Finally bit the bullet and bought a TIG welder

[DaveBonds]

I use MIG welders all day. I've used them on everything, from frame work to 20ga sheet metal and they work great and I will continue to use them for niche projects, like framing, some sheet metal and odd access areas.

I've been wanting a TIG welder for some time, now, to accomplish things on my cars and with other art and furniture projects that I've been wanting to venture in, but couldn't because of the limited capabilities of a MIG.

I did a lot of research and after considering several different machines, including Lincoln and Miller brands, I decided to go with an Everlast 185 amp AC/DC unit that is dual voltage capable 115/220, depending on work load.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Everlast-Powertig-185-Inverter-based-Voltage/dp/B00AWU739O/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1391919472&sr=8-3&keywords=Everlast+185"]2013 Everlast Powertig 185 Micro Ac Dc Tig Stick Welder 110/220 Volt Inverter-based Ac Dc Dual Voltage 185AMP - Amazon.com[/ame]

This welder is a square wave inverter, so it's significantly lighter than a transformer TIG and uses less energy to accomplish the same thing.

The reason I went with this welder, is because of it's duity cycle capability for my projects, coupled with the ability to run 220 that I'd like to on occasion for larger fabrication.

The wall that I ran into with most newer TIG machines, is that the ones that were not locked in at 60Hz frequency, had digital settings that you had to play with, for pre-set metal thickness and metal heat range/ type.

I like having full control over a welder like this, because of how much I will be criticizing the welds and their cleanliness, for it's use. Most of the analog control welders that were inherently cheaper had a slew of control capability, but they were for settings that I will never use, like 4 knobs for weld pulsing time controls. I'm not going to be running this thing all day on a production line and I do my own beads, so the automated stuff just seemed like money spent on crap I won't use.

I almost bought another welder, but it was locked at 60Hz, which is a reasonable setting for all around welding, but it's not as focused as I'd like for some of the stuff I'll be using this welder for, like cast aluminum.

a TIG welder (Tungsten Inert Gas) is essentially just the same as gas/ torch welding, with a much more controlled heat source. The heat source works like a multiple spark ignition box, to create a heat source to melt the metal and filler rod into. It's not a constant arc of electricity, like an ARC welder. The frequency of that spark at 60Hz is suitable for steel and some aluminum uses, but with higher frequencies, around 100Hz, the smaller the spark arcing pattern/ area becomes, so you have more control over the heat range.

This welder has extremely basic controls for amperage, AC frequency and AC balance, for helping with the cleaning cycle that the torch goes through, during the process. This is critical for a good aluminum weld, because aluminum oxide that is on all aluminum is much harder than the core metal that has not oxidized, so the direction of the current on AC needs to have more coming from the back side up to the Tungsten tip of the torch, for penetrating and cleaning the aluminum as the downward portion of the AC cycle heats the surface metal for the weld.

I think the first thing I'm going to build with it is an aluminum cart for it, but this is really going to help cut down on metal finishing time for my sheet metal fabrication work. which is one of the primary reasons why I picked it up, aside from building intakes and exhaust systems.

The next two things I'm going after, this year, are a vacuum table and a good pump and a small shop press/ mill/ lathe. I wanna make some stuff.

 

[67Dart273]

Well I know I'm jealous. I haven't had time to play with my "crap." Dug out my old Century AC/DC stick, bought an ebay import torch, and scored an old spark hi freq box off CL for 40 bux. The neighbor down the alley supplied a cylinder on semi-permanent loan

So it ain't light, it ain't fancy, but it's a start.

 

[TrailBeast]

Looks like a nice machine.
I notice it comes with the basic gas hookups also.
Nice.

 

[DaveBonds]

Well I know I'm jealous. I haven't had time to play with my "crap." Dug out my old Century AC/DC stick, bought an ebay import torch, and scored an old spark hi freq box off CL for 40 bux. The neighbor down the alley supplied a cylinder on semi-permanent loan

So it ain't light, it ain't fancy, but it's a start.

Sweet. That will get it done!

