Tig welding tips, questions, equipment, applications, instructions, techniques, tig welding machines, troubleshooting tig welding process
pkele
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Wow.
no pressure Paul...pick the right one, there may be a steak dinner riding on this!

I'll be sure to post what I end up with on this thread...and set an alarm on my calendar in 10 years to do a follow-up. :lol: Seriously, I'll do that.

Lot's to think about, thanks. I'll try not to disappoint you.
HTP Invertig 221
Miller Spectrum 375
Miller Millermatic 210
Spartan
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Too much talking in this thread. Not enough arcs being lit.
TraditionalToolworks
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JustTheDad wrote:How about this, I'll stop posting on this thread
I'm not going to dictate what you do or don't do.

But I will one up you on your offer.

If you're in the Bay area, look me up, I'll be more than happy to buy you dinner, and it won't be McDonalds. No Ruth's in Silicon Valley, but we have our share of nice restaurants. I place no contingencies on my offer, I'll buy you dinner just because. ;)

Whatever Pkele gets I'm sure he'll be happy with it, both machines are good and considering I don't feel cheated with my Primeweld, I don't think anyone should feel cheated with either an HPT or a Miller. :D
Collector of old Iron!

Alan
VA-Sawyer
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TTW,

Just for the record, how much experience do you have welding Aluminum with a Dynasty?
No sense dying with unused welding rod, so light 'em up!
BillE.Dee
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Hey Sawyer,....I got me a whoppin 10 minutes on a dynasty and aloooominum. Did I like it ? YEPPER. Would I get me a dynasty, yeh, IF I had the jingle in my pocket. Had to make MY decision at the time and live with it, but that dynasty I drove is SWEEEEET. I'd love to have other equipment, but age is against me right now and my wife is naggin about stuff that hasn't even happened yet.
gramps
sbaker56
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I'll add my agreement to the consensus of making it a question between the Dynasty DX and HTP too, the Syncrowave 210 just doesn't have a comparable list of features to the Invertig 221.
TraditionalToolworks
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VA-Sawyer wrote:TTW,

Just for the record, how much experience do you have welding Aluminum with a Dynasty?
Actually none, only steel. I have more experience welding steel on the HTP, but my friend who owns it moved to Austin for work.

I do have a friend that does welding for NASA and CNC work and he uses a Dynasty. Aerospace is one area where low amps seems to be critical, but he doesn't have problem collecting his invoices from NASA...maybe he's just lucky.

Speaking of which, how's that green weenie doing on thin aluminum? Seems your machine is the shizzle on low amperage starts for AC if memory is not bad... :lol:

And the OP has an AHP that is less than stellar after replacing all the consumables and can't get it working correctly.

I have enough experience with my Primeweld that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it for aluminum, but the thinnest I've welded is .063", so I wouldn't call that really thin, maybe .040" would be thin aluminum. But the OP wasn't asking about the Primeweld, nor was he asking about a broken green weenie, he's already got a broken lemon weenie. :lol:

But he doesn't need to listen to me, other more knowedgable folks that do own a Dynasty he can take advice from, whether they have welded aluminum or not. :P
Collector of old Iron!

Alan
pkele
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TraditionalToolworks wrote:I have enough experience with my Primeweld that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it for aluminum, but the thinnest I've welded is .063", so I wouldn't call that really thin, maybe .040" would be thin aluminum. But the OP wasn't asking about the Primeweld, nor was he asking about a broken green weenie, he's already got a broken lemon weenie.
Ha! I'll be honest, with the flogging I've given that $700 lemon weenie, I'm actually impressed. Its been around almost a decade and It still welds 0.25" aluminum no problem...duty cycle sucks, but it will do it reliably!
All of this information is good information, and I'll chuck the stuff that isn't :lol: It's only been lately that I've been welding the 0.040" aluminum, but I can see welding that gauge a lot more down the road. This discussion had made me take a second look at the Dynasty line...seeing how I could swing that.
HTP Invertig 221
Miller Spectrum 375
Miller Millermatic 210
TraditionalToolworks
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pkele wrote:Ha! I'll be honest, with the flogging I've given that $700 lemon weenie, I'm actually impressed. Its been around almost a decade and It still welds 0.25" aluminum no problem...duty cycle sucks, but it will do it reliably!
I've actually heard pretty good things about the AHP, maybe they made improvements on the new 201xd, not sure. I've seen lugnutsinhead state that the Primeweld is only a copy of the AHP, but it seems like it's own machine. Had it not been for my bad experience dealing with Oleg, I might have had one, but I can't being myself to deal with Everlast/AHP anymore.
pkele wrote:All of this information is good information, and I'll chuck the stuff that isn't :lol: It's only been lately that I've been welding the 0.040" aluminum, but I can see welding that gauge a lot more down the road. This discussion had made me take a second look at the Dynasty line...seeing how I could swing that.
Most all modern welders can weld that type material, but the better inverters like the HTP or Dynasty go lower than my Primeweld. Evidently, even though the Primeweld is rated to go down to 10 amps, in AC some have said it's more like 20 amps the lowest. I have never taken it down that low, as I said the thinnest I've welded aluminum is .063".

