Tig break test.

[deereman75]

Ok we have a nice smiths aircraft torch on our blueshield rig that is very nice to use. I am wanting to learn how to tig weld, and will try to get good with stick and gas welding first, then get a tig. Also, have you used the lincoln electric invertec v155-s? It looks like a good machine to get as a first tig welder, because it isnt a fancy $2k+ machine, and it would also make a nice dc stick welder that is much more portable then our buzz box. I know it cant weld aluminum, but I NEVER work with aluminum, so that isnt a problem for me. If you have any other recomendations for a first tig welder, please tell me.

 

[Shield Arc]

Never heard of Invertec v155-s.
If you want to get into Tig on the cheap, for under $200.00 Less the argon bottle. Get a scratch start, air cooled Tig rig, flow meter, and consumables. I just helped a kid on another site with this setup, and he runs it on his Hobart Stickmate. If you get good with one of these, when you get a Tig machine with pedal you'll think you've died and gone to heaven.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170330999732&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140514184508&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

 

[k0ua]

Never heard of Invertec v155-s.
If you want to get into Tig on the cheap, for under $200.00 Less the argon bottle. Get a scratch start, air cooled Tig rig, flow meter, and consumables. I just helped a kid on another site with this setup, and he runs it on his Hobart Stickmate. If you get good with one of these, when you get a Tig machine with pedal you'll think you've died and gone to heaven.

Shield can you do good work with a setup like that? (on steel of course) I have debated it on and off for some time. I have the PA160 Everlast inverter.
which I use for stick welding, and a small (HVAC guys OA setup) for some light welding and odd cutting.. I use my Grizzley bandsaw :thumbsup: for serious stock cutting. Back to the Scratch start TIG. if I thought I would get good results I would probably get the 17V torch and the other parts, but I have always wondered if it was worth about a $300 investment for torch, cylinder, regulator, consumables.

Please comment.. Thanks

James K0UA

 

[Shield Arc]

In construction a Tig rig is about all you'll see. I've been in the testing facility where pipe weldors come into test. They're so out of place with a foot pedal, they have to set a tool box on the pedal. And this is to take an X-ray pipe test.
During the 1980's Nuclear plant boom, Tig rigs were about all you seen.

Here's a stainless steel Tig weld I made with my Everlast PowerArc 200 and my Tig rig, and I'm nowhere near a Tig weldor!

 

[k0ua]

Well I would sure be happy with that, I dont need to weld much stainless or aluminum. but I often do need to repair some small lightweight steel part. A few days ago I had to repair a Living room lamp harp. The cheaply done spot weld broke off when the wife went to turn it off. I was able to stick it with some 6013 1/16 inch and about 25 amps, but it was a strain. I done a pretty fair job, and it wont break again, but a TIG would have been a lot nicer. The heat affected zone with the OA is pretty large, and looks matter on this thing.

I might look back into getting together all the parts. and teach my self to TIG. I have watched Jody (weldingtipsandtricks.com ) weld a million things with TIG. and am always envious. I realize I need a HF AC machine for aluminum and I realize the limitation of lift start, no pulse, no post flow (except manual) but if you can do that good a job with the PA200, well I guess I can give it a try..need to save up my pennies

James K0UA

 

[crbr]

.
During the 1980's Nuclear plant boom, Tig rigs were about all you seen.

All depends on the application. I have seen as much (or more) stick as mig or tig in the power industry over the past 30 uears. I got in it in 1979 as an engineer in quality and welding, thus I've seen a lot of welds.

Nuclear power has a lot of structural steel that is stick. A lot of carbon pipe that is stick and a lot of plate. Stainless smallbore is tig. Just saying that it depends on what you may or may not have done in the power industry. Your mileage may vary.

 

[Shield Arc]

This kid I helped get setup with a Tig rig is only 17, and only has one high school year of welding. You should see his first Tig welds! Hardest part is getting the arc started with out sticking the tungsten, once you get going, it's the same as any other Tig machine. Breaking the arc is a trick, but only for high end or X-ray quality welds. For guys like us it's no big deal.

 

[deereman75]

My lincoln buzz box is an ac only, so I dont think that the tig rig idea would work, unless a added a large rectifire, I have seen them for converting an ac welder to a dc welder, for about $100 at a pawn shop. Also the tomb stone I have increases the amps about 15 at a time, not really adjustible enough for tig. Sometime I would like to upgrade to something like a lincoln idealarc, or a miller dialarc, but the ac 225 works well enough, and I am a bit short on cash right now.

 

[Shield Arc]

All depends on the application. I have seen as much (or more) stick as mig or tig in the power industry over the past 30 uears. I got in it in 1979 as an engineer in quality and welding, thus I've seen a lot of welds.

Nuclear power has a lot of structural steel that is stick. A lot of carbon pipe that is stick and a lot of plate. Stainless smallbore is tig. Just saying that it depends on what you may or may not have done in the power industry. Your mileage may vary.

Yeah I should have clarified, I was meaning to say small bore stainless steel pipe. Sorry for the confusion!

 

[crbr]

This kid I helped get setup with a Tig rig is only 17, and only has one high school year of welding. You should see his first Tig welds! Hardest part is getting the arc started with out sticking the tungsten, once you get going, it's the same as any other Tig machine. Breaking the arc is a trick, but only for high end or X-ray quality welds. For guys like us it's no big deal.

I used to look at welds for quality (AWS CWI). There was a guy in the trade that always welded small bore stainless, tig. To the day I left the job site, I never once saw a bad weld that he had made. I looked at hundreds of his welds. He always had nice welds and were a pleasure to look at compared to some welders. No grinding either, just nice welds. The young lad at 17 has a good start.