I had nothing to start with, but any buzzbox with AC/DC will do it. This has been long waiting on my end. I've been doing this for myself and others, for the past 18 years and I've needed something to cut my work cycle down. I'm good with a MIG, but I need something that will not be as counterproductive with sheet metal shaping. It will cut my planeshing and cleaning down, significantly.

The Miller equal to this thing was about 2.5x it's price. Power inverter with an LCD and a computer. Blue paint must be getting pricey. I would have liked to buy one from those guys, but I just don't see a reason for all of the no-brainer add-ons. I don't need pulse function or presetting for thickness/types of metal. I know how to do math and read.

The truth is, most of the stuff I have is hand-me-down. I actually prefer it. Some of the best metal shapers in the world use logs as a working bench. the Morgan factory still planishes their bonnets over a log that has been in their factory since the 1930s. There is a metal shaping outfit in Australia that is run by a guy who moved there from Italy, who uses a stump for a lot of his beating and he makes his own hammer heads and anvils.

No amount of tooling can replace skill sets. No matter how much or little you spend. I couldn't talk either one of my uncles out of their transformer machines, otherwise I would have ended up with one. I only wish I didn't have to spend my hard earned money, to get it.

I compromised on the helmet. I found one of these, WWII production era in an attic;

I spent $18 on an auto darkening lense to drop into it, with a potentiometer to get the right # tint for the arc UV.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/301007664851?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

I may end up having to make a new bezel for it, but I'm ok with that.

The alternative, would be to get a "vintage" one, like the other 121 people on here chose to do -

[ame="http://www.ebay.com/itm/Miller-259485-Vintage-Roadster-Digital-Elite-Auto-Darkening-Welding-Helmet-/130948990169?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e7d2b04d9"]Miller 259485 Vintage Roadster Digital Elite Auto Darkening Welding Helmet | eBay[/ame]

I like the $18 idea.

Never make fun of someone's tools. I wanna see that AC/DC when it's up and ready to go!

 

[DaveBonds]

Looks like a nice machine.
I notice it comes with the basic gas hookups also.
Nice.

We'll see how this one works. I'd like a flex head torch, quite honestly. This one will hold a longer tungsten tip for more sharpening, but I know I'll end up with another one, for more control on stuff that requires it.

The welder got 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon and everywhere else online that I could find reviews. The only thing that people say odd about it is personal or situation related, like not having used it's ARC capabilities or TIG capabilities, used as an ARC welder, or that they didn't like the pedal or some other comfort issue, but the machine seems to be high quality.

 

[Abodybomber]

Bonds,.... Dave Bonds,... lol.( I am sorry..,). I always felt,a any mig always had too much heat,in the pocket. This is a good choice .....

 

[DaveBonds]

MIG requires a slow and patient hand on sheet metal work. Go back and planish 3" of beads, move on, etc...

I want to make a gas tank with rear entry/ license plate for my 240Z!

I'm also going to build a ton of aluminum parts for my six banger Charger. I wanna see how close to 2500 I can get!

I'd also like to help other people out with their project ideas. I know that 74 Dusted was looking to build a low rise intake for his 671. This would make short work of it.

I'm also going to weld some old beer cans together, just for fun.

I watched a guy do it and he used a big gas cone, dropped amps, sharpened a 3/32" tungsten, hit it with 110Hz and 60/40 balanced AC. looked like he wasn't even trying.

 

[Woods74]

Congrats, now get to work!

 

[pettybludart]

I bought a mig welder finally after wanting one for over 25 yrs.Next I would like to learn Tig as it seems like a nice talent to have.I,d like to make so many things,but just haven,t had the skill or means of a Tig.Good luck and post some pics of work once up and running.:-D

 

[DaveBonds]

MIG is an awesome machine to have, all around. I will certainly make use of the MIG welders as needed. This thing, I picked up, because I'm going to be building furniture, restoring broken trim/ grilles and making trim, but mostly, I picked it up for its aluminum capability and cleanliness.

The price for some of the tig welded components, like custom fit headers, intakes, even valve covers, is just astronomical these days. Forget finding and paying for aluminum panels. That's the big one. I've got plenty of panel fab experience. Aluminum is so much easier to work with, than mild steel. I'm afraid of making fenders for my charger. I'll likely go carbon on them, as not to dent them, working under the hood, but I'd like to take a crack at making a hood, because it's out of the way, when you're up at the front of the car.