Keep us posted what you get, you might have a steak dinner coming your way...but only if the stock investment works out, you buy the welder on a 5th Tuesday of the month, the stars are aligned with the moon, and you have the welder for a month of Sundays...oh, and we need to somehow follow up 10 years after you buy it...IOW, it doesn't sound like you're gonna get that steak... :lol:

Are you in South Bay by chance?
Collector of old Iron!

Alan
JustTheDad
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You got that backwards Alan :-)
I said I would buy the dinner if the investment of what Paul would save ISN'T worth more than 2 dynasty welders in 10 years. Basically, if those stocks don't demonstrate the opportunity cost of spending more than you need to in a huge way by going up 10 fold in 10 years. Odds are slim they will, but obviously they could.
Anyway, Paul has the name and number of the guy I purchased from via PM now. Maybe he can get the Miller and save the money too. That'd be the best of both worlds and we can still meet up for dinner.
TraditionalToolworks
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JustTheDad wrote:You got that backwards Alan :-)
No, actually not...my offer had absolutely no contingencies whatsoever. No investing the money saved, no waiting 10 years, no waiting for the stars to align, just get a free steak dinner. :D

That's the way I roll... :lol:

I could have said, buy the Primeweld, invest $4000, and if that holds true your ROI would be 2.5x the amount of the savings by buying the HTP over the Miller.

I think it's all horses for courses, no matter how you look at it, you have money tied up in the stock market for 10 years. Not saying that's a bad idea, just that I think it would be better to have it tied up in real estate. :)
JustTheDad wrote:Anyway, Paul has the name and number of the guy I purchased from via PM now. Maybe he can get the Miller and save the money too. That'd be the best of both worlds and we can still meet up for dinner.
Only thing is Paul is in the Bay area on the west coast, so maybe or maybe not if they have a place out here so he doesn't need to pay shipping.

I'm sure Paul will find a machine that best suites him.
Collector of old Iron!

Alan
BugHunter
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I've got both .020 and .040 tungsten with a torch head set up for it, and my Dynasty will light an arc at 2 amps with either. You do have to use the menu and set the tungsten size so it knows what amount of HF to use to light it, and you obviously need a super tight arc, but it lights off effortlessly.

It's one of those capabilities that is cool to say you have, but in truth, has very little practical use.
pkele
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TraditionalToolworks wrote: Are you in South Bay by chance?
Yep! I'm in Santa Cruz.
I'm gonna give that contact a buzz tomorrow, it never hurts to ask. Ya never know, there may be something similar here on the west coast.
HTP Invertig 221
Miller Spectrum 375
Miller Millermatic 210
pkele
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Ok...

For all those interested, I just ordered a HTP Invertig 221 single voltage 220v.

I don't remember who owes a steak, who deserves a steak, who has a steak on layaway or promissory note, but note the date of August 27th 2020. The 10 year clock starts today...I think it was 10 years.

hope you all are safe and healty
HTP Invertig 221
Miller Spectrum 375
Miller Millermatic 210
JustTheDad
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I'll try to remember to buy some edit stock tomorrow.
More importantly, you're getting an awesome welder !
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pkele wrote:Ok...

For all those interested, I just ordered a HTP Invertig 221 single voltage 220v.

