What Tig Welder?

Minimichael

Well-Known Member
#1
What tig welder do you use? I've been welding with a Lincoln Weldpak HD, making frame repairs and adding kickstand mounts and whatever. Now I'm ready to try Tig.

So, what welders are out there nowadays? Best vendor for consumables?

I'd appreciate any advice you could offer here. Thanks!
 

Minimichael

Well-Known Member
#3
Kicking around the garage. Minibike work like small weldments for foot rests, jackshafts, kickstands. Stainless work would be nice to try, as would aluminum for lighter accessory type stuff like chain guards. My primary reason for seeking Tig skills is quality of the weld. Fighting with mig spatter is so discouraging.
 
#4
My first tig welder was a everlast it also did plasma cutting. Worked well as a first machine for about 10 years before the magic smoke came out and it was my own fault it blew up. I went and bought a HTP welder which can go down to 5 amps so it works much better with thin aluminum but I can still weld just a bad with probably any tig welder. I also have a hobart mig welder which see's much more use.
 
#6
It really depends on how much you will use it, and what you are working on. And whether you have 220v or 110v and whether you will be welding outside or inside.
I weld a lot of aluminum so i went with water-cooled HTP invertig 221DV. It has a ton of great features for aluminum so it made sense to me. It's not a cheap welder but i have not had any problems with it and i have had it over 10 years.
Water cooler is key if you will be welding long beads. Otherwise you will need to stop when the air-cooled torch gets hot and then re-start.

My dad has an Everlast water cooled TIG machine, it is on the cheaper side price wise, but seems to work fine.
I like my HTP better, the controls are less confusing to me.

If you go on the cheap side price wise, be aware that the torches are often lacking,
 

Minimichael

Well-Known Member
#7
It really depends on how much you will use it, and what you are working on. And whether you have 220v or 110v and whether you will be welding outside or inside.
I weld a lot of aluminum so i went with water-cooled HTP invertig 221DV. It has a ton of great features for aluminum so it made sense to me. It's not a cheap welder but i have not had any problems with it and i have had it over 10 years.
Water cooler is key if you will be welding long beads. Otherwise you will need to stop when the air-cooled torch gets hot and then re-start.

My dad has an Everlast water cooled TIG machine, it is on the cheaper side price wise, but seems to work fine.
I like my HTP better, the controls are less confusing to me.

If you go on the cheap side price wise, be aware that the torches are often lacking,
Awesome, Massacre. Thanks for this!
 

Minimichael

Well-Known Member
#9
I built my own watercooler from an article on making one from a old carbonater from a soda machine. They use the same pump as the commercial coolers, found a ford truck heater core cheap on ebay and used that as a radiator. made a bypass valve to adjust the pressure.
Wow! That's some impressive engineering there, ole4. And you want this sort of device for production-level tig work?
 

cfh

Well-Known Member
#10
I bought a water cooler for my Lincoln. Also not all Tig welders have the ability to use a water cooler, so i'm told. The cooler i got was from i think Ebay and it was like $250 (ct10.) it has actually worked quite well.
 
#11
As long as you have a water cooled torch the welder does not matter you just connecdt the torch to the hoses of the cooler. Welding suppliers like HTTP sell the quick connects that shut off water when disconnected for the lines. Half the time I weld I forget to turn on the water cooler. Most of what I do is not enough to overheat the torch.
 
#13
Some of the larger units connect to a water line and use a solenoid to run water then it drains into a drain. Mine is closed circuit.
 
#15
Or if you are ultra cheap you can hook the water hose directly to the machine and let it run out in the yard instead of circulating. A friend did this with his brand new Lincoln 300 amp Tig machine he bought new in 1968 and it stayed that way until he died. That machine is sitting in my shop right now. He welded Fruehauf aluminum trailer frames with it for years and years. Just have to regulate the incoming water pressure and go to work.

You have to get up in amperage to even need a water cooled torch. And a water cooled torch is bulkier and heavier than an air cooled torch.

What you are describing is just run of the mill air cooled work.

As far as machines go you can buy almost any price range. Try weldingtipsandtricks.com for honest evaluations of welding machines. Good guy with good information about any kind of welding or welding machine.

There is a good welding machine thread on this site if you search.
 
#17
AHP or PRIMEWELD if you want cheap Chinese prime weld has a no hassle prepaid shipping if you have to send it back for the little bit more money I’d say it’s worth it. There both dual voltage ac/dc
 
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