reviews and youtube videos of them as well. Here is his thoughts on Chinese welders
http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/chinese-tig-welder-review-video.html
anotheridiot
Member
If you want to do aluminum, I was told to get the AC/DC welder. We got the AHP alpha tig http://www.ebay.com/itm/AHP-AlphaTI...81361192218?pt=BI_Welders&hash=item2a39f82d1a
claim its easy to learn on, but sometimes I think one dial would be enough. I like you have a choice of the pedal or the hand trigger that is click on and click off. its soft start makes arcs easy to start, wont pin your tungsten if you are too close or not good on the pedal to start. .
This and the everlast is an inverter welder, so the duty cycle is less than the big millers.
The basics you need to know, how much power do you have available (this 200 will take a 50 amp 220 single phase. We weld skinny stuff on the hobart plug that is 30 amps.)
how thick of material do you want to weld
what is your acceptable duty cycle. Get one too small its resetting every couple minutes with thick material.
We have a big 180 amp Hobart mig welder, it has not let us down. Hobart uses alot of miller parts, so if you are investing in a big machine and dont need the flashy name, I believe its made by the same people that make millers..
claim its easy to learn on, but sometimes I think one dial would be enough. I like you have a choice of the pedal or the hand trigger that is click on and click off. its soft start makes arcs easy to start, wont pin your tungsten if you are too close or not good on the pedal to start. .
This and the everlast is an inverter welder, so the duty cycle is less than the big millers.
The basics you need to know, how much power do you have available (this 200 will take a 50 amp 220 single phase. We weld skinny stuff on the hobart plug that is 30 amps.)
how thick of material do you want to weld
what is your acceptable duty cycle. Get one too small its resetting every couple minutes with thick material.
We have a big 180 amp Hobart mig welder, it has not let us down. Hobart uses alot of miller parts, so if you are investing in a big machine and dont need the flashy name, I believe its made by the same people that make millers..
B
bomccorkle
For the kind of aluminum everyone pictures in their head ac is required, the way I have been explained it, it is due to the changing polarity knocking the oxide layer away as you go since aluminum pretty much instantly oxidizes. Stop by your local weld shop once a week or so or if they are nice guys give them your number, I bought both my mig and tig machines used for quite a savings, around $1000 for the Lincoln 255 mig, and about $800 for a little older miller ac/DC, 370 amp high frequency tig. The last I looked the small Lincoln 175 ac/DC tig machine was about $1700-$1800.
N
Novablue71
We have a Miller Diversion 165 and been happy with it. You can do steel and aluminum with this machine. Nice entry level welder.
U
underdog
X2 on the Miller diversion I have a 180. Worth every penny.
R
Road gear Deere
The Miller 165 and 180 was what I was looking at. Will this work for repairing cars/pickups with aluminum hoods ?
I bought a new Lincoln 225 tig welder 7-8 years ago and it hasn't missed a beat. I'd buy another if it dumped tomorrow as I have gotten my money back on the machine.
It was around 2300 back then but I think they are pushing $2800 now.
It will not weld an aluminum truck wheel unless it is preheated though. Aluminum takes a lot more juice than steel and it pulls the heat away so fast. I've used it alot on alum sheet but a machine this size is only good for about 1/4" thickness before having to pre-heat the part.
It was around 2300 back then but I think they are pushing $2800 now.
It will not weld an aluminum truck wheel unless it is preheated though. Aluminum takes a lot more juice than steel and it pulls the heat away so fast. I've used it alot on alum sheet but a machine this size is only good for about 1/4" thickness before having to pre-heat the part.
B
BoostedOne
Second that on the Lincoln. I have a Precision Tig 185.
As Mitch said, there are cheaper but quality comes into question. I don't mind rolling the dice on a 30$ sander or something if I am in a bind, knowing that it may crap out on me.. But with even "cheap" TIG's and Plasma's being 5-900$, its not worth the risk to me. I spent the money on a Hypertherm plasma early last year because I was scared I would have a 600$ paperweight if I bought an off brand. Same thing for my Precision Tig. I don't use it THAT much, but I have had it for 12 years and I know when I flip the switch its going to work and make a nice controlled arc.
Most any quality machine will do hoods.. You just want something with a fine amperage control. I run a thumb control on my TIG torch to control the amperage as I go. The cool thing is if I set the amperage to 150A on the machine, then the full range of the thumb control is spread among that 150A range.. If I set it to only 40A, again though, all 100% of the thumb control is spread across only 40A.. So 33A, 34A, 35A etc are easy to dial into.
Seriously consider getting a thumb control if you are going to do aluminum, especially sheet. As Brad says, it absorbs the heat really fast, and pulls it away.. Then once the entire area is hot, its frigging HOT. On aluminum, when I first start I have to crank the amperage up real high on the thumb control and actually sit there and work the metal for a few seconds to get it to liquify, and then once it does and I can start moving, I have to back down the amperage a bit, then shortly after that usually drop the amperage WAY back. I've never used a foot pedal, seems like too much coordination and I get antsy anyhow and constantly shuffle my feet.
In the past year i have actually started using the TIG on steel bodywork too. The welds are usually better than the mig.
As Mitch said, there are cheaper but quality comes into question. I don't mind rolling the dice on a 30$ sander or something if I am in a bind, knowing that it may crap out on me.. But with even "cheap" TIG's and Plasma's being 5-900$, its not worth the risk to me. I spent the money on a Hypertherm plasma early last year because I was scared I would have a 600$ paperweight if I bought an off brand. Same thing for my Precision Tig. I don't use it THAT much, but I have had it for 12 years and I know when I flip the switch its going to work and make a nice controlled arc.
Most any quality machine will do hoods.. You just want something with a fine amperage control. I run a thumb control on my TIG torch to control the amperage as I go. The cool thing is if I set the amperage to 150A on the machine, then the full range of the thumb control is spread among that 150A range.. If I set it to only 40A, again though, all 100% of the thumb control is spread across only 40A.. So 33A, 34A, 35A etc are easy to dial into.
Seriously consider getting a thumb control if you are going to do aluminum, especially sheet. As Brad says, it absorbs the heat really fast, and pulls it away.. Then once the entire area is hot, its frigging HOT. On aluminum, when I first start I have to crank the amperage up real high on the thumb control and actually sit there and work the metal for a few seconds to get it to liquify, and then once it does and I can start moving, I have to back down the amperage a bit, then shortly after that usually drop the amperage WAY back. I've never used a foot pedal, seems like too much coordination and I get antsy anyhow and constantly shuffle my feet.
In the past year i have actually started using the TIG on steel bodywork too. The welds are usually better than the mig.