TIG welder advice

[jmadden]

since pricing is roughly the same everywhere, now you need to look at how good a supplier is to work with... may as well give the good ones the business... or maybe one of the locals by you can meet the price and you can develop a relationship with them since you will also need gas (now you get to decide what gas to use), a cylinder (what size, buy vs lease), filler rod, tungsten (size & type), etc. , in the future. Don't know how the suppliers are around you, but here in WI some of them will give 10% off if you are in a welding class at a tech school (or just claim you are). I'm sure we can all provide you input on these topics as well if you want it.



jm

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Jm:



You bring up some VERY good points that I have only made small and unfortunately insignificant mental notes on... .



I planned on argon, but there are instances where I have seen that helium was recommended as a shielding gas. I guess picking a shielding gas is kinda like buying tires... you have to figure out what you need to do most often and figure out the best solution from there.



Time to look at the locals..... they might surprise me... . actually one place just over the (tax free) state line is right in the ballpark. I may have to figure out their hours - as I won't be able to pick up supplies in the normal Mon. -Fri. 9-5 scenario due to work.



I'm always open for suggestions... . so feel free to suggest away!



Thanks again...



Matt

 

[jmadden]

I'm by no means a pro... and certainly don't use this stuff to make a living, but used tig, mig & stick for assembling an off-road hobby vehicle (older Landcruiser) and after a year of abuse none of the welds broke.



For gas, Argon seems to work well on everything, so it ended up as my gas of choice. Helium helps create greater heat and thus greater penetration... I've always been able to adjust for that by turning up the power. Bought the biggest cylinder I could... it just wasn't that much more $$$ than some of the smaller ones... and it was worth avoiding the hassle of filling it all the time. If you really use a lot of gas leasing might be a viable option, I just don't use enough to do that.



Tungsten... I use 2% thoriated (sp?) for everything. I've read that aluminum requires pure tungsten, but have heard other opinions and haven't had a problem w/ the 2%. If I were welding parts for an airplane I might feel differently.



Filler rod is generally inexpensive... I tend to have a couple sizes around and usually a few rods for aluminum just in case a need develops.



That's about all that comes to mind tonight. Hope it helps.



jm

 

[HoleshotHolset]

jm:



I'm thankful for any amount of advice I get... .



I'm leaning towards the big tank... . $45/year to lease... plus the gas is cheaper?



Argon seems to be the way to go... . and if I ever get a MIG... I can use it for that too. (I'm not sure if you can use helium for MIG... )



Anyone have any experience with the old (last year's) Syncrowave 180?... . I can get one of those for a few hundred less than this year's model. The digital panel (on this year's model) appeals to me because I can instantly return to a setting that worked well for a particular setup. But if you folks think that I could get by with the manual control... . with a reasonable amount of precision... . I may go with the older model.



Thanks again... . I'm learning so much!



Matt

 

[HoleshotHolset]

I just found this link... . check it out and be sure to vote!



http://www.arc-zone.com/missarc/competition.html







Matt

 

[CWebster]

gas

IF you are going to be welding steel you are going to want to use CO2 and Argon mix, 'round here it is called 75/25... pretty much the standard for mild steel. Aluminum is argon only..... TiG is only Argon no matter what you are welding NO OXYGEN. Your tip needs to be 2% tungsten. And when you are TiG welding aluminum, first set your welder to DC and arc your tungsten so it forms a small ball on the end then switch back to AC to weld. Creates a beautiful weld. YOu can get small bottles of gas that will only last a few days if you are wanting to sample different gases. TiG welds are generally a better performing weld and does not distort your workpiece as much as other processes (less heat affected zone since you can concentrate your arc to a smaller area), but the trade off is time..... TiG welding a piece takes quite a bit longer than MiG welding. FYI the sell push-pull systems that work FANTASTIC, a little more $$ but if you are doing a decent amount of welding, the only way to go.



I own a fab shop and we do steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and some alloys with every process (MiG, TiG, etc. ) 'bout a million pounds a year. We are 95% Miller Blue and wouldn't have it anyt other way. Also, you should have an AIRGAS supplier in your area, they are some of the best to wotk with (obviously AIRGAS in your area may treat people different than in mine) and they can give you the skinny onthe gas, wire, fill rod, consumables, etc. When you talk to them ask for a Welding guide. They are generally free and will tell you what gas and fill rod to use with whatever base metal you are welding to. Also, a trade school that might be in your area woul;d be the best place to get skills, they usually offer adult night or weekend classes and the real world info you get is priceless.

Hope this helps.



