Thread: Tig Welder Advice

Originally Posted by lornety

so you dont think the foot pedal will be much help ?

Sorry mate, I completely misinterpreted your . Thought it was the usual internet expletive. A foot pedal can be useful especially for aluminium but you can also set your down-slope and post-flow long at, say 20sec and switch on and off as you go. There are also torches available with dial adjustable finger controls.

I can't say that there is much wrong with my transformer Transtig 275 which I bought second hand a few years ago, it does everything I want even without all the wiz-bang stuff on newer machines.

It didn't come with a foot pedal so I bought a generic (US made) one for a Miller - CIG wanted over $1000 for one to suit the machine.

Pedals work with a variable resistor (potentiometer or 'pot') somewhat similar to the volume control on your stereo. They come in different values to suit different machines. The generic Miller pedal has a 1kohm pot, but the Transtig needs a 10k. I bought one of the same type from RS components, swapped it over, changed the plug and saved nearly $600.

Pedals are fairly low-tech and anyone with a little electronics knowledge could do the same, or even build one from scratch if time is not an issue.

If you can buy new, most of the transformer machines on the market will satisfy. Much of the cheap rubbish is inverter based and the repair costs will outweigh the sale price. If I were to buy an inverter it would have to be a decent brand like Fronius, Esab etc.

Kemmpi make a great welder, but you won't go far wrong with a Lincoln or a Miller transformer TIG either. However I think $1000 for a pedal is a bit much!

Of course the advantage with an inverter is that you can throw them over your shoulder and climb a ladder without dragging huge cables everywhere. Makes a great stick welder for structural steel. However, portability has a price, and may not offer as many features as a transformer based machine. I'd be worried about how fragile those little circuit boards are as well.

hi guys was trying to post this in the thread ( mig comparison ) but the post is that old it wouldnt let me , so will drop it here .

Seems most of you guys are into larger machines but ithink for most of us hobyists these are what we can afford /need

Any and all reports on any of these type please let mek now before i buy one



well after wading thruough all this thread i am now a lot better off than before , I also have been looking at the new tokentools ac/dc tig with the plasma cutter and welder.

Things have changed a bit in ebay prices and they are selling for around the 1200 mark for the 200 amp model.

I will mainly be doing hobbie stuff and just finished Mig 1 and Mig 2 at ATEC training in adelaide and will be doing a 2 day mig course in a week. After i finished the Tig couse I had time to play with a tig welder and man are they niice to weld with . so i am sold on it now as most of what i do is car stuff and small gear.

Have searched a lot of forums and have heard 98% good reports with the tokentools gear and what ppl have said in here reinforces that . Will also try to add to it when i get to buying mine . Also looking at the unitig 200 as well at the moment as they are sold thru gasworks locally . An trying to compare all the features still with what I have learnt from here . cheers guys good work

Michael

I got the token tools Alusync ac/dc tig w/ plasma a few months back ($1250) for hobby use and its been great. It's chinese built but the quality seems fine to me. Only one gripe comes to mind: I find the tig torch trigger really easy to click on accidently - which isn't really a problem but does waste a bit of post-flow gas. Also, I like to hold the torch close to the hot end which means the trigger button just seems to be in the wrong place, so I'm going to have a look for something a bit more suited to my style at some stage. I notice a lot of machines seem to come with virtually the same torch handle anyway. The translated manual is pretty basic but it does have a "Description of the Erection" section that I bet other welders don't come with! I'd happily buy this welder again.

My second choice would've been the unitig 200 - seem like good solid machines at the right price (~$1600 from memory but came with a foot pedal) and a lot of retailers seem to stock them, so I assume good backup service if needed.

See 19brendon81 thread on chinese tigs also I had a 4in1 tig thread a while back for some other reading.

Cheers - Mick

I think the Kemppi Mastertig is the pick of them.

Having used both my opinion is that the Mastertig is easier to use and setup than the Fronios.
While and excellent unit the Fronios are really expensive,the footpedal being an example at a $1000.

I would be thinking of a water cooled torch before the footpedal especially if you are talking boat building .

Long passes are going to drive the heat values up and your duty cycle down and play havoc with your torch and comfort.Get hands on play time with both.If they want to sell you one it should not be too hard.
Grahame

Originally Posted by michael polson

Seems most of you guys are into larger machines but ithink for most of us hobyists these are what we can afford /need

You don't necessarily need 3 phase to run a larger machine- many '3 phase' welders use the voltage between 2 legs of a 3 phase supply and are really single phase machines using a higher voltage.

