New guy, just picked up my TIG- I'm impressed!

[mdg3369]

Hey everyone,
I'm Mike, 18 years old (Probably the youngest person here) I picked up my new (to me) tig welder today. It's a really old Hobart but works like a champ. 300 amps at 60% duty cycle, big tall unit, painted gold. Really neat machine. I got it about halfway towards the garage, and decided I had to try it out right there in the driveway!
Everything works great, the HF works, argon and water controls work, argon post flow works fine (I need to adjust it down a little, it's set at ~10 seconds now)
Just wanted to say hi to everyone, and share my excitement. After becomming proficient at gas welding, and really sucking at stick welding, I figured I'd really like tig, and I have to say, that tig welding has to be the most fantastic thing in the world I literally sat down, hit the foot pedal, and ran a perfect butt weld on two pieces of 16g steel. The control is just amazing! I'm really thrilled!
That's all for now, I'm sure I'll have some questions later on.
Glad to have found this board.
Mike

[Franz]

Mike, since you don't say where you are located, and that the machine is going to be in the garage, I sure hope you've considered that machine has to stay above freezing, or have antifreeze in the water cooling system.

[mdg3369]

Hey Franz, thanks for pointing that out. I'm in southern California, so freezing temperatures aren't really a concern. The garage heats up enough in the daytime, to stay warm enough on the two nights a year that we experience freezing temperatures.
Also, no re-circulating coolant system yet, I just hooked the torch up to the garden hose and hooked up a drain line (this is how the previous owner had it) I'm planning on building a coolant system, with a radiator, fan, and pump, but that's probably pretty far down on the list of things to do.
Mike

[Franz]

Just consider it an old fart watchin out for a youngster Mike, I don't see a lot of sense in a youngster repeatin mistakes that can be avoided.
Unless you're really going to work **** out of the machine, you can build one fine cooling system from an automotive air conditioner evaporator, a computer cooling fan and a freon cylinder. I've run one for over 20 years withot problems. You can hunt up a Procon pump on Ebay for cheap money, plenty of them are used in beverage carbonator systems. You'll also need to use a releif valve to minimize pressure on your torch, and provide a bypass when the solonoid closes. You might even want to eliminate the liquid solonoid completely with a recirculating system.
IT DOES GET COLD HERE, -5 this morning.

[Hobart Expert Rock]

HI MDG3369..........WELL IT WAS 7 DEGREES HERE THIS MORNING..........PLUS 7 I MIGHT ADD...............WELL THAT COOLING SYSTEM WILL BE NEEDED IN THE SUMMER TIME I'M SURE..................UP AROUND 90 DEGREES IT WILL COME IN HANDY.........WHAT MACHINE IS IT GIVE ME THE SERIAL NUMBER AND I'LL TELL YOU HOW OLD IT IS.....................ROCK
WELCOME ABOARD....................................[email protected]

[Scott V]

Franz,doesn't the procon type pumps come with a built in relief valve?Seems like the benard cooler had one.The reason I want to know is I am helping a guy build one out of stainless.It wiil pretty much look like a benard 2500 ss.He bought a procon clone off of ebay for about $9.00,buy it now.
Thanks for any info.Scott

[mdg3369]

Originally posted by Hobart Expert Rock
WHAT MACHINE IS IT GIVE ME THE SERIAL NUMBER AND I'LL TELL YOU HOW OLD IT IS.....................ROCK
WELCOME ABOARD....................................[email protected] [/B]

Thanks Rock!
It's a Model ADI-3641
Serial # 12RT-3284
Mike

[Franz]

Procon makes a number of different pump models, and I've seen a few go thru EPay that were supposedly the same model Bernard uses.
When I built mine, I went with a rubber roller pump I had in stock, and plumbed up a bypass valve just to be safe. I also deleted the solonoid from the water path, so the pump constantly circulates thru the torch. I really like keeping the pressure on the torch itself, and associated tubing to a minimum, and the valve does that very well.
I have a few precision half inch hydraulic flow regulator valves someplace in stock, if somebody needs one.

[Hobart Expert Rock]

MDG3369........... WELL THE BORN ON DATE IS 12-07-61.......... THE SPECIFICATION NUMBER IS 2886C...........AND THE MANUAL MAY OR MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE FROM ELLEN AT 920-735-4197....
GIVE HER A CALL IF IT IS AVAILABLE IT IS $15.00 USA FUNDS..............ENJOY AND HAVE SOME FUN WITH THE OLD GIRL... ROCK.............[email protected]

[Mowjunk]

Originally posted by Hobart Expert Rock
MDG3369........... WELL THE BORN ON DATE IS 12-07-61.......... THE SPECIFICATION NUMBER IS 2886C...........AND THE MANUAL MAY OR MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE FROM ELLEN AT 920-735-4197....
GIVE HER A CALL IF IT IS AVAILABLE IT IS $15.00 USA FUNDS..............ENJOY AND HAVE SOME FUN WITH THE OLD GIRL... ROCK.............[email protected]

Ok Rock, I have to ask...

You want him to have some fun with Ellen or do you want him to have some fun with the welder. And if with Ellen, I don't think she'd take kindly to you calling her an 'old girl'.

I couldn't resist....sorry!

[Hobart Expert Rock]

MOWJUNK..........NOW THIS ONE COULD GET ME IN TROUBLE ELLEN IS NOT AS OLD AS ME SO I'M OFF THE HOOK THERE.... I WAS REFERING TO THE WELDER AS THE OLD GIRL........................... ...........HAHAHA.......................ROCK[email protected]