Hi everyone! I am new on this forum. I am tempted to buy a combo welder Arc/Tig 200 amp online. I know the single Arc inverter works well for having tested it at a fiends place. However I have doubts about the Tig side of these combo. The machine costs about 279 Aussie $ and "looks" great. Anybody here with experience with this type of machine? Please don't tell me a 1200 $ machine will do a better work, I can figure that out. I also know and accept that this combo will not weld aluminium. Cheers
- Otto Nobedder
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Welcome aboard!
Any machine that does a respectable job at DC stick will also TIG. Whether it will suit your needs or not depends on what you intend to do with it. Any DC machine will do scratch-start TIG. If this machine has a "lift arc" function, you'll get less contamination and erosion of the tungsten compared to scratch start, though for general purpose work, this isn't of much importance. Where this type of machine is usually weak is in the lower amp ranges (generally a less stable arc at low power than the more expensive "basic" machines), but unless you expect to weld sections thinner than 16 ga. I'd say the price is right.
Steve
Any machine that does a respectable job at DC stick will also TIG. Whether it will suit your needs or not depends on what you intend to do with it. Any DC machine will do scratch-start TIG. If this machine has a "lift arc" function, you'll get less contamination and erosion of the tungsten compared to scratch start, though for general purpose work, this isn't of much importance. Where this type of machine is usually weak is in the lower amp ranges (generally a less stable arc at low power than the more expensive "basic" machines), but unless you expect to weld sections thinner than 16 ga. I'd say the price is right.
Steve
Great comment Steve, thanks mate. Here are some specs on that machine:
THIS IS A QUALITY DC INVERTER 2 IN 1 TIG/MMA WELDER.
IT HAS A POWER OUTPUT OF 200AMPS AND A HIGH DUTY CYCLE OF 60% @ 200 AMPS.
THE TIG FUNCTION ON THIS UNIT IS THROUGH A HIGH FREQUENCY START MODE.
YOU SIMPLY PLACE THE TORCH TIP 2-4mm FROM THE WORK PIECE AND PRESS THE TRIGGER
ON THE TORCH TO BEGIN WELDING.
THIS QUALITY UNIT ADOPTS THE MOST ADVANCED MOSFET INVERTER TECHNOLOGY USING A NON-CRYSTAL CORD.
Do you mean it is harder to weld thin than thick, (I never used a tig) what is 16 ga in millimeters? Thanks
THIS IS A QUALITY DC INVERTER 2 IN 1 TIG/MMA WELDER.
IT HAS A POWER OUTPUT OF 200AMPS AND A HIGH DUTY CYCLE OF 60% @ 200 AMPS.
THE TIG FUNCTION ON THIS UNIT IS THROUGH A HIGH FREQUENCY START MODE.
YOU SIMPLY PLACE THE TORCH TIP 2-4mm FROM THE WORK PIECE AND PRESS THE TRIGGER
ON THE TORCH TO BEGIN WELDING.
THIS QUALITY UNIT ADOPTS THE MOST ADVANCED MOSFET INVERTER TECHNOLOGY USING A NON-CRYSTAL CORD.
Do you mean it is harder to weld thin than thick, (I never used a tig) what is 16 ga in millimeters? Thanks
delraydella
- delraydella
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- Otto Nobedder
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With any welding process, thin is more difficult. It is less forgiving of "just a little" too much heat.
Hi Dudes, thanks for your replies. Another question: Could any DC inverter stick welder do TIG as well, providing we install a Tig torch and supply the Argoshield for the job? My question is "Is the voltage and frequency of the DC of the arc (stick) welder the same for the TIG, as there are inexpensive machines with both"?
- Otto Nobedder
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Any DC machine will TIG. With a "just" stick welder used for TIG, you have no HF or lift-arc start; It's scratch-start only.
DC doesn't have a "frequency" in theory. In practice, you don't get perfect DC. That's why I said earlier that the less costly machines tend to be less stable at the low end of their power range. Their "smoothing circuits" are less elaborate, and work best in a fairly narrow range, usually above the machine's half-way point.
Steve
DC doesn't have a "frequency" in theory. In practice, you don't get perfect DC. That's why I said earlier that the less costly machines tend to be less stable at the low end of their power range. Their "smoothing circuits" are less elaborate, and work best in a fairly narrow range, usually above the machine's half-way point.
