22 replies to this topic

[boomfunk]

pity you dont have 3 phase, i have 1 for sale on ebay right now, and i tell you its better than any of those

[Heath]

Don't know about the welders but I think you will find many uses for a plasma cutter.

[FastEHHolden]

I have one similar to item 2....but I tell you that you wouldn't waste your time with the tig if you bought one of the really cheap migs and used 0.6 mm wire and Argon.....for puting plates in rotton doors etc it is great...but its very handy to have all bases covered with MIG, TIG and MMAW...i Soppose adding plasma cutting to that just tops it off.

[Rockoz]

What is your intended use?
I had an inverter some time back.
When I buy another one I will make sure it is AC and DC so I can do alumunium.
If you are going to do a lot of work, fork out the extra for a good machine. It will be worth it.

[Statler]

I didn't know if i should reply.......but here goes.....[flame suit on]

Why the hell do you want to buy a stick welder for panel work?
I love t.i.g!......always have!
But the variables need to be a lot closer with the t.i.g. process. I.e, gaps nice, material spotless!
In an ideal world, that is sweet! But in reality, it is very difficult. I'm not saying it is unachievable, just that a lot of extra work/accuracy is required.

I look at it this way....t.i.g = acrylic........m.i.g = 2 pak.

The plasma function is nice.....but the cost of consumables + knowledge of operation.......it will be a function you rarely use! Really nice when things are going smooth, but easy to blow the tips out. It becomes a pain to replace them after a while. lol. 1mm cutting discs are faster & more accurate. [imho]

My suggestion.......assuming you are using it for panel work.......is to buy a M.I.G. Something 150a min, yet still single phase.

With m.i.g, the gaps are more forgiving.....& heat input is more of an issue.
If you dont get too carried away with trying to weld in full sections in 1 go,[manage heat input], then it will do a nice job!


Why buy a t.i.g if you cant weld alluminium? The HF units [ high frequency....for welding alloy] used to be as dear as the power sources, but with technology these days, i dont know.

I dont know if any of that helps.
Cheers, Col.

[boomfunk]

this is the TIG i have up for sale at the moment -

http://cgi.ebay.com....me=STRK:MESE:IT

i also think a plasma is good to have, i have 2, a little one and a big arse one, brillant they are

[FastEHHolden]

tig is shit hard to learn.

Now that I own one..I would say if you can oxy weld you can tig weld.

[MrTorana98]

Hi Boomfunk,
Does the TIG require gas ?
Also I can oxyweld how much harder is it to use a tig welder .
I been told the metal doesn't warp as much because the metal does't get any where near as hot as OXY welding
Does the metal have to be super clean to weld?
What is the advantage of AC DC TIGS?

Sorry for all the questions but I am interested in buying the TIG.

Cheers John.

[Bart]

I would look into engineering/tool like shops and see what is available, different brands and power levels. Try to not buy from ebay if you can help it, if you need parts and service it may be imposible if its an ebay item.
Yes try to buy Australian or Australin aproved made in China, try to stay away from Chinese imports without Austalian aproval as some parts and service arent available.
I would get 3 phase and buy an Al/steel Tig with 300+amp, that way if you need to weld a half inch alu flange it wont be a prob for example.

[MrTorana98]

I am a electrician myself and already have 3 phase in the shed , but I would think that the costs of installing 3 phase in a domestic shed to be to dear.

Most people when I wire up there sheds never go for three phase as they are usually flat out affording the shed let alone the extra cost of the three phase power.

But something to remeber if you are building a new shed if you think you may need three phase in the future get the electrician to install the extra 2 cables in the conduit when running the mains from your mainswitchboard to your shed , then its a matter of hooking it up when you need the three phase ,or even get him to install a second conduit so that in the future it would be easier to run the cables when 3 phase would be required. ( the above assumes you would have 3 phase available at your main switchboard )

Cheers John.

[orangeLJ]

no need to tell the council what you are up to with 3 phase.

two words will get you by-

AIR CONDITIONING

tell them you are installing ducted air conditioning and will need the 3 phase hookup.

My parents are getting it put on at their joint to run the hoist and bender in the back shed.

[wot179]

We have one of those 200amp AC/DC machines that he sells at work.

I thrash it on 3mm stainless for hours and it handles the pace fine.

Its not too bad on 3mm ally either.

If I was in the market for one,I'd definitely consider one.

They are available for about $1100 at some welding stores,but painted a different colour.)Yellow or blue)

Identical machine,though.

[Punchy]

Liam : re your original post, It looks like your really only wanting an arc welder - so quite literally anything from anywhere will do the job, anything up to 140 amps will be fine around the house to make gates etc. And dont get carried anway on welding rods. Some of those cheap chinese rods do the job just as well as the more expensive cigweld packets

Plasma cutters are best used as a dedicated unit.

Last year I did some night courses in Tig welding. This in turn gave me the experience i needed to work metals properly and how to set machines up to do the job. From there you can work out what machine suits your tasks best.

Personally I ended up buying the smootharc 200 amp ac/dc tig unit from BOC gases. It's a combination unit that can arc weld as well, and comes with the appropriate cables etc.
I bought this unit on purpose to do panel work on cars. I can vouch for this unit as well as it will hold a steady arc at 7 amps. So over all i found it was a good investment for just over 2 k which included HF starts and pedal control options, ac option for alloy work, with pulse funtions as well.

IMO and as per many text book reference manuals will say, up to 10mm plate, tig is by far the most superior welding process ( done correctly )

[benno81]

if doing straight panel work buy a gasless welder easy cheap and no gas is needed have done shit loads of panel work with my gasless welder have had it for 2 yrs now and cost me the pricely sum of $200.
If i had the money yes I would buy a tig/inverter due the heat control but not all of us have that kind of money I look at it like this I could buy that tig for lets say $1500 or I could spend that $1500 on say a stroker crank for my 308.
I am a boilermaker so I use welders every day If I were doing anything heavier then panel work I would buy a gas mig something with more then 200amps of power.