Tig from Transformer Shunt welder?

[Balerguy2]

Reading where Stick Inverter welders are powering an air cooled TIG torch showing some very good welds....................... Has anyone tried the likes of a Miller Thunderbolt 220 AC/DC that uses a heavy transformer with a top mounted crank handle to vary the shunt for continuous amp control (no taps) as a power source? It produces DC from 20 to 150 amps. It uses 4 diodes in a full wave rectifier circuit to produce moderate pulsed DC. It has a single stage of minimal Voltage Regulation and current filtering.

Taps would increase in increments but this is continuously variable........................ certainly not convenient as a foot throttle. What do you think?

Any info appreciated!

Carl

 

[k0ua]

I think a lot of Scratch start TIG has been run from such machines.

James K0UA

 

[murphy1244]

:welcome:

 

[CNC Dan]

there is a guy that posts links to youtube videos that did just what you are talking about.
I think he goes by the name: chucke2009

 

[Shield Arc]

For about 10-years I Tig welded with this machine.

 

[rankrank1]

Transformer machines like the Miller Thunderbolt/Hobart Stickmate are used all the time for scratch start tig rigs. Really as long as you have DC you can do it with any welder. Even a Lincoln AC/DC tombstone will work although tapped settings are less than ideal since you will be jumping in 10-15 amp increments. I recently bought a $45 air cooled tig torch "new old stock made in America torch" from ebay to use on my top crank Miler Thunderbolt. Have not actually used it all that much but it is fun to play with nonetheless and the expense for me was minimal since I already had an unused bottle for Argon as well as an unused regulator. The power lug was $9 at LWS and I was in business.

There have even been a few people rig up and build rudimentary foot pedals too for some of the transformer buzzboxes, but not sure that it is actually worth that much effort but happy searching if that interests yah.


Jody from Welding tips and tricks using a Lincoln AC225 with an add-on homemade DC rectifier. Any AC/DC welder obviously would not require the add on rectifier and that is shown in the video as well with a modern front crank Miller Thunderbolt.:

Homemade Tig Welder - Tig Welding Old School with Scratch Start - YouTube

or an alternative video from (Lanse/Chucke2009) on a Hobart Stickmate:

Scratch Start Tig Setup Explained - YouTube

 

[Balerguy2]

K0UA James
murphy1244
CncDan
Shield Arc
ranKrank1

You guys are great! Everyone came up with info I need. Thanks to all............................. now I'm studying it (It'll take a while).

Carl

 

[Gary Fowler]

TIG is not a super secret speciality welding process that requires speciality power sources except when you are welding aluminum with AC and Hi-Frequency current. Any welding machine will work with a TIG torch, you just have to reverse the polarity from stick rod. When running DC current, it requires straight polarity for TIG otherwise the Tungsten will melt like a stick rod. I welded TIG off Lincoln gas and diesel machines, really old Lincoln torpedo, Miller 8 bank etc. We used the Miller Trailblazer with high frequency for welding aluminum in the field. You really just need a machine that can fine tune the amperage but you could use a Lincoln Tombstone, you just wont have great control over the heat input.

 

[Shield Arc]

When I first got my Everlast PowerArc 200 I played with my scratch start Tig torch just to see how it would do. Little stainless steel to mild steel.

 

[ironnut]

Short answer is yes. I have tig welded steel with a Miller Thunderbolt and a gas cooled tig torch. Nearly any DC stick welder (constant current supply) will work to power a tig torch. You have to use a scratch start welding technique which tends to contaminate the tungsten electrode but it works acceptably. A long time ago a welder person at my then work place used one of those Lincoln pipeline welders, (the big gray units gasoline driven that occupied the bed of a full size pickup) to do some tig welding on a stainless steel pipe. The stainless steel pipe went from the rail siding to inside the plant.

I made a portable DC welder using a modified car alternator. It would drive a tig torch quite nicely. I made a foot pedal to control the amperage. The high frequency ripple in its output seemed to improve the welding action, at least that was my perception.