Welding Tips and Tricks

I have a small 220 amp TIG welder with AC/DC GTAW at home and I piddle with it as needed on home repairs and also while working on a 70 Camaro...

Does anyone know of a SMAW electrode holder that can be used with this inexpensive equipment?...and will that lil inverter style machine have enough umph to light off and run a small 1/8" 7018?

jwright650 wrote:I have a small 220 amp TIG welder with AC/DC GTAW at home and I piddle with it as needed on home repairs and also while working on a 70 Camaro...

Does anyone know of a SMAW electrode holder that can be used with this inexpensive equipment?...and will that lil inverter style machine have enough umph to light off and run a small 1/8" 7018?

Are you a weldor?

You just need any electrode holder. 200 amp is about the lowest rating I've seen on any holder so they will all work. I like the Bernard style.

Unless it has a dedicated MMA/SMAW (stick) mode, your machine may have starting issues because of differences in open-circuit voltage (else machines designed for both GTAW and SMAW wouldn't need a switch).

That's not to say it can't be done... It's not uncommon to put a 6010 stick in the collet of a TIG torch and use it for tacking.

I'll leave details to those with more experience in that area.

Tweco makes a 150A rod holder that's relatively inexpensive, lightweight, and well built. If you want to experiment on the cheap, there are Chinese brands available at "big box stores". Here in the USA it's typically Tractor Supply and Harbor Freight.

Would the UK version be spelled "Harbour Freight"? And the guy who uses the tractor a "tracter"?

Steve S

Here ya go http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsea ... ode+holder

AKweldshop wrote:

jwright650 wrote:I have a small 220 amp TIG welder with AC/DC GTAW at home and I piddle with it as needed on home repairs and also while working on a 70 Camaro...

Does anyone know of a SMAW electrode holder that can be used with this inexpensive equipment?...and will that lil inverter style machine have enough umph to light off and run a small 1/8" 7018?

Are you a weldor?

Am I a weldor? I don't weld for a living, but I can weld/glue metal parts together....if that is what you are asking. I realize that I don't need the full 200amps to fire off a 1/8" 7018(I've written lots of WPSs and tested PQRs for 1/8" 7018), just wasn't sure if it was good for that machine(welder) or not.
I thought about chucking up a small electrode in the collet like Otto stated, but thought maybe somebody made a SMAW holder, a call to Eastwood came up empty.

soutthpaw wrote:Here ya go http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsea ... ode+holder

Thanks Southpaw

LOL, yup that's an electrode holder ...OK, maybe I'm asking this question wrong, but I need the other end of the lead to connect to the front of the machine where the TIG torch lead goes. To me it's an odd looking connection....

If it's a recent model machine, it's probable a Dinse connector. Available from any welding supply.

soutthpaw wrote:If it's a recent model machine, it's probable a Dinse connector. Available from any welding supply.

Thanks...I will have to pay my LWS a visit and see what they can come up with.

Here's what I'm up against...

Ground has the typical connection:



Torch connection(I have no idea how this carries 200amps), it seems like it's just the gas hose:

I see what you mean, Josh.
I think you happened to get a tig only machine.
Most machines like this have two dinse receptacles on the right side....




https://www.google.com/search?q=longevi ... B600%3B575

AKweldshop wrote:I see what you mean, Josh.
I think you happened to get a tig only machine.
Most machines like this have two dinse receptacles on the right side....




https://www.google.com/search?q=longevi ... B600%3B575

Yup, that is the machine....it welds great. The A/C HF does great on aluminum, has enough adjustability on the front of the machine to adjust for most jobs that I've tackled so far. Just had it in my mind when I bought this silly thing that I could also stick weld on it. I just saw the cheap price and jumped too quick.

If it could stick weld, it would have the tig/stick button, and an extra dinse connecter.
I guess I read your nametag wrong.
I think your only going to tig with that machine, John.

Hope this clears it up.
~John
This is the longevity equivalent.
https://www.google.com/search?q=longevi ... B367%3B490

Hey buddy,

That Eastwood TIG 200 is an excellent GTAW unit, but It isn't made for SMAW. To do "stick" you need to swap the work lead and the "hot" lead. EASTWOOD does not manufacture a kit for this. But I invite you to check out their MIG/STick 200. You add that your collection and you will be the master of all the popular processes.

Yea that is a tig only machine that uses a metric 1piece power-thru-gas hose. Your have to open the machine to get access to the backside of that fitting to have a crack at rigging up a standard dinse connector. Also it's a 200A machine not 220A.

Oscar wrote:it's a 200A machine not 220A.

yeah, I had fat finger syndrome...sorry about the mis-type...my phone is tough to type on with my fat nubs...LOL

The lack of stick welding capability is probably the main reason I went with Everlast over Eastwood.

AKweldshop wrote:This is the longevity equivalent.
https://www.google.com/search?q=longevi ... B367%3B490

Man that looks just like the Eastwood box, "but" with that extra connection for the SMAW to attach. Oh well, I have access to all sorts of equipment, but was hoping to be able to "stick" a few things together at home. I need a machine with better guts anyway, you can turn most equipment down, but you can't turn them up if you need mo powah. I've got the lil Hobart for small dia wire welding (FCAW and GMAW)and this TIG 200 for glueing fairly thin aluminum with the AC and it does have DC on it too for thin steel sheet metal on the car, so that is a bonus.
Saving me pennies...can't have too much equipment, can you?

DC TIG @ 200A will do a lot more than sheet. I'll bet it will a one-pass 1/4" Butt joint. I'm confident it will do it up to 3/8 but trigger the duty cycle just on weld time, so it wouldn't technically be one pass. I've done a 3 pass 3/8 2G Vgroove with backing with a PT225 @ about 120A and hit duty cycle on each pass.