Chris Webster

 

[jmadden]

Matt -- I've got the older version of the 180SD (new 2 or 3 years ago). While the digital gauges sound cool I'm not sure I'd benefit from them, although it sounds like they added a few other nice features over the older version. When (tig) welding the dial is only your maximum amperage anyway, then you control for the actual amperage with the foot pedal (just like a gas pedal)... I'm not sure I'd then look at the digital gauge to see what I'm actually using. I don't find myself doing the same thing often enough that I'm trying to repeat setups, but for a couple hundred I'd personally get the newest... anymore than that I'd start to question cost vs benefit. Couple hundred is pretty negligable in the long run so get whatever will make you happy. For mig I do like the digitals...



Only thought on the cylinder lease/buy... cylinders are usually certified for a 10-year period and cost wise I think the big ones are ~$250 w/ the first fill free. $450 to lease for ten years the purchase leaves you an extra $200 for gas during the same 10- years. I only get one or two fills a year... you might use a lot more and the more you use the better leasing can look due to the cheaper gas.



If you ever get a mig you might think about another tank and use CO2... a much cheaper gas for general purpose.



jm

 

[83 crew cab]

I have the older 180



as far as the bottle goes like Jmadden said lto lease is alittle more than bying out right



if you buy you need to have bottle hydo testes ever 10 but around here they dont want to mess with filling your bottle while you wait so they just give you another one. in 15 years with 5 bottles to supermix(mig) oxy and actinle and the strait argon I have only been charged the $10 for the hydo test once I waited to long to have the oxy bottle filled and did not realize that it was close (3 years I had it for along time) when i got the new one from them

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Guys: I can't thank you enough! The information being provided in this thread is invaluable... .



Okay... I've made my mind up... . barring any unforseen deals. I'm going for the brandy-new Syncrowave 180SD with full-digital readout, etc. It's $50 more than online prices... . but hopefully - If I buy my welder from this place (in beautiful tax-free New Hampshire... ) they'll go easy on me for the consumables I'll be needing on a regular basis.



Okay... so if I lease my tank(s) for $45 a year... . I get how much gas? 1 tankfull initially... and then they give me a break on the gas prices after the first tank?



And then if I bring a tank that I own there... . they will fill it for a higher price than if I leased the tank from them?



I only plan on using this welder every now and then..... maybe a few times per month once the "new toy phase" is over with.



Here's a question: Do the older Syncrowave 180SD's still have lots of high-tech circuitry in them that will leave me stranded with a big parts bill? It seems like the new one with the digital has a lot of stuff that could go wrong in there... .



Thanks again!



Matt

 

[HoleshotHolset]

I am now the PROUD owner of a Miller Syncrowave 180SD Digital. I picked it up Saturday AM... .



I have about 4 hours behind that machine... and I absolutely LOVE it!



Huge thanks to all that convinced me to go with the Miller... . and also those who answered my countless questions.



BTW: I bought it from Merriam-Graves in Keene, NH... . they gave me a good price ($50 more than internet prices... ), a free bottle of gas - not a rental or a lease, a good deal on an auto-shade helmet, 2-hour in-store demo with expert welder, good deal on some tungsten... . and some TIG gloves.



I can't say enough good things about the welder... . and how well I was treated by the fine folks at Merriam Graves.



Stay tuned... . I'll have some more questions about TIG welding in the near future.



Word to the wise: Strong magnets will interfere with TIG welding.



Matt

 

[CWebster]

Congrats

Congratulations on your new purchase! TiG welding is like anything else, you put some hours under the hood and you'll have the hang of it in no time. Also, you did good by finding a supplier that is there for you. Those guys have seen every situation and will be your shortest route to the answer your looking for (especially since you spent money with them, they know your commited ) MILLER was your best choice.





Good luck!

Chris Webster

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Chris:



You're absolutely right. I came real close to ordering online... and would have saved about $50 on the purchase price of the welder. I have already saved over $100 with just the free Ar tank... not to mention all the other stuff they hooked me up with.



I'm going back there on Saturday..... need to refill the tank, and pick up some consumables.



Repeat and referral business... . gotta love it.



Matt

 

[metal tech]

Glad to here you got a good deal on everything. Now in about a month I want to see a pic of you welding 2 Coke cans end to end or side to side, just kidding. I'm not sure if anyone mentioned it or not, but when you tig weld the surface needs to be clean enough to eat off of. I like using denatured alcohol to clean parts prior to welding.



Al

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Welding aluminum.....



Well, while I was still at the store... the salesman and welding expert stick welded something just to show off.



Natrually the welder was still on DC.....



I decided to try and weld together two pieces of what I thought was steel..... well after turning them into a puddle of muck... . I realized it was aluminum and that I was on DC instead of aluminum friendly AC.



Live and learn.



Matt - plasma arcs make me happy!

 

[aharrow]

hey metal tech just to let you know that I welded two mountain dew cans together back in vo-tech if my mom still has them I will take a pic and post it since then I have welded just about every kind of ferrous and non-ferous material out there I have a sycrowave 250 with a cool-mate 300 and a trailblazer 250g with a miller suitcase MIG that runs on propane love my miller talk to ya'll later Aaron