Anything is possible with enough sheer force. From lifting a car to building skyscrapers to putting a man on the moon, humanity has used this technique to overcome every obstacle–even connecting two pieces of metal.
Welding used to take a blacksmith hours using a process called forge welding. The process is simple but labor-intensive: Heat two pieces of metal in …
Interesting piece, but $1500 to setup in TIG isn't in the budget for me (and I'd hazard a lot of folks).
Will you guys be doing any pieces on the lower-end scratch-start inverter-based TIG machines that are available for a few hundred bucks?
That's what I went with a few weeks ago, an 80-amp stick welder with a TIG torch from Eastwood. Even by the time I bought a regulator and a large(r) bottle of argon, I was only into the whole thing for $450. But it's certainly not as easy to use as the more expensive variable units. But these small machines seem like they offer a tremendous bang for the buck in ability, portability, and simplicity.
In reply to RevolverRob :
Minimum machine is $650 for what I would call "decent". But with a tig machine, you get what you pay for.
Tig without HF start at the very least is painful to learn.
In reply to Ranger50 :
I guess the question then is what are the parameters for defining 'decent'? I.e., what features do you need in a given box?
_
Scratch start isn't actually all that difficult to figure out...A copper welding spoon or plate helps, a lot, for starting and ending the weld. It took me a couple of dozen attempts of just starting the arc to reliably scratch start. After three-dozen attempts it's easy.
I learned and bought a TIG to do bodywork before I bought a MIG. Self taught and got along OK. PITA to use on any location or any position that is not a bench with fixtured components. Stuff has to be surgical-room clean to get good welds.
Have hardly touched the TIG since I bought the Lincoln 185 MIG.
Other than doing alloy, I see no benefit to the much slower TIG process.
Some argue that TIG gives a more malleable bead for doing sheet metal work, but if that is the case, then I would point you towards an oxyacetylene rig as it is a more versatile tool. ie it cuts and loosens metal stuff.
Pete
Yeah, a lot has changed in the seven years since I wrote this story. Prices have continued to drop like crazy, and I'm real curious about the new wave of dirt-cheap imported inverter machines. I've heard positive and negative anecdotes, sounds like they're either perfect forever or broken right out of the box, but I'm not sure how much of that is just internet hate.
Here's my anecdote: I still have this Lincoln TIG that was built in 2012, and still use it all the time. Over seven years, it's needed nothing but consumables and hasn't let me down once. And if it ever does, there's a very good chance of getting replacement parts and tech support locally. Same goes for my Lincoln MIG, which has been around even longer, gets far more use, and still runs like a Swiss watch. Name brands are more expensive, but so far my Lincoln welders are firmly in the "buy-once-cry-once" category.
In reply to Tom Suddard :
Agreed. Both my metal melty machines are Lincoln. Had a SIP for a while, but it had circuit board issues and parts were not available.
I currently have the Eastwood AC/DC TIG Welder which is ~$700 new. I got it much cheaper used, and just needed a fresh torch/lead. It does fine for what I need right now. It can do aluminum with the AC, and does fine on fairly thick steel too on DC.
When I upgrade, I will most likely get a Primeweld tig255x, the reviews are great, apparently the customer support is great, it comes with a CK torch to start with which is something I had to upgrade to on the Eastwood, and it has pulse settings and a lot more control.
I also owned a Miller Syncrowave 250 for a short time, MASSIVE machine, water cooled CK torch. It was not the DX, so it didn't have pulse functions, but it really did weld beautifully. Only downside was it kept tripping my breakers as the older transformer style welders draw more power. I ended up selling it for a nice profit, but it was a very nice machine.
I already knew most all of this BUT I read it anyway because it is one of the best written articles I've come across in several years. It's what we used to pay money for to the likes of HP-books and others. But unfortunately, those didn't come with a comment section that allowed the book to talk back to you.
Great work Tom
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
MIG welding 101 for car hobbyists please!
Tom Suddard said:Same goes for my Lincoln MIG, which has been around even longer, gets far more use, and still runs like a Swiss watch. Name brands are more expensive, but so far my Lincoln welders are firmly in the "buy-once-cry-once" category.
I second this. I have had a lincoln 140 MIG buzz box for 15years? It has been rock solid. I has welded everything from rust holes in Land Rover stamped steel oil pans to installing new mounting brackets on to trailer axles. It will weld 1/4 inch plate but preheating with a torch I found makes this possible. It is an exceptionally good unit for a wide verity of jobs. Not the best on either end of the spectrum but great for general use And will get the job done if you understand its limitations and work with them.
For most people I have found that having a buzz box that you can bring to the thing that needs welding is really important especially if you are limited to driveway work. Adding a generator that can power your small welder is something I did years ago and that has been helpful in several occasions.
Does this table also hold canoes?
Couple of comments on a good but somewhat superficial article.
2% lanthanated tungsten is more user friendly than plain tungsten.
Use a dedicated tungsten sharpener to prevent cross-contamination. I have a lapidary diamond wheel on my grinder for only tungsten. Non-chlorinated brake cleaner is a good final cleaner. Clean your filler rod too! Many tiggers do not ball the tungsten. Research that before accepting to ball.
Always use protective clothing. There are many photos on this site of people welding or doing tacks without even using gloves. Really? If you want a slower path to cancer, take up smoking.
NEVER breathe the fumes! Make sure your shop is properly vented without air motion that blows away the shield gas.
