Welding Tips and Tricks

I'm trying to chose which tig welder would work for me as a beginner. I will mostly be doing aluminum tubing, up to 1/8" thick, with some tabs up to 1/4" max. I am leaning towards the everlast powertig 185 micro, but there are a few other options out there, like the longevity which comes with more. Which would be your choice and why?

http://www.everlastgenerators.com/Power ... 10-pd.html

http://www.amazon.com/LONGEVITY-Tigweld ... tig+welder

http://www.amazon.com/NEW-Eastwood-Pro- ... tig+welder

Of them three I'd go with the Everlast. It's been tested by Jody, it's easy to use and I've heard horror stories
about the other two. But, I own an Everlast PowerTig 200DX and love it. If you want all the bells and whistles look
at the 200DX.

Thanks, I am leaning towards the everlast, but the powertig 200dx would be outside of my budget right now. I need to be under $1200 for a machine, helmet, and tank. That's why I was looking at the others cause they come with more options. Being I'm brand new to welding, and will mostly be doing aluminum I don't see a need for the stick welder attachment, but a foot pedal would be nice even though I don't know how to use it, lol.

Is the powertig 185 micro too limiting? Is it a easy machine to learn on, and can I get good results on aluminum without the foot pedal, at least at first?

It's hard to judge a welder without trying the model out - but having looked around at the Eastwood it has got plenty of bad reviews & is over priced for what it is - don't know how true it is but rumor has it they priced them based on having to refund at least 50% of sales ( partly due to catalogue sales policy ) - the factory that makes it also sell a much better spec model - it's sold under several brands in the UK & its cheaper !!! it's actually not bad for the money - but I don't know who is selling them in your area.

(http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TIG-200AMP-AC ... 4aca558d4b)



The Everlast brand in general seems to be getting good reviews consistently & they are more likely to back their products up - the other two are mostly sold by "box movers" that are not interested in the product - just sell as many units at the best % they can.

The Longevity I'm not sure about - but "Mr Tig" recently tested one & seemed to think it was OK - don't know how much he did with it but he always answers if you ask him a direct question - even if it concerns the irritating intro on his video's ! also "ChuckE2009" has run some of their stuff for a while so it's worth asking him directly - he seemed to have fallen out with some of the import brands - but he has another Longevity machine at the moment.

Both the Chinese machines have very irritating non linear pedals which are cr-p - if your doing mostly aluminum you really do want a pedal OR 4T capability - if you can do your welds in a shop or somewhere with a bench then I'd go with the pedal - if it's positional stuff then probably 4T is better ( or even torch control - but I'd advise against it as it makes the learning curve even steeper _ - but with heat soak & crater cracking you want one or the other.

I don't think the Everlast 185 comes with a pedal, in my mind it would be easier to learn without one and just simply using the on/off on the torch. Is this wrong? What does the pedal do exactly? does it just do on/off, or does it control the actual amperage? I have a lot to learn, but this won't be a career for me, just a hobby so I want to keep it simple.

I am also looking for a machine that will last a good few years, and it seems the everlast is the frontrunner if you go by the reviews. But the other 2 machines are very attractive from a price perspective. There is just something about the simplicity of the micro 185 that is calling to me, which means nothing cause I know nothing, lol.

In a chance meeting I got to have a lengthy conversation with a guy that was a former Longevity distributor.
He told me flat out that they were not as good as the Everlast line and recommended I stick with Everlast.
Two of my neighbors bought the Eastwood machines. One was DOA out the box the other crapped out within 30 days.
I have worked the Everlast like a rented mule and it's still going strong.

Pedal vs. paddle switch? The pedal lets you be a little lazier. With just a switch your technique has to be a bit
more deliberate. Mostly with keeping the filler rod feeding the puddle. If you learn without one you'll only be better once you get one.

Awesome, thanks. I just watched the 22 minute Mr. Tig video with the 185 micro. He kept talking about it's features and simplicity, but didn't seem bothered by any shortcomings. I think the 185 micro will be in my near future, time to start collecting scrap .

Ok I've got other guys telling me now that there is no way this little machine, The powertig 185 micro, can do 1/4" aluminum. That is would take a higher duty cycle and 250+ amps, Thought?

If 1/4" Al is a serious goal, the 185is not enough machine. You can pull it off in short sessions with 50% Helium.

1/4" aluminum with straight argon will require 160-180A continuous AFTER you have the metal hot, which the 250A recommendation is for.

The 185 should do fine on 1/8" aluminum and thinner.