I don't remember who owes a steak, who deserves a steak, who has a steak on layaway or promissory note, but note the date of August 27th 2020. The 10 year clock starts today...I think it was 10 years.

hope you all are safe and healty
Did they even have it in stock? I know they're been running low since the website showed out-of-stock on a lot of items. Post up a pic when you get it. I'll send ya the link for my WhatsApp HTP Welder group chat. ;)
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TraditionalToolworks
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Oscar wrote:Did they even have it in stock? I know they're been running low since the website showed out-of-stock on a lot of items. Post up a pic when you get it. I'll send ya the link for my WhatsApp HTP Welder group chat. ;)
You do the inventory for HTP America also? :lol:
Collector of old Iron!

Alan
JustTheDad
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Trade is done. It's going to be interesting to watch now how the stock does.
Paul, let us know how you like the HTP before 10 years goes by!
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TraditionalToolworks wrote:
Oscar wrote:Did they even have it in stock? I know they're been running low since the website showed out-of-stock on a lot of items. Post up a pic when you get it. I'll send ya the link for my WhatsApp HTP Welder group chat. ;)
You do the inventory for HTP America also? :lol:
Jeff would have loved to hire me since way back in the day, but I told him nope, Texas is my home and I'm very comfortable here. I lived in Chicago in the late 90's but that was it. I don't plan on living in any northern state anytime soon.
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TraditionalToolworks
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Oscar wrote:Jeff would have loved to hire me since way back in the day, but I told him nope, Texas is my home and I'm very comfortable here. I lived in Chicago in the late 90's but that was it. I don't plan on living in any northern state anytime soon.
You couldn't get me to move to Chicago even if you gave me one of each HTP welder available. :o
Collector of old Iron!

Alan
BugHunter
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pkele wrote:Ok...

For all those interested, I just ordered a HTP Invertig 221 single voltage 220v.

I don't remember who owes a steak, who deserves a steak, who has a steak on layaway or promissory note, but note the date of August 27th 2020. The 10 year clock starts today...I think it was 10 years.

hope you all are safe and healty
Congrats on the new welder, I think you will be pleased.

I'm pretty sure I have the score correct, someone owes me a steak. I will confess I am a short jaunt east of you, but that shouldn't influence the quality of the steak.
pkele
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Well, I received the HTP the first week of September, sorry I've been ghosting you all, life got a little crazy.

Anyways, this machine is EFFING RAD. I haven't been this happy with a purchase in a while.
First impressions were: heavier than I was expecting and for its sized, button and knob quality is very good, super quiet, easy menus and well laid out, super quiet, the components are great, SUPER QUIET! Been welding from 0.060" to 0.250" lately. The welding is really nice, super buttery, at first when I saw reviews I though people were just hamming it up by saying that...but that's really the best way to describe it.

I am super happy with this machine. The exhaust from the unit even smells like a new car. :D :D :D

My ONLY complaint is that the dinse, gas, and pedal connections are a bit crowded on the front, but I don't take it down too often. It came with a #17 torch and I've swapped out for my #9...that's it.

Thanks for all your help guys, I'll post a pic when I have a hosting account again,
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Sounds good! Let me know if you wanna join my HTP whatsapp group chat.
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cj737
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pkele wrote: Been welding from 0.060" to 0.250" lately. ...It came with a #17 torch and I've swapped out for my #9...that's it.
If you're welding 0.060 to 0.250 aluminum, you will destroy a #9 torch pretty quickly. Those are rated to 125 amps. The 0.250 material will require more than that to get you welding properly. Unless the welding is very small and very intermittent.
pkele
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Oscar wrote:Sounds good! Let me know if you wanna join my HTP whatsapp group chat.
Yeah Oscar, I'll let you know! Thank you for the invitation!
cj737 wrote: If you're welding 0.060 to 0.250 aluminum, you will destroy a #9 torch pretty quickly. Those are rated to 125 amps. The 0.250 material will require more than that to get you welding properly. Unless the welding is very small and very intermittent.
Yep, I know, thanks! Sorry for the confusion, I was stating the work generally, not specifically. 90% of what I'm doing lately is 0.060" I swap torches back to the #17 for these small 0.250" tabs I've been working on.
HTP Invertig 221
Miller Spectrum 375
Miller Millermatic 210
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