Look into CO2 as a shielding gas, it's cheaper. Also, buy the biggest bottle you can manage for cheaper overall gas use. Buy a cheap flow meter to check your torch is delivering the gas flow you need.
Go on Jody's welding site for consumables and very good teaching videos. https://forum.weldingtipsandtricks.com/
Many self-darkening hoods will not respond to the small arc of a TIG weld. My new, expensive ESAB hood would not darken below 30 amps which causes too much flash. Returned. The Lincoln hood I bought works well. Make sure your hood will work with TIG too, not just MIG.
Consider a gas lens and ceramic cup for your torch. A strong drop light is useful too.
Shut off your bottles! Many regs may leak slightly and bye bye gas.
Aluminum is the most difficult to weld, I found titanium to be the easiest. Al requires you to move very fast to avoid overheating. Thick metals may need preheating.
if you plan to do piping that will flow something, plan to get a dual regulator and research purging to prevent "sugaring" which is an ugly weld inside the pipe that messes up flow.
Can't think of anything else. Oh yes, take some lessons! I went to a beginner's welding course at a trade school, numerous sequential Saturdays and it was amazing. Saved a lot of fumbling and wasted gas and the equipment and instructors were superior.
Thanks Grunion , lots of good info ,
can you TIG without gas ?
my 3rd world friend that does stainless sculptures Tigs without gas , Ok they also wear sandals and no masks , but just wondering what happens if you do not " gas up"
In reply to Grunion :
Thanks for the info. I have looked into the local trade school welding classes but they are too big of a scheduled time commitment right now and are geared towards people that want to weld for a living.
What I would like is a weld camp. With different options of courses.
2-3 days each course. Just a intro and a little practice.
maybe like 3 classes stick 101, mig 101, tig 101.
Does anything like that exist?
In reply to californiamilleghia :
No. That would be TIG without the Inert Gas, a.k.a. "T" 
I have done it just to make a tack weld, but without the Argon to shield oxygen from the weld pool it will be badly oxidized and weak.
Just bumping this one up since there have been a few questions about welding.
Somebeach (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to Grunion :
Thanks for the info. I have looked into the local trade school welding classes but they are too big of a scheduled time commitment right now and are geared towards people that want to weld for a living.
What I would like is a weld camp. With different options of courses.
2-3 days each course. Just a intro and a little practice.
maybe like 3 classes stick 101, mig 101, tig 101.
Does anything like that exist?
Not that I have found. I was looking into classes and they all are part of a larger certification toward a career.
Cuda said:Somebeach (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to Grunion :
Thanks for the info. I have looked into the local trade school welding classes but they are too big of a scheduled time commitment right now and are geared towards people that want to weld for a living.
What I would like is a weld camp. With different options of courses.
2-3 days each course. Just a intro and a little practice.
maybe like 3 classes stick 101, mig 101, tig 101.
Does anything like that exist?
Not that I have found. I was looking into classes and they all are part of a larger certification toward a career.
Maybe not exactly what you're asking for, but it is an offering...
Motorsports (lincolnelectric.com)
In 2004 when I was considering taking up TIG welding, I signed up for a Lincoln Electric Motorsports Welding class. I mean, I didn't even know if I could hold a TIG torch, let alone operate with one, so taking the class could've saved me the expense of buying a machine I couldn't use. The Basic Motorsports Course was a five day (34-hour/3.4 CEUs) schedule, plus lunch in their cafeteria. The classroom time was 1/2 of each morning, and LOTS of hands-on time in the lab, with the instructor (Joe Kolasa) roving between giving tips and aid. The course was at least 90% TIG, but we did have a little MIG and plasma-cutting exposure (maybe more, if you asked for it).
As much as I enjoyed__and learned__from the Lincoln course, I was already in The Blue camp (Millermatic 175, with my sights on a Dynasty 200DX and Spectrum 625...).
Good luck, hope you find what you're looking for. And Tim, another great read!
In reply to Randy_Forbes :
That is exactly what I am looking for. Thanks for posting that up. It is even not to far from where I live.
Somebeach (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to Randy_Forbes :
That is exactly what I am looking for. Thanks for posting that up. It is even not to far from where I live.
Great! I really enjoyed the course, plus learned a lot. If there're any specific areas that you need/want extra help in, they're glad to accommodate__they want you to get the most benefit (and tell your friends, even if it's eighteen yrs later ;) )
Just setup my new TIG welder.
Need to relearn the basics. Might take it into work and ask the head welder if I can pay him for some basic lessons.
I did the trade school thing, like two nights a week. It was absolutely geared towards starting you on a path to a career that required welding skills. After the first night, me (21-ish at the time, but had my job squared away, and just wanted to be able to weld better for cars, motorcycles, karts, etc) and a retired guy who wanted to be able to piddle in his garage, asked the instructor if he could work with us on things like that instead of multi pass 1"+ plate type stuff (lots of ship building in our area).
He gladly accommodated. Did the "normal class" first and once they got going on whatever their task was, he'd come over and spend 20 minutes teaching us whatever we asked about, and then we just got to practice on scraps and he'd tell us what we were doing right and wrong every so often.
It was well worth it. I'm not a great welder, but that class definitely helped my MIG skills, and gave me a deeper understanding of how the process actually works which helps guide my adjustments when I don't like what I'm seeing out of a weld I'm making.
I'd like to get an AC/DC TIG machine, and when that happens, I'll probably seek out a similar trade school class (have moved, so maybe I won't find the same willingness to deviate from curriculum at my current local community college/trade school, but worth a shot).
You'll need to log in to post.