Steve S

Ok this is going to sound a little funny but bare with me. When I say 1/4" I mean tabs that I will weld onto the tubing I'll be using. So I will need to weld both sides of these 1/4" tabs, mostly just for a finished look, so I will only need about 1/8" or so penetration. Will a 185-200 amp machine work for this?

silentneko wrote:Ok this is going to sound a little funny but bare with me. When I say 1/4" I mean tabs that I will weld onto the tubing I'll be using. So I will need to weld both sides of these 1/4" tabs, mostly just for a finished look, so I will only need about 1/8" or so penetration. Will a 185-200 amp machine work for this?

The 185 will work for what you're talking about here if you preheat the 1/4" tabs with a torch or add helium to your mix as was suggested earlier. Of course this also depends on the wall thickness of the tubing you're using.

Get it hot, keep it hot.

Don't have a torch and I'm not sure about adding helium. Is there another machine that can be had for under a grand or so that will be a better fit?

What about doing a buzz box conversion? I have heard this mentioned a few times but I'm not sure what alls involved. Will this have the amps I need? Does it all come in a kit with a foot pedal and function like the machines I'm looking into?

Buy as much amp capacity as you can afford in a quality welder. If you get the go of it, your applications will grow. Also, does it matter if the 1/4" is tube wall or tab? I think not. So, you need the 250 amps to get your puddle just so.

The other trick would be to get some time in on a TIG machine welding aluminium before you pay for your own welder. That might help shape your thoughts. Rent a machine for weekend and see how easy it is (or not), the costs of the caper, etc.

(Have you thought about all the things that go with your intended projects, and your available power supply, material costs, cutting tools, fitup issues, etc? Buying a welder is just the tip of the outlay, if you are starting from scratch. Do a lot sincere homework before you jump in.)

Can't find any places local to me that will rent a tig that can run on 220v. I have looked into many of the tools I will need, and already have some of which I'll need. The tube will be 1/8" wall max, every once in a while I'll need to weld a 3/16-1/4" tab to it but welded on all sides. Material cost won't be much as I have access to some aluminum scrap for free.

The only other thought I have it maybe I should just go to OFW?

silentneko wrote:The only other thought I have it maybe I should just go to OFW?

Oxygen Acetylene will take the temper out of your aluminum tubes, and takes a lot of heat.
If you decide to go this route, keep your pressures below 4psi and use larger tips if necessary.

Thanks, So it will make the aluminum weak? Or can this be avoided by keeping the pressure on the gas and o2 around 4psi?

Can the results achieved look similar to a tig weld? Can it be polished out nice? Thanks again.

It won't be weak, but will lose its stiffness (temper) in the HAZ (Heat Affected Zone)
The lower pressure won't avoid this but will help prevent blowing holes in your puddle.
Aluminum welds like plastic when using OA and takes lots of practice to get good at it.
This video demonstrates OA on aluminum.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF1Srs_e1Aw

silentneko wrote:Thanks, So it will make the aluminum weak? Or can this be avoided by keeping the pressure on the gas and o2 around 4psi? Can the results achieved look similar to a tig weld? Can it be polished out nice? Thanks again.

I bought the Eastwood about a month ago. The pedal makes heat control possible without changing arc length. I tried it with the torch switch but after using the pedal I will never go back if given the choice. Eastwood has a 3 year warranty. I bought mostly because they are about an hours drive away for me so returns should be easy if needed.

Can't you just preheat with a simple MAPP torch?

here's a video worth discussing????
http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/tig ... -demo.html

So which machine did you choose?

I bought an Everlast machine and their support is good. You can call or email if need be or post on their forum. Also, I was welding naive when I bought my machine and the first thing I propose you buy (after you have your foot pedal) is a CK flexible torch and the best welding helmet you can afford. Both helped me when I was new. I had the cheap helmet that they threw in and I continuously got flashed. When I spent some money and got a great helmet, it changed my welding because I i actually could see what I was working on...New World.

Then the CK flexible torch is like stepping up to a luxury car versus driving the hyundai. Try it and you will see what I mean, that is all I am going to say about that. Once you start practicing on Aluminum and inventing cuss words, all of this will make sense.

silentneko wrote:I'm trying to chose which tig welder would work for me as a beginner. I will mostly be doing aluminum tubing, up to 1/8" thick, with some tabs up to 1/4" max. I am leaning towards the everlast powertig 185 micro, but there are a few other options out there, like the longevity which comes with more. Which would be your choice and why?

http://www.everlastgenerators.com/Power ... 10-pd.html

http://www.amazon.com/LONGEVITY-Tigweld ... tig+welder

http://www.amazon.com/NEW-Eastwood-Pro- ... tig+welder

Hi all

I have just purchased this machine here in Perth

http://www.boc.com.au/wcsstore/AU_BOC_I ... TDS-D6.pdf

I'm not doing a heap of industrial welding and should suit my purpose, I was speaking to a fella who does a fair bit of tig welding and he suggested this unit as it's affordable and it's fairly basic for a beginner.

What are your thoughts and does anyone have much experience of heard anything re these tig machines

Cheers