Tig Welders

[Green Machine]

Looking at buying a tig welder. I can Mig/Stick/Gas weld but I have never Tiged befor. Looking to do light frame work and some aluminum. I only have a 110 and a 220 outlet in the shop. A buddy told me a Miller 185 synicorwave would be the way to go. Anyone else have any info? Anyone have one for sale in the Washington/Oregon area? Any other brands that are ok?

 

[formula]

I've got a Miller Syncrowave 180. Been very happy with it so far. I've got a water cooled #20 TIG torch with fingertip controller hooked up to it. The small size and light weight of the torch make a huge difference.



Since you're thinking of doing aluminum work you should consider how thick of material you plan to work with. 180 amps is fine for 1/8" Aluminum and will work ok on 3/16" grooved butt welds. However it comes up short on 3/16" fillets, 250 amps or so would be better for that. Anything thicker and you WILL need a bigger machine. The thin stuff is really fun to work with Put on a 1/16" tungsten and a small cup and weld 0. 040 all day



I would highly recommend using a gas lens on your torch. It makes for much cleaner welds and uses less Argon. Also, with a gas lens, you can weld much more easily on outside corners without sucking air into the arc.



Below are pics of my torches and water cooler. The top torch is the #17 air cooled and the bottom one is the #20 water cooled. Both are fitted with a gas lens.



Sean





#ad


#ad

 

[Green Machine]

Nice set up. Im looking at doing 1/4 steel and maby up to 1/4 aluminum.

Is there that big of differance in the water cooled ver. the air cooled?

What is a set up like that going for new $1,800. 00?

Everyone says stay with Miller for parts and service.

Do these things break down a lot?

My boss says I should look for an older Miller 250sincrowave. But Im having a hard time finding anything used. The local miller shop says they have maby one or two come in a year. Any other info would be nice

thanks

Ron R.

 

[Green Machine]

What do you think about these?



Miller Dialarc HF TIG Welder in good condition!Made in USA by Miller Electric Manufacturing Co. of Appleton, Wis. Serial # HG036606 Stock # 901782 Equipped with... ... . Union Carbide HW-20 TIG Torch Stick Holders Ground Clamp Miller RFC-23AG Remote Foot Control Cylinder Reservoir Cooling System.



Its on Ebay of corse looks like its in fair shape.

 

[formula]

Since you're looking to TIG on 1/4" Al, you're gonna need at least a 250A machine. Don't know how much you plan to weld, but keep in mind the duty cycle of the machine. Also, a pulser is very sweet to weld with



As far as the water/air torches go... ... I can tell you that with the air cooled #17 torch (150A) that after about a minute or so of welding that thing will be so hot that you can barely hold onto it. With the water cooled #20 torch (250A) I can run my machine at full tilt and the handle hardly gets a little warm. In addition, the smaller size is much easier to work with. It allows you finer control. The hand controller is a must if you're working in ackward postitions.



I'm not familiar with that machine you posted from ebay. Could you post a link to it?



Sean

 

[metal tech]

Green Machine, since your having a hard time finding a used Synchrowave 250, you get the idea that these machines can last a long time. I read that you have 220 in your shop, on what size breaker? A transformer machine like the Synchrowave 180 + 250 pull lots of amps at max load. An inverter machine like the Dynasty 200 dx is much fewer amps which would help prevent rewiring the whole shop. I'm not sure what your budget is, but if you can spend the money get an inverter style machine. They are smaller and much lighter, Dynasty 200DX 50lbs vs syncrowave 250 @ 350 lbs. The inverters have much better arc shaping features, the ability to focus the arc/heat and make it more stable. I have used a Miller Dialarc years ago, it's a good machine, but technology has surpassed it. If you find a used transformer machine try to weld with it b4 purchase. Check the points, the insides for dust and grit builup and generally look for something burned/broken/missing. Formula is right, an aircooled torch is heavy and hot, need to use heavy arc gloves with them at high amps. There are other machines that would serve your needs, but Miller has the best service, and that sets them apart from the rest.



Al

 

[RonA]

I bought a Syncrowave 250 about 12 years ago. The only problem I have had was a broken return spring on the foot control. Cost around 8 dollars to fix. Welding aluminum I highly recommend the water cooled torch. A friend of mine bought a Hobart 175 about 5 years ago and has been trouble free also. If you can get a good deal on a used 175 amp machine, you can just pre heat your larger parts. I bought a little 12 x 12 pre heating plate that is handy. Of course a o/ac torch works fine.