Tig question

[Gamble97]

What is a 185? If you mean the miller diversion 180, then yes I have it. I LOVE it. Think about it, do you REALLY need to do aluminum? Chances are you won't be able to do anything with aluminum for a long time. It's not easy.

 

[turboglenn]

I think he means the Thermal-Arc 185

 

[Gstclipse69]

No, I was referring to both of the Everlast machines. There is the 185 thats ac/dc

Everlast PowerTig 185 185A 185AMP ACDC TIG WELDER 180 DUAL VOLTAGE 110/220 SALE | eBay

And a 200 that is only dc. Power I-Tig 200 - Arc Welders, Welder Equipment, Aluminum Welder, Plasma Cutter, Tig Welders

 

[Bo0sTdTsI]

The everlasts are nice for the price. I would personally invest in a miller. I purchased my maxstar 150 for 1400 new couple days ago. Idk if its just me but millers and lincoln electric welders are really good machines to invest in, use miller all the time and lincolns to weld our pipe at work. I know your on a budget but if you end up having the money, invest in a miller.

 

[zac83]

just my 10 cents on welding and what make/model to buy.

Instead of a flowery diatribe on my experience, I'll just say I like miller units and probably wouldn't buy much else of anything.

I've got late 1980s miller ARC unit, early 1990s millermatic 185, 1996ish spectrum 500 plasma cutter, and a 1998 portable 110 mig for on site work back home in Texas (military expatriated to WA state). Each unit still works like day one. I'de say the 185 has somewhere in the 4000-5000 hour range of use! Sure there have been breakages in the units but parts were replaced and fixed, sometimes 20 years after the purchase of the unit!

If you buy an ebay/no-name unit, you will probably not be able to get parts for it if (WHEN) it breaks. Hobarts are obviously better than a no-name but I've seen some nice stand-up flagship hobart units break and parts aren't/weren't available for them maybe 7-10 years after the purchase of the unit.

Since I got back from Korea about a year ago, I bought a Diversion 180 and then deployed. It's in the garage, should be setting it up on 110v once the dust settles from my latest Afghanistan deployment. I plan on welding the whole gamut of materials, from mild steel to aluminum, for many years to come. More importantly, I can step my game up to 220 and do more with the unit as my situation changes and, if my experience with miller units rings true, I should be able to keep this unit running for the next 20+ years. /end miller plug

Thought I would share as I'm no longer in a position to do serious light-industrial grade welding but am pushing to more serious hobby welding like many of the readers here.

 

[Calan]

Does anyone know anything about the Eastwood TIG 200?

AC/DC (handles aluminum), 110/220v, 200amp, pre/post flow control, high frequency start, foot pedal, and 3-year warranty for $899.

Seems to get great reviews from everyone except the Miller/Lincoln elitists.

 

[Gamble97]

Calan, IIRC it has a higher duty cycle than my miller 180. I made a you tube video unboxing both of these if it helps. The only thing wrong with the Eastwood is that mine and 1 other persons showed up broken but they stood by their warranty and paid for shipping back, and no questions asked. Other than that the foot pedal is a little odd and it's nice that it has more adjustments than the miller. So ya other than that never heard a bad thing about it.
A guy on welding web is going to buy it.

 

[Calan]

With a 30-day no questions asked trial and 3-year warranty (and Eastwood's customer service), it sounds like a no-lose deal.

 

[Gamble97]

I really want to try it or know some first hand reviews from an experienced welder.
The Eastwood sales usually are eBay first. Sometimes they have the tig and plasma together for like 1300ish.

 

[Calan]

Got the Eastwood TIG 200 on Friday and have been melting aluminum most of the weekend. After several hours of looking like a penguin trying to peel a banana (I've never tig welded before; only MIG), there's a couple of things I've learned:

1). This welder seems to be a pretty good deal for a $900 welder, given my inexperience of course.
2). The amount of stuff that I don't know about TIG welding is staggering.

As for the welder's power, I was able to easily weld a continuous 2 foot-long stretch of 1/8" aluminum plate to 1/8" wall tubing (the edge of my table) at 200amps, plugged into a 110v outlet. At first I kept tripping a breaker at 15 seconds or so, but after turning the heat in the torch down a bit and switching to a 20-amp circuit, I never had any more issues. I bet on 220v this thing would really cook.