Steve
I begin to see a bit more clearly in all this. About smooth DC I saw (on utube) a bloke tigging with a large car battery! I thought that there was an introduced frequency in DC welding (pulse) but apparently not if one can weld with a battery! I used a lot of DC currents in my life (electroplating) and the rectified current was not really smooth despite the capacitors (not too much a problem in electroplating). Cheers mate
- Otto Nobedder
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I see from your electroplating background you understand rectified DC and the inherent "choppiness" of smoothing circuits, and simple capacitor smoothing vs. adding more complex (expensive) filter circuits, which is part of the price-point difference in welding machines.
DC Pulse is an "advanced feature" that does automatically (as well as quicker and more precisely) what you would do with a remote amperage control, like a foot-pedal. It's useful for high-precision work, and just plain nice to have if you need "perfect" welds, where the weld is visible and an important cosmetic part of the finished product. Jody's videos show other uses, as well, such as welding an edge on thin sections without rounding the edge with your heat.
From a practical standpoint, none of this is neccesary to TIG. I've welded pipe for big industry, and never had the benefit of even a remote amperage control. I had to choose one "general purpose" amperage for root, fill, and cap, and control my heat by how fast I moved and how agressively I fed the rod. Sometimes there'd be a helper to run and change the settings, but with the machine often 400' and 4 floors away, I usually had to make do.
How much you should spend on a machine for TIG depends entirely on what you expect to do with it.
Steve
DC Pulse is an "advanced feature" that does automatically (as well as quicker and more precisely) what you would do with a remote amperage control, like a foot-pedal. It's useful for high-precision work, and just plain nice to have if you need "perfect" welds, where the weld is visible and an important cosmetic part of the finished product. Jody's videos show other uses, as well, such as welding an edge on thin sections without rounding the edge with your heat.
From a practical standpoint, none of this is neccesary to TIG. I've welded pipe for big industry, and never had the benefit of even a remote amperage control. I had to choose one "general purpose" amperage for root, fill, and cap, and control my heat by how fast I moved and how agressively I fed the rod. Sometimes there'd be a helper to run and change the settings, but with the machine often 400' and 4 floors away, I usually had to make do.
How much you should spend on a machine for TIG depends entirely on what you expect to do with it.
Steve
rahtreelimbs
- rahtreelimbs
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I won't suggest any particular brand of welder except to say that don't rush into anything !!!
Even a cheaper welder is bad money spent if it is a garbage machine or is not what you want.
I tend to be impulsive and buy before learning more about the product and what I think the machine will offer as my skills get better. Luckily I forced (because of the high price of a TIG welder) to wait and I would up buying a better machine that I can grow into.
Checkout Eastwood 200 AMP TIG.
Even a cheaper welder is bad money spent if it is a garbage machine or is not what you want.
I tend to be impulsive and buy before learning more about the product and what I think the machine will offer as my skills get better. Luckily I forced (because of the high price of a TIG welder) to wait and I would up buying a better machine that I can grow into.
Checkout Eastwood 200 AMP TIG.
Hi Steve. I appreciate you dedication and the accuracy of your explanations, I made some progress in the understanding of what machines do and deliver. To be frank with you, I am not too sure of where to use a TIG compared to a MIG and an arc welder. I believe the TIG is for accuracy and precision where arc is too fierce and MIG difficult to control. I won't bother you and the forum with candid questions, I shall document myself by reading on the subject and not to be in a hurry to shop on Ebay... Many thanks, keep up the good works!
- weldin mike 27
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Hey there,
Dont worry about candid questions. As a professional welder, I take great pride in my ability to help people understand things they are struggling with. Many of the other full time welders and also the passionate hobbyists on this site are the same. If you have the time to listen to our answers we are more than willing to provide help with anything you may be wondering about.
Mick
Dont worry about candid questions. As a professional welder, I take great pride in my ability to help people understand things they are struggling with. Many of the other full time welders and also the passionate hobbyists on this site are the same. If you have the time to listen to our answers we are more than willing to provide help with anything you may be wondering about.
Mick
- Otto Nobedder
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Well said, Mick!
Well I learned a lot since my first post... And I steer clear from Elcheapo TIG welders. Just bought an arc welder that I needed cheap and good. Will buy TIG in the future for Alu welding. To have square wave, AC/DC AC adjusting amps and fraquency one need a rather good machine and put a bit more money in it but now I know where the money goes. Thanks guys for your help. One good link for newbies like me http://www.harrisgas.com/tips/tig-handbook.html
You can buy a combo welder Arc/Tig 200 amp online. The single Arc inverter works well for having tested as it is at fiends place. I donot feel any kind of doubts about the Tig side of these combos. The cost of the machine is around 279 Aussie $ and "looks" great. Thanks all for sharing your views about the machine.
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machining alumina
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machining alumina