Woody, I wish the thing was here, already. I went down to my welding supplier and bought some 4048 aluminum and 308 stainless for doing 304, along with a 3/32" thoriated tungsten tip, for resisting the higher heat from bumped up frequency. I've been running beads in my sleep.

I'll definitely get some pics of a few projects at hand, a couple of them going into the Scamp, once I've got the thing in my possession.

 

[Abodybomber]

Pure bad ***,D.B. . Post pics,on the Datsun,when you can. And a great pick up.

 

[67cudafb]

I have heard Everlast welders have greatly improved in the last couple years. I picked up a Miller econotig a couple years back with a high freq and a cooler for $250. This is ac/dc transformer machine but limited amps make it difficult to weld aluminum that's very thin or very thick. With my limited ability it works ok for me. Keep us updated on how your 185 works for you. Bill

 

[DaveBonds]

That's a great deal on a Miller TIG. Good to know, on the quality of the company.

I went out of my way to get this one, because I don't care about automation and because of it's reviews and supporting website. The upslope/ downslope, off and on time adjustment settings for pulse is wicked for tubing and production work, but quite frankly, this thing has a duty cycle at 35%. I won't need anything out of this welder at 185 amps for that long, if ever, so I'm not concerned. I wanted something small, for practical use, that had a full range of amp, AC balance and frequency control range on the fly.

It looks like the company has good customer service and parts availability. They seem to advertise everywhere, but the best deal to be had was from Amazon. The unit got good reviews from every site that I found that had feedback available.

UPS has been kind of janky, lately. Cost me an art deco mid century porcelan coffee grinder. Real sloppy. I think they've got the Denver Broncos working for them. Let's hope it gets here without a punt mark on the side. lol...

 

[DaveBonds]

Got it in one piece and everything is better quality than I expected. Nice, solid brass connectors, the whip of the torch came with a zip up cloth sleeve to keep it in good shape, came with some 1/4" ID braded clear PVC line to connect the gas with, owners manual with exploded views of everything, basic operation instructions, an extra lug on the back of the machine for a secondary ground that you can run out to a stake, ball bearing flow meter regulator, calibrated for argon and no clamp for a stick electrode (which I could care less about).

I'm still not out of the woods, though. I had to purchase a few things to get this tool as usable as I'd ultimately like it to be.

Reluctantly, I traded in my empty Oxygen and Acetylene tanks at the gas shop, for a full tank of 100% Argon and a half tank of Helium.

I have a nice set of Vector torches, with three different sizes, a rosebud and a cutting torch that I used for a few things here and there, but I won't be needing them until I start doing panel beating on aluminum or bending a few things. It's still the best way to weld aluminum, if you are going to planish the weld out, because distortion isn't relevant and even heating/ annealing is a must. formed aluminum without annealing will bend once. Bend it twice and it snaps or becomes extremely brittle at best.

I was going to get new cylinders and keep them around for my torches, but I can't afford it. The gas shop wants $250ish a piece for their cylinders, plus fill. Spent $35 each on matching regulators and a few bucks on some brass barb fittings with a T fitting to Y them together. I was going to put residual valves on them, but I don't really care if I get a little mixing at the tanks, when I do go from mixed to all argon or back.

Most people go with all argon for most projects. I will, just the same. It works great, until you start messing with dirty cast or thick aluminum that requires extra shielding. The arc goes through less atmosphere and becomes hotter, requiring less energy to produce the same weld, so it takes load off of welding any aluminum thicker than .065" or 1/8". It's also ideal for cleaner looking welds, from the added shielding properties. It also helps on this machine, which has a max amp rating of 185, so potentially, I can carry it beyond a 185 capacity with helium in some places.

The way this thing welds puts a smile on my face, but it is definitely not a MIG. lol.

I discovered quickly that it is picky. You do not weld dirty metal, you pay attention to angle, tip distance and you do not weld outside if you can help it.

