If inverter machines are as durable as my old transformer machine, it would be money well spent! Unfortunately, they aren't. Before anybody says I'm bashing inverters, I'll point out that right now I own four welders...an inverter TIG, an inverter MIG, a transformer TIG and an engine drive....so I'...

This is being done in a garage with no fans on, so no side breezes. The tungsten is a 3/32" with matching collet. Here is a picture of .125" mild steel, only cleaned with acetone using the same torch/electrode/etc as the aluminum above. I did not use any filler rod for this, just struck t...

I've melted the back cap off a 17 series air-cooled torch on a machine that maxed out at 175A...didn't take that long. That’s a helluva trick. I have never heard of such a thing, nor have I ever experienced anything remotely close to that using a #17 with a 200amp TIG. I wouldn't call it a trick, b...

Flow should be constant and consistent. With that smaller cup, you could reduce your CFH to 8-10cfh max. Not with the inexpensive flow meters that ship with most imported welders these days. They're almost all set for 50PSI and give a pretty good blast when you first hit the pedal. I know the flow ...

It sure does look like a gas coverage problem, but just to fill in the details a bit, what diameter tungsten are you using? If the amperage is on the low end for a given tungsten diameter you can wind up with the arc dancing all over the place, and you're already on the low end for 1/8" aluminu...

I don't own one (yet) but every review of the Optrel Crystal 2.0 hoods says they might be the best as far as clarity and light transmission. They offer cheaters that fit in the hood so you don't have to worry about the headgear over your glasses. They aren't cheap, but everyone just raves about them!

The coolant does travel up into the neck. The cup and collet body or gas diffuser will still build up some heat, but nothing like on an air-cooled torch. The duty cycle will vary with brand and model, but most will at least be 100% duty cycle for 200A on DC and somewhat less on AC. I've melted the b...

You'll definitely have to pull the wrapper off and start looking around. The fact that the fan comes on (probably before fan-on-demand) is a good sign. I've had a similar style machine go crazy when one wire fell loose. It would weld max or minimum amperage, but nothing in between, and the other end...

Steve James wrote:T
Torch is connected to 'electrode' and ground clamp is 'work'

On another forum this comment might start a small war

Can you post a picture of the face showing how you have the switches, dials and connections? One thing that comes up often is that people know DC TIG is electrode negative, and they wind up with the power lead connected to the negative terminal, which won't work...you want the power connection on th...

One of the true experts who has posted on most of the welding forums once did a writeup about welding with wet 7018 rods. He soaked old rods in a can overnight to get them completely saturated, then used them. He would pull one out of the can, put it in the stinger, stick the rod to the work and le...

For AC aluminum you want the HF to be on continuously. Did you somehow have it set for start only? The work clamp location shouldn't make much difference....certainly not what you're seeing. Make sure you have a fresh grind on the tungsten before you start on aluminum. If you use a tungsten on steel...

Years ago I converted the gun and cable assembly to a Tweco No. 2 and installed a gas solenoid. About 5-6 years ago I started running C25 gas and now I am going to pick up some .030 contact tips and wire just to see how the machine likes it. For most of it's life, I only ran .035 and C100 gas. Mayb...

I'm certainly not a professional welder, but I'm definitely an enthusiast, and have welded with many of the Millermatic line of machines so far...35S, 35, 200, 211 AutoSet, 212 AutoSet, 250, 250 Vintage, 250X, 251, 252 and 350P. The 35S/35/200 family are all pretty similar and have one of the nicest...

I would have thrown them away and cry for the money. It is interesting to read that you do not experience very bad welding defects with rods like these. I'll check any suspicious rods on scrap metal and decide if I use them. One of the true experts who has posted on most of the welding forums once ...

Tweco, Bernard, HTP....pretty much everybody makes a gun that will work with a modern Lincoln.

I have a spare Lincoln Magnum 250L gun that I could get to you for $100 with an .023-.030" liner installed and a brand new .030-.045" liner in a factory sealed bag.

I actually had to go back to my notes because I remember the Primeweld starts at 10 amps the lowest. I just search again online and all the websites giving the specs say 10-225 amps. Either way, I've narrowed it down to 2 welders, Primeweld being one. One thing to check is that minimum running amps...

I never saw the original post, but glad you got it working!

The HF start isn't the most robust on the 330 A/BP, but the arc is very smooth...great machine to learn on. Not only that, but you stole it at that price!

I posted a long reply that disappeared....ack! Short version....I've tried three of the $250 coolers on eBay and had to send two back. The first one was great, but the next two wouldn't move water...just a trickle. I think they had a bad run where they accidentally used 230V motors with 110V power s...

I've melted the back cap of a 17-series torch so maybe I'm not a good example, but I sure prefer water-cooled. The small 20-series torch is really nice...doesn't get in the way, easier to see around, and can handle fairly high amperage for long periods of time. It's nice to be blasting away at 250A ...

The main reason I'm getting a tig welder is to be able to fabricate an aluminum roof rack for my van. Not sure of the exact wall thickness of tubbing but an initial search yielded the following results for 1.25 diameter: 0.065, 0.095, 0.12 inches. I might not go for the 0.065 but at the same time d...

I actually like 1/16" electrodes better than super sharp 3/32 for low amperage work, but mostly from a convenience and economy standpoint. I can take a 1/16" tungsten and give it a quick pass over the dedicated grinder and be ready to go quickly. With 3/32 I have to sit there for a while t...

Got it hooked up tonight with 1/0 cable. I'm looking to replace the coolant in the radiator 1 cooler, is there an option for the aluminum tank AND high frequency welding? The charts that Miller uses are extremely conservative, and I honestly don't believe their data plates either. At last count I h...

It's easier to braze it. This is what I use. It flows like butter and can bridge a decent size hole. I like to brush and clean with acetone, but I have done it with less than ideal cleaning. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210129/516f9d0b017dd22b0431696fbeb7ef3d.jpg Sent from my SM-T837V using T...

The video says it has been removed....not sure about that. I would try not balling the electrode at all...just leave it a point and see what happens. I'm far from an expert, but I've found that at lower amperages I get some arc wander and instability if the tungsten isn't fairly sharp...but that doe...