Welding Tips and Tricks

I have a question about a welder I just bought, it's a Lincoln Squarewave 255, I picked this up at an auction a few weeks back, The stick welding function works great on this machine, all I got was the welder, no leads, footpedal, or tig torch. My question is I can't get this machine to do anything when I try to use an old scratch tig torch I had laying around. Do I need the footpedal, gas going thru the machine for it to operate, also didn't come with the water cooler. But has the connections to use one. thanks Steve

If you leave it on stick function, the tig torch will scratch start. It'll need to be hooked direct to the regulator and a valve torch used.

I just did some scratch start tig with my Lincoln invertec v250-s about an hour ago.

When my machine is in tig mode, it must have a foot control or hand control to work - yours may be similar.

I leave it on "soft stick", hot start off, dig set to zero.

Good mate of mine needed to replace his tired esab caddy, only ever used scratch all his life on the job (pipework) and wanted more grunt but staying with 240v single phase. Ended up buying an EWM Tetris200. Couldn't settle with hf or lift tig so he hooked up direct in stick mode so he could scratch. Bashed the unit every day for months on the job until it played up. Took it for warranty repair. He was told the circuitry was damaged buy tiggin in stick mode excessively and warranty was void.
My suggestion is to use equipment the way the manufacturer intended.


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MinnesotaDave wrote:If you leave it on stick function, the tig torch will scratch start. It'll need to be hooked direct to the regulator and a valve torch used.

I just did some scratch start tig with my Lincoln invertec v250-s about an hour ago.

When my machine is in tig mode, it must have a foot control or hand control to work - yours may be similar.

I leave it on "soft stick", hot start off, dig set to zero.

Pardon my ignorance, and I'm not familiar with either of these boxes, but I've always been under the impression TIG was DCEN and most Stick boxes (like these mentioned) operate in DCEP. Am I missing something? Wouldn't the same be true of Coldman's mate's box?

I get that the TIG torch would arc in DCEP under Scratch Start because the machine doesn't care what you have connected (torch, gun, stinger-wise) at the cable end, but is this method the solution for a box without polarity switches? And why gas blocks are needed on the older devices which don't have a solenoid? Perhaps I'm really just over-thinking this to the point where I'm confusing myself...?

(Seeking a bit of history lesson).

Welcome to the forum, Steve.

Thanks for all of the replies, I guess it might be better if I use the machine the way it was intended to be used and buy a foot pedal and some hose to run the gas thru the machine, but I will try the Stick/tig method that was mentioned. Just hope the circuit board is not the problem, Got this thing at a deal at an absolute auction, just want to get this thing going and get some seat time trying to learn to Tig weld, Thanks again Steve

cj737 wrote:

MinnesotaDave wrote:If you leave it on stick function, the tig torch will scratch start. It'll need to be hooked direct to the regulator and a valve torch used.

I just did some scratch start tig with my Lincoln invertec v250-s about an hour ago.

When my machine is in tig mode, it must have a foot control or hand control to work - yours may be similar.

I leave it on "soft stick", hot start off, dig set to zero.

Pardon my ignorance, and I'm not familiar with either of these boxes, but I've always been under the impression TIG was DCEN and most Stick boxes (like these mentioned) operate in DCEP. Am I missing something? Wouldn't the same be true of Coldman's mate's box?

I get that the TIG torch would arc in DCEP under Scratch Start because the machine doesn't care what you have connected (torch, gun, stinger-wise) at the cable end, but is this method the solution for a box without polarity switches? And why gas blocks are needed on the older devices which don't have a solenoid? Perhaps I'm really just over-thinking this to the point where I'm confusing myself...?

(Seeking a bit of history lesson).

I understand why you're confused - but just plug the tig torch into the negative and the work lead (ground clamp) into the positive - tig happy

MinnesotaDave wrote:

cj737 wrote:

MinnesotaDave wrote:If you leave it on stick function, the tig torch will scratch start. It'll need to be hooked direct to the regulator and a valve torch used.

I just did some scratch start tig with my Lincoln invertec v250-s about an hour ago.

When my machine is in tig mode, it must have a foot control or hand control to work - yours may be similar.

I leave it on "soft stick", hot start off, dig set to zero.

Pardon my ignorance, and I'm not familiar with either of these boxes, but I've always been under the impression TIG was DCEN and most Stick boxes (like these mentioned) operate in DCEP. Am I missing something? Wouldn't the same be true of Coldman's mate's box?

I get that the TIG torch would arc in DCEP under Scratch Start because the machine doesn't care what you have connected (torch, gun, stinger-wise) at the cable end, but is this method the solution for a box without polarity switches? And why gas blocks are needed on the older devices which don't have a solenoid? Perhaps I'm really just over-thinking this to the point where I'm confusing myself...?

(Seeking a bit of history lesson).

I understand why you're confused - but just plug the tig torch into the negative and the work lead (ground clamp) into the positive - tig happy

Yeah, I would have thought that to be the connection scheme. But I do still wonder why "Scratch Start" is not supported by these units? It's such a useful technique when you aren't sitting at a bench-

Borrowed a foot pedal and run the gas thru the machine, that's all it needed, works great now, now searching for a foot pedal...............

Scratch start is not supported as you say because there is nothing to support. Full setting current live at the tip full time. When you scratch you contaminate both the electrode and the job and when you snap out you risk stray arc strike and fish eye. Was appropriate technology for its day but now only seen in low end power sources. Time moves on and so does technology. Still used extensively but definitely not cutting edge.


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