Everlast welders.

[Shield Arc]

I'm so impressed!:cool2:

Last spring my brother-n-law bought a PowerArc-200ST from Mark. Last week I was at his place, he said he was having a hard time with the lift arc Tig start. Personally I never liked that method. I prefer high frequency, or scratch start. My brother-n-law is a retired very high end Tig welder. Worked on some of the space shuttles, even welded on nuclear bombs. But he can't say what he was welding on nuclear bombs! I took my PowerArc 300 to his place. Until next spring we traded welders. I brought his PowerArc 200 ST home with me. I was playing with it this morning. I'm so impressed with the way it runs 6010. You control the puddle with arc length!
Remember now I'm no pipe welder, (a union thing).
This little welder runs very hot! With my Lincoln V350-Pro I run 1/8 5P-Plus 6010 around 75-amps. With this welder 60-amps does the same thing.

 

[woodlandfarms]

2 things. First, I have the 200st I bought from marc a year or so ago. love the machine. Sold my Tombstone ACDC for the cost of the purchase of the Everlast. Mark has been great to deal with.

Yes, as I noted a while ago my machine runs WAY hot as well. Took me forever as I am a crappy inexpereinced welder to realize that what people say needs 100 volts needs 65 to 70 on the machine.

But Sheild, are you saying that the 200 is not a great TIG machine for scratch start? I was hoping this winter to purchase the setup you recommended off the net but am wondering if this is a mistake. I would only be doing stainless, aluminum and thin...

 

[Shield Arc]

But Sheild, are you saying that the 200 is not a great TIG machine for scratch start? I was hoping this winter to purchase the setup you recommended off the net but am wondering if this is a mistake. I would only be doing stainless, aluminum and thin...

Please don't go by me! I've never played much with lift arc start. 10 or 12-years ago I paid $6,500.00 for my Miller Dynasty 300. I tried the lift arc, and didn't like it at all.:thumbdown:

I'll tell you what, tomorrow I'll hook up my Tig rig to the PA-200ST and try it again. I'll also see if I can turn the lift arc off, and just go with scratch start, and report back.

 

[Shield Arc]

Well I couldn't wait until tomorrow! I went out to the shop, hooked up my Tig rig. Left the toggle switch in SMAW mode. Using the scratch start method, the welder started just like any welder I've ever used. Then I switched the toggle switch to lift arc. Don't know what I'm doing different now. But I didn't have an once of trouble starting the arc in lift arc mode! Same 10-GA stainless steel. Same size and type of tungsten. Just a different Tig rig is all.:confused3:

 

[woodlandfarms]

So thoughts on why your BIL was struggling?

 

[woodlandfarms]

So thoughts on why your BIL was struggling?

And can you explain what you mean by different TIG rig?

 

[Shield Arc]

So thoughts on why your BIL was struggling?

And can you explain what you mean by different TIG rig?

My brother-n-law hasn't done any scratch start Tig welding since the 1960s when he worked at Hunters Point Navy ship yard in San Fransisco. He has never done lift arc Tig welding.
He retired from Lawrence Radiation Laboratory in Livermore California. They have nothing but the best equipment at the lab.
He was telling me one time the laser welder he used there, technically could weld 36-inch diameter stainless steel round stock in one pass with 100% penetration. But it would suck so much power the lights in Livermore would dim.:laughing:

He has one of my old Tig rigs, with a flex head. I didnt like it for doing open root pipe welding, so I gave it to him.
https://www.llnl.gov/

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

I did a quick video a few years ago for a couple of customers how to lift start with our units...just silent where I make repeated starts...I'll post it here for the technique. Someone told me that's not the way to lift start on a Miller. That's the way I lift start on a Miller anyway and it works for our units. Keep in mind, the lift start drops the voltage (or is it current...can't remember as I am writing this) when it senses the continuity and then reapplies it as it detects a break in continuity, there by initiating the arc. It should be done briskly, but lightly. On our units, there are particularly sensitive to a "double" tap, when the tungsten bounces quickly on the metal due to an aggresive start technique, and will stick the tungsten. I use a rocking motion on the cup as you will see as it tightly controls everything as the arc is started.

In the video you can see what works and what doesn't...even though it is not a "talkie".

 

[Shield Arc]

I never seen the rocking motion on the cup method before, that's pretty

Mark did I read somewhere that you were in on the design of this welder? If so you did good, this machine is very impressive with 6010! :thumbsup:

 

[CNC Dan]

I never seen the rocking motion on the cup method before, that's pretty

Mark did I read somewhere that you were in on the design of this welder? If so you did good, this machine is very impressive with 6010! :thumbsup:

Have you tried it on 120 volts yet?
Would like to hear what you have to say.