Tig Welder questions (1 Viewer)

[Leaping Deer]

I came into some cash and was thinking about picking up a tig welder. I currently have a Millermatic 210 and its great and in all reality does what anything that I woudl ever need it for. But I have a small tool fettish and would like to try tig welding.

I was looking into the Miller Syrnowave 200. I was reading up on their site and it says AC/DC current. When I read further the say DC for steel and stainless. I'm only going to be using this in my home and don't have a DC power supply so does this mean I won't be able to use it to weld aluminum or stainless?

 

[george_tlc]

The INPUT is nominal 230V AC (I assume you're looking at the single phase model).

It can be set to OUTPUT AC or DC...

cheers,
george.

 

[longevity]

The AC and DC part will be important if you wish to weld exotic metals like aluminum. Also, check the duty cycle of the machine to insure it is at least 35% at max amps.

 

[fj40charles]

Syncrowave 180/200/250/300/350/251 will all do AC and DC. It will be very reliable and serve you well.

I would stay away from chinese made junk. Stick with brand names like Miller, Lincoln, Esab, Thermal Arc.

 

[longevity]

Thermal Arc and the other mentioned brands all have manufacturing in China as well, but they make pretty good stuff. All of the mentioned brands by fj40 are great and you cannot go wrong with any of them. Also check the used market as well on craigslist!

 

[Sc0-]

Could just use an Oxy-Acetylene torch?

 

[arm and hammer]

I have millermatic 210 also , and I have spoolgun too , which is optional equipment for the 210 .I use spoolgum for welding a aluminum . And I had bug in my head like you about tig welding aluminum,Than I purchase Invertig 201 ac/dc with all bells and whistles , and now I am not using it because spoolgun is easier to use and faster.....so now I have 2500$ sitting in my garage doing nothing ....don't say after you haven't been warned.

 

[Leaping Deer]

Yeah that thought had crossed my mind. I don't have a spooky gun for the 210 but then again I don't know how much I would be welding aluminum.

 

[spressomon]

I was in the same boat...I have a MM252 (with spoolgun) and although its a great MIG I have some small production parts that get welded and I'm tired of the spatter clean up; some of the nooks and crannies are just about impossible to clean up.

And I've been wanting to learn TIG for a couple years...so after talking to several welders and comparing products I ordered an HTP 221 TIG set-up. Supposed to be delivered this week...and then its on to learning how to TIG.

Invertig 221 TIG Welders, Invertig 221 TIG Welding Machine | USAWeld.com

This site has been very helpful: Welding Tips and Tricks - TIG, MIG, Stick and a pantload of other info

And thank you to fj40charles for assistance too!

 

[meigsrock]

I upgraded my Lincon 135+ mig to the Miller 211 mig and never looked back. I got the spool gun for aluminum but have not used it yet.

I would recommend the Miller Diversion 180 TIG. Diversionâ„¢ 180 - TIG - Miller

This is the one I am looking at. It will do 115v, 220v, steel, aluminum, a little more portable than some bigger units, and it will do everything I am thinking of doing on a personal hobby / boat/ truck/ scale. I want it mostly for thiner materials and aluminum work on my boat and rafts. Only thing holding me back $, and if I think I will use it enough to justify buying it.

 

[BajaFJ40]

Get An AC/DC so you can weld aluminum

I was in the same position las year, and after some research I concluded that I should get a miller with some options like post flow, pulse, AC balance and a pedal, this will come in handy as my technic progresses, do some reaserch and do not buy the smallest welder you think you need, buy something bigger and buy only once.
The modern inverter machines were aut of my budget so i got a used Miller Syncrowave 300 for $1600.00, these are older models built to last and the technicians at my local welding supply tell me that there is plenty of support in case in needs fixing.
Also check if your electrical installation can handle the demand of current and if not are you willing to pay for an upgrade?


This is what my $1600.00 got me

 

[BajaFJ40]

Here Is The Pic.

Forgot to upload piture in previous post

 

[Weber Sarge]

I had considered the Synchrowave series but they were just too big and not portable enough for what I needed at the time . Bought a Dynasty 200, now about 5yrs old and have never regretted it a bit .
One word about spool guns- be really careful how you use them. I've had to re-repair a lot of parts that were spool welded with DC on aluminum. If your gun has a speed knob learn to use it to prevent blobs and overbuild, it leads to problems with leaks in pressure applications and really doesn't get good penetration. That is the one thing about TIG process, you can clearly see and understand what the base of the weld puddle is doing . It took several months and a lot of swearing before I was comfortable enough to work on pressurized parts due to variations in aluminum alloys . Read the manuals, research on the net and learn to use those balance/frequency controls, really makes a difference.
Sarge

 

[24HOURSOFNEVADA]

I was in the same boat...I have a MM252 (with spoolgun) and although its a great MIG I have some small production parts that get welded and I'm tired of the spatter clean up; some of the nooks and crannies are just about impossible to clean up.

And I've been wanting to learn TIG for a couple years...so after talking to several welders and comparing products I ordered an HTP 221 TIG set-up. Supposed to be delivered this week...and then its on to learning how to TIG.

Invertig 221 TIG Welders, Invertig 221 TIG Welding Machine | USAWeld.com

This site has been very helpful: Welding Tips and Tricks - TIG, MIG, Stick and a pantload of other info

And thank you to fj40charles for assistance too!

