Welder

I have a little experience gas & stick welding repairing stuff on the farm in my younger days. I am tired of having to load up and pay someone to do something that I believe I can do with a practice. What is the minmum size TIG welder to weld CM and any recommendations on Make, Model & size. Thanks again, you guys are king!

 

Before you buy a tig welder , make sure you have a supplier of argon gas in and around where you live, you can buy a portable one from Eastern Tool Co. but it won't weld aluminum.

 

How thick aluminum you want to do will dictate how HD the machine has to be.
As for CM one of the 180 amp machines is more than ample. I currently have a 300 amp square wave Lincoln machine because I do heavy aluminum. Stick with Miller or Lincoln. I have had both and no issues with either. If I update again it will probably be a Lincoln as the first choice.


Don't even consider some of the "too good to be true" priced toy welders. You will be disappointed. Buy as powerful a welder as you can afford and be done with it. Like a lot of things, once you get into it you will need to weld something bigger and heavier down the road.


Check in your local area for welding suppliers. Go visit, shop, ask questions. Find out if anyone there can actually tig weld so you have someone to ask questions. Get information on bottle rental fees, delivery charges, etc. You can always switch companies but after the welder purchase you will be dealing with these people for a long time so find someone you are comfortable with.


I sold off my mig a few years ago because I realized that for racing and anything else that I do I never used it anymore.
I tig everything, big and small. Once in a while I fire up the stick part of it to do something for a local farmer on broken implements outside.


Self learning tig can be a pain. Ask your local LWS if the jr college or adult night courses has someone teaching tig. Perhaps even one of the LWS employees is capable of teaching the basics. I have often thought the LWS miss a trick by not offering an hour of sit down instruction to get your feet wet when purchasing an expensive piece of equipment.


As to the internet you can weed through some of these to get a sense of things.
http://www.weldingweb.com/
http://www.aws.org/cgi-bin/mwf/forum_show.pl
http://www.hobartwelders.com/weldtalk/
http://www.millerwelds.com/education/projects/mboard/forumdisplay.php?f=2


Have fun
Dave Koehler

 

GREAT POST,DAVE!
I have an Old Lincoln Ideal-Arc 350 with a High Frequency.But,if i was going New?The Lincoln Squarewave 250 or 300 would be the Machine of Choice!!
Later
Greg Reed

 

Sledge, I've messed around with Lincoln, Miller & some others for 15 years; My wife told me to buy a Fronius-----she knows the USA hdqtrs. CEO. It's the greatest thing since sliced bread! It does everything, is infinitely adjustable, has high frequency, square wave, pulse welding, & on & on. It makes a greta welder out of a so/so welder. Have been able to TIG .030 aluminum & weld 3/4 inch steel with mine. The heat effected zone is a third of what it is with other welders, even the other brand inverters. Accept the best. How does Porche sayit? / Porche, there is no substitute! Merry Christmas all you alcoholers!

 

Sledge,
Don't be afraid. If you can gas weld you can tig weld. If you know the principles of metal flow with a gas torch it is much easier to use the tig.
This said not everyone has the same skills but with a little practice you will be fine. The important thing when tig welding is to use the proper amperage.
Most have foot pedals that you can vary the amperage as you weld. Welding alum is actually easier than cm tubing as the welds are usually larger and the foot pedal allows you to apply a lot of amperage getting started and back it off as the material heats up. The proper setting on the machine is really important. I have a new Lincoln and also a 100 amp miller. They both weld good but I actually prefer the smaller machine when making welds on most cm tubing. Do some welding and cut the welds to check for penetration.
Good luck.

 

as for welders I love my syncro 250 miller.high freq. something to remember its not so much the machine but the person using the machine..Merry Christmas....secondwind Racing

 

Thanks for all the input, and I wish everyone & their family's a very Merry Christmas!

 

One last thing, I noticed several people on here are from "that place up north," as Woody put it. So I just wanted to say, "GO BUCKS."
Merry Christmas to all and thanks again!