I also quickly discovered that if you contaminate the tip (touch it once to the metal you are welding) that it welds like crap. Like, turning off the gas on a MIG. It's that drastic. So, when you are learning, you will be sharpening the tungsten tips to decontaminate them more than you will be welding.

Eventually, I got the hang of it, after some practice on cleaned junk stainless sheet that I had and ran a bead on the square frame steel, for the base of my welding cart.

I also learned that not having a foot pedal kind of sucks for anything, other than really basic welding.

This welder came with a hand switch torch. This gives the set amp/ heat on the machine dial at full on/ off. There is no taper. This feature is awesome for odd positions. I can see it coming in handy for tac welding parts into position (stuff like header/ exhaust and intake/ turbo mandrel bending) to then remove and place in easy access to do a more controlled weld.

When I looked at the welder and read reviews, everything about it was awesome, except for the pedal. Quite honestly, it did look kind of janky. The axis rocks in the center of the foot pad, making it awkward, unlike a gas pedal or sewing machine that pivots at the heel.

I also discovered that any halfway decent pedal is no less than $150. I then discovered that people are making them out of things, like guitar flanger pedals. They are extremely simple. They utilize a rack gear that moves up and down with the toe of the pedal and a circular potentiometer down low, on a gear. Some of them work on 47k and some of the good ones with better increments work on a 50k ohm, linear gain. You don't want a ramped gain.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq93Y8m2yb4"]Harbor Freight Tig Welder Foot Pedal - YouTube[/ame]

The first bit shows how the pedal has helped his welding.
5:38 shows the pedal and it's mechanisms.

So, I spent about $35 total, including a stainless rack and gear and I'm going to make my own, with a chrome foot gas pedal, 'cause why the hell not?

I didn't know this, going into this Everlast welder, but the home site has an active welding forum, moderated by Everlast employees who listen to the member's suggestions on new products, prototyping and overall support of their products. I was able to fish around on the site and get a pinout for the 7 pin connector, to run the 3 leads from the potentiometer to the machine, and the part number for the bulkhead and pins.

The 2nd potentiometer that I bought will be mounted on the side of the pedal, for overall sensitivity adjustment, which I will want for different jobs. It can also act as an amp limiter, so I can set final values on full pedal, if I don't feel like guessing.

There were times when I was welding with it, that I wished I could have backed the amperage down. As you heat soak the part, it becomes easier to flow the weld bead. If you've ever soldered with a torch or gas welded, this is very similar, only more controlled.

The cart that I'm building will also double as a welding table, with a drawer to hold different gas lenses, tungsten, my pedal, hooks for the lines, a dedicated tungsten grinder with a diamond wheel (they demolish grinding wheels too quickly) and a host of basic welding clamps.

The auto dimming lens arrived from China. The moron sent me a different, non adjusting one that has no battery power. It's solar activated and powered, and stuck at #9 shade, which is entirely too bright.

So, I'm still looking for a local supplier for an adjustable lens with battery power, for less than $50 if I can help it. I can get an entire helmet for $40, but I'd rather update mine.

I've been using my friends for the time being, which works half of the time. TIG welding is a joke without auto darken, because you double your chances of touching the tungsten to the metal, meaning you stop everything and clean it up.

I'll have more pics as I complete the cart. I'm using a stainless BBQ that is shot for metal.

It was laying on the ground, on it's side, behind my work. They were going to throw it in the dumpster. It is repairable, I have the handle and everything else, but I like my charcoal BBQ more and it's worth more to me as usable stainless sheet than a spare grill. I'm also going to take the burner, propane fixture and grilles out to make a wood steaming box and boiler for it, to do some bent wood furniture and other parts (steering wheel, replacement woody fender arches for a friend's Plymouth, etc).

 

[67Dart273]

You just made a huge mistake, my friend. LOL. Next time I need a welding question answered.................

 

[DaveBonds]

hahahaa...

Hey, I'm still screwing everything up, but that's why I wanted to post up here. In case I do, everyone can have a few laughs and hopefully not do what I did, when I botched something!

I'm extremely happy to find out that the pedal is just a fancy potentiometer.