For instance my Transtig 275 will run adequately on 240 volt single phase with changes to the input connections but I would need 10mm cable and a 144 amp breaker. At full noise (330 amps welding current) the machine will pull 114 amps at 240 volts.

I am sure many of the brand name welders of today, as well as older machines, have this flexibility.

Keep an ear out for businesses closing - in the last week I saw a $9000 multiprocess Fronius (MIG TIG and arc) welder, barely 6 months old, go for $4000. Unfortunately I didn't have the cash, but some lucky bugger has scored themselves a top machine. While unfortunate for the business owners, the current economic climate makes for some good bargains if you are in the right place at the right time.

cheers welder mick and thanks for the report, this is what i have been looking for and at the moment its a toss up between the TT or a unitig but the advantage of having a plasma cutter are sort of swaying me . wi ll let you guys know what I get and how i go .

Still have my tig course coming up in a weeks time so will make a choice after that i think . But as both of those brands are Aussie shopfrinted they should be ok for spares and stuff . thanks all for the time

Originally Posted by blouis79

Worth checking out the new BOC/EWM Smootharc Elite TIG 230 AC/DC rrp $5030 inc. Seriously price competitive compared with others which are closer to $7000+ (Fronius, ESAB) Competition should theoretically drop prices in response considering the falling Euro and rising Aussie dollar.
BOC - Smootharc Elite TIG 230 AC/DC

It appears to be a rebadged German EWM Tetrix 230 AC/DC
http://www.ewm.de/produkte/wig/tetri...159-00502.html

Has the same EWM 3yr warranty; 5yrs on transformers and rectifiers.

Appears to have all the same innovations as Fronius and Kemppi have been doing for longer - active arc control, spot, one dial settings, etc.

Programmable to run off 10A mains at reduced power and protected to not blow up if plugged in 400V. Also runs on 230V -40% +15%.

The latest BOC catalog suggests they have dropped Kemppi in favour of EWM for their higher end range with a new range of EWM TIG torches. Also a cheaper chinese-looking model at half the price.

Have been pondering getting an AC/DC tig for hobby welding (Al, SS, etc) for some time. The combination of German engineering and local BOC support looks pretty good.

For boat building, I presume you are better off with water cooled + 3 phase power - models higher up the range....

Old thread i know, but was in the local BOC store today and noticed this machine now goin for $3850 GST included.

as said above seems to have more features then other inverters that are out there and a higher duty cycle.

Could ask users of the EWM equivalent for more feedback here:
EWM Tetrix 230 AC/DC - Welding Forum

Not expecting much further downward price movement with AUD going soft. Kemppi's still selling around $5600?

Hi silash77,
No problems with you want a good TIG for boat building. Just my own personal thoughts because I have also set myself up to build an Ally boat or two soon.
I figured that TIG process would be used sparingly on my project so I spent my hard earned cash on a nice MIG instead being a Kemppi Fastmig Pulse 350.
I figure that 90% of the welding will be done with the MIG and only minor parts will be TIGed for nicer appearance . Perhaps you have a decent MIG already and just want a good companion so all good.
I only had a limited budget so I bought the Kemppi MIG and decent MIC TIG which I am very happy with for under $2K.

Originally Posted by blouis79

Not expecting much further downward price movement with AUD going soft. Kemppi's still selling around $5600?

bocwelding ebay shop is selling Smootharc Elite TIG 230 AC/DC for $3100. Mine arrived today. The last GasNGear catalog I saw had the price go up from $3850 to $4100ish.

Originally Posted by Grahame Collins

I think the Kemppi Mastertig is the pick of them.

I would never part with my Kemppi Mastertig 2300 MLS with ACX panel (make sure you get an ACX panel). It is a brilliant machine. I can't say enough good things about it.

Keep your eye on Gumtree. They tend to come up reasonably frequently. They usually however sell within a day from my experience if they are reasonably priced.

Originally Posted by silash77

Hi all,

I currently use an old Transtig 250 but looking for something a little more up to date.
Cheers Silas

Silash,
I also have an "old Transtig 250" or maybe a "180" ??running on 3ph.
I am just a novice "tig" welder and must admit that I am having problems getting the hang of the tig despite many years of oxy welding welding experience. In fact, I'm getting a bit dis-heartened with the process.

What do the new machines have to offer over the Transtig? Are they more user friendly? The transtig has AC / DC, straight or rev. polarity, high freq.??????

Rgds.
Bill.

I have seen a few comments on the BOC Elite 230 being up there with the Kemppi etc, but just what is it that is better then a generic Chinese acdc tig besides build quality. I am looking at buying a 230, but would like to hear from any one who has used both.

How does it weld better assuming your half decently competent welder. What does the extra cash buy in terms of the weld?