Now it's just a matter of finding an endless supply of tungsten and fixing that problem between the seat and the torch.

 

[99gst_racer]

I figured you were going to be playing with it all weekend. I almost called you yesterday to see how it was going.

I'm amazed that you were even able to get it to function at 200 amps in 110v. On 110v, I run mine on a 15a plug on a 20a breaker, and I haven't had issues pushing it to 120 amps even though it's only rated to 105 amps. I'll finally be running it on 220v later this week.

BTW, I found eBay had the best price on tungsten. It was almost 4X cheaper than my local AirGas.

Which filler are you using?

 

[Gamble97]

I'm sure it will run 200amps no problem on 110 however at what duty cycle ? That is the important thing.

Calan, good rule of thumb is 1amp per .001 thousand of an inch. With aluminum get on it all the way until the puddle forms then back off like halfway. I myself like to pulse the pedal. However I say start on mild steel it's much more forgiving.
4043 is a good all around aluminum filler. However you can't anodize it, you need 5356
That's an inverter machine (at least it should be) so don't use green (pure) tungsten. Lots of people love ceriated (orange) personally i did not. I love love love thoriated (red) and 2% lanthanted (blue). The blue is by far the most expensive from what I have purchased but overall still cheap. 10pak was $30 shipped off ebay for weldcraft. The orange and red are around $10-$15, locally they are $25
Also Welding Tips and Tricks - TIG, MIG, Stick and a pantload of other info will be your best friend! Good luck.

 

[Calan]

I'm sure it will run 200amps no problem on 110 however at what duty cycle

No idea...but it was putting out some serious heat, running hot and fast.

4043 is a good all around aluminum filler. However you can't anodize it, you need 5356

Which filler are you using?

I was using a bit of 5356 that I got from work, and then a bunch of 5356 mig wire I had laying around since I didn't have anything else. The mig wire worked, but was a bit of a PITA to feed since it was so small. I was mostly just playing around anyway, so it wasn't too critical.

That's an inverter machine (at least it should be) so don't use green (pure) tungsten. Lots of people love ceriated (orange) personally i did not. I love love love thoriated (red) and 2% lanthanted (blue). The blue is by far the most expensive from what I have purchased but overall still cheap. 10pak was $30 shipped off ebay for weldcraft. The orange and red are around $10-$15, locally they are $25

This is the kind of stuff I'm trying to figure out. The manual and other sources say to use the green only (so I have been), but other sources say the red or other variations also work great for AL. I have a red one that came with the machine, so I'll give that a try and see what happens.

I also need a good setup for grinding the tungsten; right now I'm winging it with a dedicated cut-off wheel.

BTW, I found eBay had the best price on tungsten. It was almost 4X cheaper than my local AirGas.

Time to go shopping.

 

[Gamble97]

The thing with tungsten is you have to find what works best for YOU. Everyone gets different results. I used to love red but the blue is now my favorite as it says sharp a lot longer and if you dip once it doesn't make a noticable difference.
However the red on aluminum gives me more of a "chrome" looking weld.
This is what I use to grind my tungsten.
Search Results for ryobi grinder at The Home Depot
I didn't change the stones and the left one I use for tungsten ONLY and the right one anything else that needs grinding. Keep the wheel for only tungsten and same with wire brushes. One for SS, One for mild steel, one for aluminum. I like those $2 brush kits from harbor freight. That and a cheap spray bottle full of acetone will be your friend.

Also a gas lens is baller shit! I haven't taken mine off since I got it. I did go to a pyrex cup kit which is simply amazing however I dropped my torch and shattered the cup $15 wasted. Still want another. It's only $20 more to buy the entire kit vs one size for pyrex. Go to MIG/TIG/Stick Welders & Plasma Cutters | USA Weld

Btw what helmet do you have? I got mine from cyberweld.com it's the miller professional series. Mine was like 186 shipped, but HTP has one similar that is probably about the same for $17x? usaweld.com is the HTP site
And lincoln came out with their viking helmets which I want to try. I've heard good things about them. Either way a good helmet makes all the difference in the world.

 

[Calan]

Thanks for the links.

I have a $50 auto helmet from HF that seems to work fine.