I'm tempted to see if I can put a frequency generator in it for DC.

I didn't think about it, when I bought the welder, it has AC frequency and polarity balance, which drastically lowers temp and controls penetration, but not on DC for ferrous metals.

I was tripping the hand trigger quickly to try and taper the heat off at the end and I feel like if I can have frequency up around 60-120hz while I weld and use the foot pedal to taper in and out, I can have even more heat control/ focus on stuff like sheet metal.

If it can handle frequency on AC up to 200hz, I don't see why it couldn't handle it on DC. If I can, I'll see if I can make a frequency generator behind the pedal and sensitivity potentiometers and build it into the pedal.

 

[adiffrentcity]

You just made a huge mistake, my friend. LOL. Next time I need a welding question answered.................

^this... In all honesty though it has been great reading this thread and if I decide to buy a tig regardless of manufacture I will be reviewing the points you've raised here.

 

[Doosterfy]

Nice. I've been TIG welding for 20 years now. I do alot of MIG and stick welding also. As far as I'm concerned TIG is the easiest to do. I'll give you some basic tips. When TIG welding, weld upward when doing vertical welds, don't use more heat than is necessary, less is more, if your beads look dull and have any scale, you're too hot. When you lift your foot off the pedal keep your TIG nozzle pointed at the weld where you stopped to keep argon spraying on the weld as it cools, especially when tack welding. Most important is to know that welding stainless steel gives off highly carcinogenic fumes, DON'T breath that **** in! have fun and start building awesome stuff!

 

[DaveBonds]

Good to know! So far, I can agree with tig being easiest. Once I get the hang of not contaminating tungsten (crappy auto dim off-default helmet of my friends that has bad batteries doesn't help! haha) I had a lot of fun, even with the on/ off trigger. Pulsing is a little annoying.

I've got a lot of experience in gas welding. My metal instructor in class, years ago, when I was in vocational school, wouldn't let me touch a MIG until I had gas down enough to run beads, butt welded on two pieces of 20ga steel, planished and straight. I can see how welding bottom to top or keeping the torch at a 15 degree angle upward on a vertical weld, even on a horizontal stitch, would do wonders. This thing acts like a gas welder, with way more control.

The post flow of gas on this can be adjusted from 1-10 seconds. I'm gonna have to get used to entry and exit taper, once I get the pedal. I've been told that I should practice stitches with and without beads on aluminum, because it cools quicker and I can let the piece sit for less time, if I want to practice on something cold. I need to make some coupons to play with. I've also been told about stainless and chromoly = chromium gas. I'm gonna make sure my charcoal mask will work with my helmet, doing stainless and chromoly.

I stopped making the cart for the time being. I don't want to even try to finish it until this pedal is done. There were so many times that I wanted to adjust the amps, during the welding process, that I know it kept me from having a better weld.

I also decided that I ultimately hated the pedal height of the rack and gear design, shown above, because it needs dead space beneath the pedal, for rack travel clearance.

So, I redesigned the pedal with the same components and I added a few features.

This pedal will act as a junction box for the tig torch. This way, I don't have to upgrade to a 25' whip from the machine and I've got one line in a denim sleeve running across the floor to the pedal, with the super flex CK whip running from the pedal 12' to the torch.

I wanted to keep the torch trigger, because there are times where mock up tac welds will be needed. I can think of doing this a zillion times on custom headers, or even a turbo exhaust system, under a car, when I'm on my back, so a pedal isn't always ideal for that kind of set up work.

The downfall to that idea, is that I'd have the two conductor wire running down the really nice, flexable whip from the torch mounted trigger, so I'd need to jacket the torch whip, which defeats the purpose a bit.

So, I bought a 340mhz transmitter, momentary button that runs a relay, that I'll be mounting in the pedal. I'm going to take the zip tied trigger off the torch and use a velcro strap on this one. It's like a garage door opener, but it's only 1" wide, 2" long and 1/2" deep.

This way, if I really wanted to, I could even take the trigger off of the torch and use my other hand to activate the torch, wireless. I can also remove the switch from the torch for my pedal work, when I don't use it, so I don't have to plug a different torch in to the welder, to do hand trigger work.

