TIG Welding Help!

[blueoval557]

Not looking right now, as I am operating on the "high school budget", but I was wondering what model of Miller TIG I should buy when the time comes? There is SOOOO much more to TIG machines than MIG! Im reading the stuff on the Miller site going...uhhhh...hmmm...wat?...LOL i want it to be able to weld mild steel and chromeonly tubing for drag racing chassis. but also be able to use it for thin stuff.
any suggestions?
thanks, kyle

[blueoval557]

also...

also, when your tigging....i know with a MIG you move in the small circles or the "u's" or however youve been taught, but when your tigging, do you do the same thing? you move the torch or the wire? or both?
THANKS!
Kyle

[customwelds]

TIG welding is NOT hard to do. People say it is but it is very easy to do once you learn the ropes. Even on aluminum. The biggest down side is price. I'm looking to get a Miller Dynasty 200 if i can find one used. If you need a brand new machine and never want to weld aluminum, go with the little miller maxstar 150. It looks like it would handle any tube chassis things. If i remember right, Chrome-moly only requires DCEN polarity to weld and tubing usually requires no preheat or normalization. Another good machine to look at would be the Lincoln Squarewave 175, http://www.tigdepot.com has demo units for sale around $1200 and they offer squarewave technology for the ultimate AC welding. Hope i was a help!

[craig]

find a used machine, it's alot cheaper than new. i bought a miller dialarc-hf off of ebay for $590 with a tig torch and a 20' power cord. just find one that you can go pick up, shipping 500lbs wouldn't be cheap.

[want2weld]

You need to consider where you'll be using the machine..
You have Transformer based and Inverter based power sources.

Transformer power sources are heavy (~200lbs and up) and require more input amperage then an inverter based power source.

For example, the Miller Syncrowave 180SD requires ~68A of input power for full 180A output. If this is going to be a home use machine you will need to make sure you have the power for it as well as the floor space.

The Dynasty 200DX, inverter power source, only requires an astonishing ~16A at ~150A output. And the 200DX is only 45lbs!

But, with Inverter technology comes a price. The Dynasty is very likely out of the price range of someone on a "High School Budget" (over $3K with the contractor Kit).

When I purchased my TIG welder I went with the Thermal Arc 185TSW (~$1700 - complete).

Search this board because this is a common topic which has been addressed many times (even for me when I was reasearching TIG welders).

Good luck.

[aircraft]

Re: also...

Originally posted by blueoval557
also, when your tigging....i know with a MIG you move in the small circles or the "u's" or however youve been taught, but when your tigging, do you do the same thing? you move the torch or the wire? or both?
THANKS!
Kyle

depends on the metal, for instance on stainless you must use a stringer bead movement with no side to side movement. Even when you do osilate from side to side it will not be as pronouced as MIG or stick

[Ed in Ga]

Blueoval,
If not interested in using the tig with aluminum look for DC tigs like the Maxstar or equivalent. Quite a price difference between DC and AC/DC tig welders.
Ed

[blueoval557]

ac is for aluminum?

so i take it DC is for the steel and AC is for the aluminum right? id like to do aluminum but if the price is WAY diff ill jus go with the dc machine...
Kyle

[Jerry]

your right, dc steel and ac is for aluminum welding.

[davesisk]

Re: ac is for aluminum?

Originally posted by blueoval557
so i take it DC is for the steel and AC is for the aluminum right? id like to do aluminum but if the price is WAY diff ill jus go with the dc machine...
Kyle

Correct. More precisely, AC (preferably squarewave AC) is used for weldable aluminum (not all AL alloys are weldable) and magnesium. DC-EN is used for all other weldable metals (mild steel, stainless, chrome-moly, copper, etc.)

HTH,
Dave

[JOHNK]

Tig machine on the cheap

You could save money by adding a tig torch to a transformer machine(scratch start)but if you plan on bringing it to different garages I would save my back and get a inverter machine.Its worth the extra expence to not be in pain down the road.