 

[99gst_racer]

I second the use of a gas lens. They work wonders for improved gas coverage. Here's where I bought mine: TIG WELDCRAFT gas lens set up - 1/16" for 9,20 torches | eBay

They also sell the kits for 3/32" tungsten. And for extra cups, just search "gas lens cup 9" and pick your size/diameter.

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Also, regarding helmets. I have a cheap HF helmet as well, and it doesn't even remotely compare to a higher end helmet. I picked up this Lincoln Viking new on eBay for $175 shipped and with it, I never get flashed anymore (4 sensors instead of two) and I can see the puddle so much better. It's a night and day difference between the two. Definitely consider upgrading when you come across some extra cash.

 

[Calan]

Definitely consider upgrading when you come across some extra cash.

Good one!


I'm actually looking at gas lense kits now, but I'll probably wait until I know more about what size tungsten and cup I prefer. Right now I'm using like the smallest size that came with the welder (#5 I think?), and low gas flow...which may be completely wrong.

 

[99gst_racer]

I use a 1/16" tungsten on everything, but I typically only weld in the 60-120 amp range. If you're going to be working alot around 200 amps, then you'll want a 3/32" tungsten. A #5 cup is really small, and not ideal for good gas coverage. Typically, you'll want to run a large cup unless you can't fit it in a tight space. I use a #8 or #9 cup for regular stuff and I use a #6 for tight spots. I keep my regulator set at around 15.

 

[Gamble97]

Thanks for the links.

I have a $50 auto helmet from HF that seems to work fine.

that's what you think.

Good one!


I'm actually looking at gas lense kits now, but I'll probably wait until I know more about what size tungsten and cup I prefer. Right now I'm using like the smallest size that came with the welder (#5 I think?), and low gas flow...which may be completely wrong.

It's $12 cheak skate. Get the gas lens kit
Mine is always a #8 cup with a gas lens. Why? Because it's big and the only one I have no need to change it. Most people that do manifolds use a #12

Also with a gas lens you can run less cfh because it's more directed. I usually keep mine at 12-15cfh.

Also on your machine set your balance and leave it alone.You have a lot of adjustments, just keep things in a solid place and work on practicing. If you keep adjusting balance and shit like that you will never get it right.

I use a 1/16" tungsten on everything, but I typically only weld in the 60-120 amp range. If you're going to be working alot around 200 amps, then you'll want a 3/32" tungsten. A #5 cup is really small, and not ideal for good gas coverage. Typically, you'll want to run a large cup unless you can't fit it in a tight space. I use a #8 or #9 cup for regular stuff and I use a #6 for tight spots. I keep my regulator set at around 15.

Bah you beat me to it. I agree 3/32 is a good tungsten. They say X size tungsten can handle X amount of amps, however it's actually a lot less amps when welding AC. So if a tungsten is rated for say 150 amps, it's DC only. Less on AC.

 

[Calan]

I use a #8 or #9 cup for regular stuff and I use a #6 for tight spots. I keep my regulator set at around 15.

A setting of 15 on my regulator seemed to be flowing a lot of gas...enough that the spark was getting blown around a lot. I'm guessing the gauge is off, so I'm looking for a good ball/tube style flow meter to be sure.

I guess the small cup could also have been contributing to it though.

 

[Gamble97]

A setting of 15 on my regulator seemed to be flowing a lot of gas...enough that the spark was getting blown around a lot. I'm guessing the gauge is off, so I'm looking for a good ball/tube style flow meter to be sure.

I guess the small cup could also have been contributing to it though.

Could also be arc wander. From the tungsten being contaminated.

 

[Calan]

Does anyone know where I can find an assortment of tungsten types, all 1/16"?

All I can find are 5 or 10 packs of each type, and I'd really like to experiment with different types to see what gives me the best arc start and smallest footprint with my welder, at varying amperages.

 

[99gst_racer]

Your local welding supply place should sell tungsten individually. I know mine does, but they ask $4 each. Salty price, but that would be your best bet to get one of each to try them out.

 

[Gamble97]

Mine sells packs of 3. Have you joined weldingweb.com ? Sometimes people sell them on there.
Just stick with orange/red/blue as those are the most popular and you will get the best results.

 

[Calan]

Seems our local guys only have red/green/gold.

I have all of those (haven't tried the gold yet); but I can't find any blue, white, brown, or orange around here. It figures, as the blue (2% lanthanated) is what I really want to experiment with.