It also came with a second remote, so I could even potentially have an aid help, if I was in an odd position, holding something with one glove and the torch in the other, to call out power/ off (on/ off sound too alike).

When you plug the pedal in, the machine recognizes it by bridging two of the connectors in the 7 pin setup. So, what I've done is designed the pedal so that it engages the pedal recognition on the first smidge of pedal movement , then the torch start, then the motion of the Amp control.

I'm waiting on the high flex whip, numerical dial, micro switches, transmitter, receiver relay, 7 pin connector and whip fitting for the pedal box to get it going.

The rack horizontal movement works like kickdown linkage. I can change pedal to rack ratio. The rack has 2" of movement across the gear, from the stop to stop on the potentiometer. The 2nd potentiometer/ numerical dial will be for sensitivity adjustment on the fly. I could do it with multiple holes or slots on the L linkage, but I want something quick, so I can manage different metal thickness projects easier.

 

[DaveBonds]

^this... In all honesty though it has been great reading this thread and if I decide to buy a tig regardless of manufacture I will be reviewing the points you've raised here.

Love the avatar illustration! Welcome to the forum!

Yeah, I'm going to try and give as much feedback as I can. I've grown fond of online user forums, just for the real to life experiences. It's nice to be able to shed some truth and experiences on the typical masking that lies behind computer monitors. Youtube comments can raise interesting points on a lot of technical videos, but sometimes, it's so impersonal that you'd think everyone has a Jeopardy buzzer under their hands for the sake of argument.

 

[67Dart273]

Hey Dave instead of screwing with gearing why not just use a slider control?

 

[DaveBonds]

Here are the other components that I'm using to build this thing-

Finally heard back from the seller on this auto darken lens, he's shipping it out -

The other one is a #3 shade default and no battery backup, instead of a dark default LCD, so it won't cut it. I need at least a #11 shade with this and I don't want to run the risk of not having speed and shade adjustment.

 

[DaveBonds]

Hey Dave instead of screwing with gearing why not just use a slider control?

Slider potentiometers do work. I thought about it. I've already got the gear and rack here. With the two pots, I think I spent about $12, with the stainless rack and cog.

I'd be interested in looking at those slider switches for use. The big thing with this welder is that some of them come with a 22k pot and some with a 47k, so to upgrade, you want either a 25k or 50k for more motion/ sensitivity.

The 25k and 50k pots that I bought (I don't know which knob is on the welder) I think I spent about fifty cents a piece on 4 pots.

Where did you find the sliders? I'd like to know what ohm ratings they come in. Potentiometers range from 5 to 500k in this size.

 

[Abodybomber]

Nice eiquipment,double foot pedals?

 

[DaveBonds]

hahaha...

Double bass...

This welder only came with the torch mount full on/ all off trigger. So it sucks for pulse welding, which you want to do on everything, to limit heat soak. That's the entire advantage of a tig. If you shut it all off at once, you get craters, even with post flow gas.

I still want the hand trigger for awkward positions that won't allow me to use a pedal, so I'm making this pedal do the toggle between hand and foot control, automatically, and making the hand trigger velcro, on a wireless setup, so I can switch hands, not have more wire on the torch and remove it from the torch when I'm on the pedal.

For the price I paid with the CK silicone braid flex gas hose/ power cable, the wireless controller, the gears, pedal and everything else, I'm still coming in at 2/3 the cost of a mediocre, high foot profile pedal.

It would have only run me about $35 to make a pedal, but after thinking about it, the more flexable line, lighter weight on my hand, less crap on the floor and more versatility for tac welding is going to help me out. If I ever decide to run a water cooler and water cooled torch (if I ever do that much welding at once), I'll leave enough room for the two extra lines on the foot pedal and make a cheap, submersible fish tank power head pump and water cooler to put under the unit on the cart.

I'm thinking a heater core as an exchanger, mounted inside a submersible tank with no fan, or just run an aluminum tank full of of race alcohol coolant with no heat exchanger.

The only time I've seen guys really needing a water cooler, is if they're running the welder, non stop for hours on end. We'll see how it goes.