Cheapest way to try my hand at TIG?

[mikehaugen]

If you have ever welded with an acetylene torch, it is the same principle... but much cleaner. I can tig weld... kind of. I learned in high school and can make a decent steel weld, haven't done aluminum lately so I don't know if I am any good. My welder is a stick/tig welder and I use tig for anything 1/8" or less... very handy. However, I am thinking about getting a small mig for some sheet metal work only because I find strange, out of position welds difficult with tig. You need 2 hands and a foot, which is difficult when laying on your back under a vehicle. The biggest advantage I see to tig is the ability to weld exotic metals. If you just want to be able to do thin steel, you are probably better off with a small mig. Though I 100% understand the curiosity stand point and wanting to learn for the heck of it.

 

[Stimw]

The closest welding to TIG is probably Oxy/Act welding (torch).
TIG has a lot more advantages but if I wanted to teach someone I would start with O/A.
TIG requires the highest skill level of the normal welding types.
TIG is a lot slower but is more precision and can have a perfect appearance.
Something to consider with TIG, a rule of thumb, for every .001 thickness it will take one amp from the machine. So if you are welding 1/8" (.125) your machine will need about 125 amps.
It's kinda hard to jump in cheaply, the better the equipment the easier it is.

 

[Shield Arc]

You need 2 hands and a foot, which is difficult when laying on your back under a vehicle.

You can buy hand wheels, same as a foot pedal.

 

[mikehaugen]

You can buy hand wheels, same as a foot pedal.

Yeah, I priced one out... I think it was about $250 for the one I needed. It also (to me anyway) would not be as variable as a foot pedal where you can constantly vary the amperage. Maybe I am wrong, as I have not used one, but it does not seem the same to me. I would rather put that money towards a miller 140 or similar.

 

[Shield Arc]

Mine works fine for open root pipe, because I walk the cup. But for free hand I can't control the amps with the hand wheel without moving the torch:hissyfit:.
But it is better than a sharp stick in the eye, just not by a whole lot. :laughing:

Arc-Zone.com :: Remote Amperage Controls for Welding

 

[rankrank1]

The thing is, I know I don't need it. I just sorta want it. However the more I read about it, the more I realize I probably won't ever get good at it because it will never be used except for practicing on scrap...
I still would like to try the Harbor Freight stick welder though. I'll put that one on the wish list.
Thanks.

If you already know you do not need tig, then why waste your money on that little 80 amp HF inverter? As a stick machine that thing will not increase your welding arsenal at all over the flux core machine you have now due to lack of oomph.

While I understand, you are limited to 115 volt power for now then I would be looking at some of those dual voltage machines form either Everlast or Longevity. Even the cheapest ones have more oomph than that HF one on 115 volt and you do get up to some usable power on 230 volt which does at least increase your welding arsenal too for the future. These would scratch start tig just as that HF one will.

Or if ultimate cheapness is the goal: Wait till you have 230 volt at your new place and pick up a used 230 volt AC/DC buzzbox stick welder. Use the 115 volt fluxcore machine on 1/8" and under thick metal and use the 230 volt buzzbox stick machine on the thicker metals. An AC/DC buzzbox will scratch start tig too and you have some real usable stick power for very little money. This actually how I operate and there are not many repairs that I can not attempt to tackle with my low budget welding arsenal. Not to mention that that buzzbox is likely to outlast any of the cheap Inverter machines that you buy from anyone.

That all said, if you serious about tig then Everlast and Longevity carry a machine that is dual voltage (both 115 volt and 230 volt) that is also foot pedal compatible - having a foot pedal is a huge bonus in the tig world. These machines will do stick and tig and likely be a better tig rig than any crude scratch start way of doing it but pricewise is not what I would call cheap from a stick machine perspective, but it is cheap if you definitely need tig capability from a tig machine perspective.

