useing a stick for tig

[bobo]

I have an old john deer 220 volt arc welder. Getting ready to start a chassis project and would like to be able to weld it up without the slag assosiated with the stick. Is it possible to convert the old welder I have to some sort of tig? I could go after an inexpensive mig but if I could convert the one I have for under 4-500 bucks this seems to be a better deal.

I have mig and stick welded for years but I don't know much about a tig. I'm sure it wouldn't be the same as areal tig but would it work? If it would work would it only work on steel or could it be used on aluminum?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Tim

[John C]

You can buy an air cooled tig torch & flow meter for the argon gas which you can rent. The cost should be around 250-300 dollars. Assuming that the welder you have is DC.

[Roger]

If your John Deer welder has DC out with stepless amp control then it will work for TIG. It will be more difficult to get right setting without remote amptrol. An expert TIG welder could probably use switched tap amp control with difficulty but not practical.

You want TIG torch with valve to limit wasting gas. If you have flow gage or flowmeter with regulator for MIG welding use it with 100% argon for TIG welding.

Can also weld thin aluminum using DC electrode negative (DC-) but much harder. Only practical for short welds on thin metal as torch gets too hot. Water cooled torch would help heat problem.

That welder probably has high for TIG welder lowest amp setting which limits use on thin metal.

Buy a HH175 it is the better deal.

[bobo]

It won't work I suppose

Just checked the old John Deere and found it's only a/c. 295 amp continuous amp control but no d/c. Sure wish I would have kept the old licoln buzz box! I suppose I'll soon be in the market for some type of mig. All I need it for will be the chassis and it will be mostly 1/16 wall with a little 1/8th. From what I gather after reading the other posts is a handler 135 would probably work well for me .
Thanks very much for the info.
Tim