Welding Tips and Tricks

I had an aluminum project this fall that would have been a "breeze" if it was welded. I first tried brazing and that did not end well. The brazed joints looked great, a real thing of beauty. However, it was too time consuming with MAP gas and the joints didn't hold up. I finished the project with plates riveted on.

A few weeks ago I went to a hobbyist class at the local welding store. It was a very good class. Very instructive and a beautiful shop. I can do decent outside joints and simple beads on flat aluminum. But lap joints and fillet joints will need a lot more practice. I've been watching YT videos and reading a lot of posts here on the forum. I'm like a sponge trying to absorb all the knowledge.

Most of what I will weld is aluminum, no more than 1/4" thick. But I don't want to be limited to just aluminum. Nothing exotic, maybe stainless steel and mild steel. Stuff I can do in my garage for my RV trailer or side-by-side. The welder won't be used all that much, so I don't need a heavy duty unit.

Going into the class, I was thinking a Miller Syncrowave 210. The instructor recommended the Miller Multimatic 220. The price of the Multimatic is way outside my budget. After going over what I can really afford, the Syncrowave would be difficult also. The HTP Invertig 221 would have worked, but it's price is on par with the Syncrowave 210. I really like the Miller brand because the local welding store is a dealer, but Miller is expensive. I know, you get what you pay for. But I'm not going to be welding for hours at a time. I do have access to 240v, but I think it is only 40 amp AC.

One post on the forum took me to a "The Fabrication Series" video where he used a PrimeWeld 225X. He did a nice job explaining how he setup the machine for the practice welds that he did in the video. That machine certainly fits in my budget with a little room for some accessories. I've seen a few positive forum comments for the PrimeWeld.

Keeping in mind that I know close to nothing about welders, why would I not go with PrimeWeld? Can a cooler be added? Will it accept aftermarket upgrades? Is it powerful enough?

I'm not a pro welder so keep that in mind. I also needed something for aluminum and after tons of research and some in-person talks with a couple professionals I decided on a TIG welder with AC output and micro-processor controlled so it has square wave, AC balance, pulse etc. Like you I checked out the Miller's and high-end brands. They are overpriced in my opinion. I eventually bought the Weldpro digital TIG for $750 USD, normally it is 800 but had a $50 coupon code. So far it's a solid welder, still learning how to adjust the settings correctly for aluminum but getting good results right away without a ton of effort or know-how. 3 year warranty, will run on 220 or 120 comes with an adapter plug. It's fairly capable at 120V but for anything bigger than 3/16 - 1/4" you'll definitely need to run it on 220. I'm very happy with the purchase so far. For a budget-minded person I put together a nice little system for a reasonable amount of money. AC/DC TIG Welder, plasma cutter, modest welding cart and an 80cuFt argon cylinder for about $1200. For a hobby, homeowner type of person the system is very capable for the price. The Miller I wanted was over $2K just by itself.

Long story short I say go for the Primeweld, Eastwood, WeldPro or whatever. Since inverter-based machines replaced the transformers the technology is very similar and you just don't get enough value out of a Miller when they cost 2-3 times as much.

Yes, Miller is an expensive brand, but you do get what you pay for. That’s is why professionals flock to the brand.

As for your needs, the PrimeWeld is an excellent choice. Yes, you can integrate a water cooler, but it is not factory designed for it. An merely for your edification, any modern TIG box that welds aluminum (AC current) will also have DC current available. DC TIG is much easier to get right from a manufacturer. Absent of a few advanced features, probably 99/100 TIG boxes weld almost identically. It’s on AC where they begin to distinguish themselves.

And for the money, the PrimeWeld is a great value and perfectly capable box. 220 amps is just enough to weld 1/4” aluminum. If you do struggle with certain joint configurations, you can preheat the material or even add 10% or greater Helium to your Argon (many welding stores offer mixed gases beyond 100% Ar or 75/25 MIG. If your workload is predominantly Aluminum, I’d encourage you to use 90/10 Ar-He. The helium additive increases the effectiveness of the arc (essentially adding more heat per amp) to yield more penetration with less amps through the torch.

I was on the phone with one of the local gas companies yesterday and explained that I would be moving soon and I didn't think a lease/rental would work out well. He said I should just buy a set of cylinders. I asked about refills - not exchanges - and he said it wasn't a problem.

I'll pick up two 60 cubic feet cylinders next week, one with Argon, the other with Helium. But before I pay for them, I'm going to explicitly ask about refills of owned cylinders. I'm not going to do an exchange.

I wouldn't get a 100% helium tank. I would get mixed tanks from the store only. But that may present a bit of a problem for you. Not all tank sizes are available in special mixes. Something to inquire about from your LWS.

Most LWS will change cylinders (provided they are of a size that does not require a DOT certification) and that you have an "Account" with them. Again, something to inquire about. You can establish an account with an LWS that has large regional or even national coverage and avoid the headaches. I swap cylinders constantly at different locations as I travel around.

cj737 wrote:I wouldn't get a 100% helium tank. I would get mixed tanks from the store only. But that may present a bit of a problem for you. Not all tank sizes are available in special mixes. Something to inquire about from your LWS.

Most LWS will change cylinders (provided they are of a size that does not require a DOT certification) and that you have an "Account" with them. Again, something to inquire about. You can establish an account with an LWS that has large regional or even national coverage and avoid the headaches. I swap cylinders constantly at different locations as I travel around.

I did ask about a mix in one cylinder. They only do that in much larger sizes. The smallest is a 125. I'm OK with moving two 60's around.