 

[Willie B]

Ben Franklin authored the quote I can't remember word for word: An optimist is often dissapointed. A pessimist is often right, when he is wrong he is delightfully surprised. I like Tig welding because I can weld aluminum. I am a person with a brain that tends to be random. I get an idea, want to build something. When finished, I don't need to prep, prime, paint. I bought my first TIG machine last spring. A miller Diversion 180, is a few steps above the bottom. It is a great machine for light gauge steel. It isn't as great for aluminum. Aluminum conducts heat away from the weld with alarming speed. Low frequency AC tends to make a wandering, or not very concentrated arc. Heat is diluted, as the Diversion 180 has a duty cycle of about 20%, you just get the workpiece heated when the welder rolls back the amperage. I often want more heat the machine can't provide. I would also like an adjustable AC balance. Cleaning action only takes place on the workpiece negative stroke. Too much EP you clean an excessive width, too little, not enough. Wrong balance ruins your electrode.
Buy a good TIG or none. A small TIG is a waste of money.

 

[HokieMS]

If you already know you do not need tig, then why waste your money on that little 80 amp HF inverter? As a stick machine that thing will not increase your welding arsenal at all over the flux core machine you have now due to lack of oomph.

e.

As much as I want to try it out, I think you've talked me in to waiting until I can get something with more amps. My wife probably thanks you for keeping me from spending money right now

 

[Mattc8832]

I've seen a few Miller Ecno Tig 165's on criagslist for under $500. I've never used the Enco Tig but I have used the 165 Diverson Tig and didn't really like it. I currently use a Miller Diverson 180 right ow at work and really like it - its nothing fancy and expensive for no more machine than it is.

 

[joshuabardwell]

There has been a lot of good advice on this thread. Here's my two cents. First, let me say that I totally understand your wanting to do TIG "just because". TIG is a beautiful, almost magical welding process. I know there's grimy welders out there who do it all day long and to them it's probably just another job, but for us hobbyists who can only do it when we really want to, it can have a certain sense of wonder about it. So I fully support you getting a TIG machine "just because". You will eventually find things you can weld with TIG that you can't weld any other way, and you'll have a great time the whole time.

The first thing you need to ask yourself is whether you want to weld just steel, or whether you want to weld aluminum (and other exotic metals, but mostly aluminum). A DC-only machine can weld steel and stainless steel. For aluminum, you need AC (or a Helium tank, but that's another story). If you just want to get your feet wet with TIG, I think it makes sense to buy a DC-only machine. They come in at maybe half or less the price of an AC/DC machine. You can still experience TIG welding and get a lot done on steel. If you must do aluminum, you're in for a pretty chunk of change.

If you are content with a DC-only machine, then you have a lot of choices. One way to go is to get a barebones DC-capable stick welder for something like $200 (used) and then get set up with a scratch-start TIG rig (about $100). But here's the thing: for under $300, you can also get (for example) a brand new Everlast PA140-ST. This is an inverter-based DC-only stick-welder, with lift-arc TIG capability and built-in gas solenoid. Because it's inverter-based, it will likely weld much better than a used buzz-box, and lift-arc + gas solenoid will make for an overall nicer TIG welding experience. If you already had a stick welder, it'd be another story, because you could get into scratch-start for only an extra $100. But as long as you are going to have to buy a new welder anyway, why not get a nice one?

To me, given the choice between a budget-level inverter with lift-arc and built in solenoid, and a used transformer machine with scratch-start, there's no question. But I know some folks out there do love the old iron and wouldn't touch a budget-level inverter like the PA-140. To each their own...

FWIW, I only mention the Everlast line because it happens to be the one that I own, and it's what I'm familiar with. I've never used a Longevity, but Shield Arc speaks highly of the ones he's seen, and they have similar offerings at a similar price.

Oh, BTW, the PA140-ST is dual-voltage, so it'll run up to about 90 amps or thereabouts on 110v power and if you later get 220v power, it'll go higher.