TIG welders

[PeteC]

Considering buying a TIG welder to weld stainless steel for exhaust and have seen loads on e-bay, but don't know whats good and whats bad. I've only got a single phase supply at home so it will have to be 240v. Probably D.C. for steel, though A.C. would be usefull to weld ally! I've also seen these three in one units that incorporate tig, stick (mma) and a plasma cutter, only concern here is if one is broke then they all are... Anybody used/bought one? got any advice?
Pete C

[stylussprinter]

Tig would be a great thing to have but I tried using Nev Powell's professional tig and struggled with it . Granted it was just 15 minutes messing about but I came to the conclusion it would take me days to learn to use it properly I assume his top notch equipment would be far superior to your average bit of kit

[chill]

Tig's do require practice , if you have a wobbly hand don't start you will spend more time cleaning nibs than welding
I have a DC GYS 180HF with pureshield argon its great at welding allsorts of stuff , high frequency or touch soft start make life ALLOT easier so make sure the tool has this , without it the air will be blue as well as the arc .
Once you have the kit and have got used to using it, for small/ fiddly bits you will never go back. I hardly use mig anymore. The welds look aloot nicer too.

[PeteC]

I have used a proffesional set before and stainless was a doddle but ally was a nightmare!!
Obviously the diy kit won't be as good, thats what I'll blame my poor results on
how long have you had your GYS and if you don't mind, what did you pay for it?
Would you recommend it?

[flipper123]

hey
im looking for a tig,
if you are looking for an inverter type set and you are only going to weld, stainless steel and mild steel a cheeper mma arc set will do this you will just have to buy the correct type of leads filler rods and gun, scratch start is the cheepest option, but foot or button, operation is also better try a rainbow set or a kemppi min/arc 160 these two are great sets . if you want to weld aluminium you will need a ac/dc set which are alot more expensive around the £500 - £900 mark sometime thats without leads and vat. its some times cheeper to go mig if you arnt to botherd about the look of the weld with ally and buy a second set just for stainless, and still be under the price of a good ac/dc set. although if you practice mig will give a tidy weld with alliminium once mastered, its also better to buy good consumable this gave me trouble loads of times.

esab have brought out a nice inverter type with capabilities of 200A mma/arc supposed to be a good machine.
all i would say is buy better even if the price is that bit more, then it prevents dissapointment stay away from anything sealey, sip, and clarke although the more expensive clarke machines are ok.

oh and try migatronic dont know where you are in the uk but there is a dealer in dorchester i have a migatronis 180 mig machine its fantastic, gives welds which are smooth and splatter free!!! great bonus when you want to be neat.
anyway enough of my carry on, i havnt decided on one yet but im probably going to go with another migatronic machine when ive got the cash in the mean time its mig all the way for me.

[PeteC]

I've currently got a mig (sip 200) and it's been great, what do I have to do to weld ally with it? Do I need to change gas to pure argon and what about the torch liner?
If I can weld ally with the mig then a dc tig would suit me, unless I go for one with a plasma cutter built in
Pete C

[flipper123]

yes pure argon is the way to go. an oversized tip in the gun will stop the ally wire snagging as it expands when heated. release the roller mech so its not too tight, change the liner to a teflon one and get as short a gun as you can preferably a spool-on gun but they are pricy too
last of all use a larger wire.and rollers as it wont bend as easy the larger you go.

[flipper123]

also make sure you push the weld. this way there is more argon shielding the area.
and clean the aluminium as it starts to oxidise within minutes, and keep cleaning.