Dan what made you decide HTP over Miller? I only ask because I'm signed up for a two day tig seminar working with thin wall tubing. If you'd rather email me the reasons I'm good with that.

 

[danxcsp]

I had considered the Synchrowave series but they were just too big and not portable enough for what I needed at the time . Bought a Dynasty 200, now about 5yrs old and have never regretted it a bit .
One word about spool guns- be really careful how you use them. I've had to re-repair a lot of parts that were spool welded with DC on aluminum. If your gun has a speed knob learn to use it to prevent blobs and overbuild, it leads to problems with leaks in pressure applications and really doesn't get good penetration. That is the one thing about TIG process, you can clearly see and understand what the base of the weld puddle is doing . It took several months and a lot of swearing before I was comfortable enough to work on pressurized parts due to variations in aluminum alloys . Read the manuals, research on the net and learn to use those balance/frequency controls, really makes a difference.
Sarge

I'm with Sarge on this one, the new small inverters are very sweet packages but they can be pricy. I sell this stuff for a living and have connections to get most any of big name welders at a discount. I have a small shop in my pole barn and this years winter project is a 16' 1985 Lund fishing boat that I've stripped and am re-outfitting to my liking. I needed a new TIG with good versitility and low end, after looking at all my options I went with the Miller Dynasty 200, I really think it offered me the most bang for the buck.

When I selected this Miller I considered the Diversion 180, ESAB and Lincoln welders. As a rule I'm not a Miller guy but really liked the features and arc of Miller best so I waited till a Reconditioned unit came up at Miller and ordered it. I had to do some convincing to my wife why something so small was so pricy compared to my other welders (she is over it (I think))

I have a quite a few shops that TIG weld and a few that really pound on this 200 and they hold up quite well so I'm confident in it's durability. Right now I'm running it air-cooled with a 125 amp torch and a ProFax foot remote and I really like the set up, if I had lots to weld or put it in a commercial shop I would recommend water-cooling.

As far as MIG vs TIG like everyone I have an opinion: if a strong cosmetically pleasing weld is needed TIG will almost always be my preferrence, this is especially true for aluminum. TIG costs more initially and is generally slower but the results (when correctly applied) are typically superior.

With this said in my welding sales world over 90% of what I sell MIG because pretty in not always important, speed is what drives labor costs down and MIG rules here. I've been doing this a long time and lke my job because I get to see thousands of different projects from 1-offs to super high production, it keeps me busy and pays the bills.

RIght now my pole barn weld shop has:
(1) Miller Maxstar 200 (my favorite)
(1) Hobart TigWave 350 (old with a bad low end)
(1) Hobart 175 Handler (good for .030 and down wire)
(1) OTC 270 MIG (made by Thermal Arc, good with .045 very good single phase MIG arc)
(1) THermal Dynamic 40 amp plasma (works sweet on the .062 dimaond plate right now!)

 

[Gumby]

I'm looking at a replacement for my Miller 35. I'm leaning heavily toward the Miller 212 mostly because that 35 was/ is an amazing welder. It was built in 1975 and is a great, although limited by today's standards, machine.

We'll keep the 35 around as a backup.

We also have a synchrowave TIG. I like it too.

 

[danxcsp]

I'm looking at a replacement for my Miller 35. I'm leaning heavily toward the Miller 212 mostly because that 35 was/ is an amazing welder. It was built in 1975 and is a great, although limited by today's standards, machine.

We'll keep the 35 around as a backup.

We also have a synchrowave TIG. I like it too.

I'm more of an old school guy for the small MIG welders. I doubt you will get the sweet/forgiving shor-arc welding arc from the 212 that the old 35 has. The 212 is good but the arc just isn't as nice from my perspective. Look at the weight difference of the two and note the 212 is lighter but has the same output rating; 1) the rating system today is aggressive vs quite conservative ratings of the past; 2)per my rep the weight loss is all copper that was replaced by aluminum and technology all to get the cost down. If you started with the 35 you definately want the 212 over the 211 Auto-Set, again my humble opinion.

One good thing that changed with Miller is their torches for the MillerMatic are now pretty much Miller/Tregaskiss torches these are much more comfortable then the old school stuff on the old 35. Plus parts are easy to get and kind of reasonably priced.

Now when you get into the commercial welders I love the new high tech inverters (well some of them) the new Miller Axcess are wonderful in most every aspect.

 

[ArecJohnson]

I was in the same boat...I have a MM252 (with spoolgun) and although its a great MIG I have some small production parts that get welded and I'm tired of the spatter clean up; some of the nooks and crannies are just about impossible to clean up.

And I've been wanting to learn TIG for a couple years...so after talking to several welders and comparing products I ordered an HTP 221 TIG set-up. Supposed to be delivered this week...and then its on to learning how to TIG.

Invertig 221 TIG Welders, Invertig 221 TIG Welding Machine | USAWeld.com

This site has been very helpful: Welding Tips and Tricks - TIG, MIG, Stick and a pantload of other info

And thank you to fj40charles for assistance too!

That's what I am looking for. Thanks for sharing the link, I am going to buy this welder from your give link HTP America® Invertig 221 AC/DC TIG Welder - https://usaweld.com/collections/htp-america-invertig-221-ac-dc-tig-welder

 

[spressomon]

^ I've been super pleased with mine! If you can, splurge for the water cooled torch option as it makes a big difference.