Fabrication on the 2nd gen?

I am looking advise on a decent TIG welder for my garage. It needs to be AC/DC. Lets hear what you folks use and what your recommendations are. I have 60a of 220 in the garage so that is my power limit. I am really looking forward to doing some of my own fab for my 09 DCSB

 

you should consider a miller mig welder the 211 is great it can be used either on 110 or 220

 

Not trying to give you a hard time, but if you are asking what TIG welder to buy here, me thinks you might not know how to TIG. Are you a welder or just looking to learn at home and then start fabbing?

I believe the Everlast Power TIG 200 might be a good fit for you. I haven't used the unit, but the videos I've seen of it makes it look like it burns well/stable. I recommend watching small TIG reviews on youtube.

Goodluck.

 

He's probably wanting to be able to weld Aluminum....that why he mentioned AC....I'm assuming... And the DC for the steel / Stainless.

OP....I'd stay with a big brand name if you plan on keeping it for a number of years.
You'll be able to get spare parts and service in the future if necessary.

Make sure whatever AC unit you get ...it should have High Frequency ( for the Aluminum ) also if you plan on doing much Aluminum....get a water cooled torch.....if you have good tap water ( City source ) you may not need a water cooler for the torch.

Some of the small 250 amp. torches are eacy to handle and some of the parts are interchangeable for the big brand names ....TEC and Weldcraft I believe.

Keep use posted.

 

Some good advice above, though, I do think that the Everlast brand is coming in strong and they use Siemans IGBTs.

 

I am just beginning to learn. My buddy who is a tank welder recommended I start with tig since its the most flexible.

 

If you are going to only buy one machine, I say buy a TIG too. It isn't nearly as easy to setup or use as a MIG, but it can weld almost anything from something as thin as a soda can all the way up to .2" per pass. I also find TIG welding the most enjoyable. It is like gas welding without feeling like you are standing in a furnace after an hour . TIGs also stick weld.

A combination TIG/Plasma unit is also a good option.

 

If you're not an experienced welder....TIG can be a challenge. If you have trouble walking and chewing gum at the same time you may have problems. Most of the time you'll need both hands ...torch in one , filler in the other and controlling the amperage with your foot ( optional amp control on torch - slide switch - but these can creat other issues ) .

MIG is easier ....but can get you in trouble on thicker metals ( think trailer hitches ) if you don't know what you're looking for.

TIG is slow .....MIG much faster. The hobby MIG welder ( machine ) probably won't be welding Aluminum.

TIG is very versatile ....DC has no max limit on thickness that can be welded ( think
Nuclear industry ) and as mentioned very thin materials. AC ( Aluminum / Magnesium ) is diferent ( the puddle doesn't turn red in color ...so it takes some getting used to ) and thicker sections may require some preheat depending on your machine.

 

If you have the fundamentals of oxy fuel welding tig should come easy for you.

I learned how to tig on a miller Synchrowave 250 dx and a Lincoln powermig 350.

I would recommend gettin the powermig 350, it's a good all around welder. It can mig, tig, and stick weld.

You can also do aluminum mig on this machine with the right gun. But not aluminum tig.

 

I ended up ordering the everlast 225lx for 1000. Delivered

 

Congrats on the new purchase! Keep us posted and get us some pictures and videos of you burning a nice stack of dimes.

 

Will do.

 

should be delivered thurs, i will do an unboxing with pics

 

Got it. I will post up some pics tomorrow.

 

will probably start with a front receiver hitch. seems easy enough.

 

Nice. Let us know how the unit works out.

 

OK so we finally got everything hooked up yesterday and it worked very well. Tig on AC was great and TIG on DCEN also worked fantastic. The arc was so smooth and controlled.

My buddy was working with me on Stick , but I have a hell of a time getting the arc started. Rods kept sticking.

I only got a little UV burns on my arms and a nice slag burn on my left hand from a piece that fell into my glove, but all is good for now. I will post pics today.

 

Good to hear on the tig!

What kinda stick were you using? When I first learned I used 6010 mainly, it made clean welds, very little slag, very easy to use and learn how to control. Now I keep 6011 and 7018 rods on most jobs I goto, I can usually get the job done with those.

Would also be a good investment to get a decent leather jacket.

 

I was working with 7018. Stick is dirty and hot compared to tig. Not really sure why I would do it unless I was out of argon

This is from that piece of slag that fell into my glove !