Welding Tips and Tricks

I have been lurking and learning for some time but this is my first post. I MIG weld and would like to learn to TIG as well. I have been trying to educate myself about which machine would be best to start with. I think I would like a Miller based on quality, resale value and the fact that it's made here in WI. I've read that if I buy a Diversion I will soon outgrow it and want something bigger. So, I've been thinking about either a new Syncrowave 210 or a used 200 or 250. I would be using it for mild steel and aluminum farm fabrication type projects. What are your opinions? Am I on the right track? If not, feel free to set me straight.
Thank you.

Well, brand and models are a religious topic, but usually the logic starts out with what you're trying to weld. Aluminum being the most taxing on the equipment because it requires AC which puts less heat into the joint for a given amp setting.

I'm not deep into TIG yet, but I can suggest that you'll want AC for aluminum, high-frequency start for convenience, pedal control, and more amps than you think. I'm already pushing the limits of a 210-Amp machine doing 1/4" and 3/8" that I never thought I'd be doing. Look closely at duty cycle at the amps you expect to use - over temp shutdown is a drag (it happens more when you're in a hurry). Pulse can be a handy feature - not just in frequency, but being able to spec the % of "on" time per cycle, and level of background current during "off" portions of the cycle.

Over ~210A, you're looking at needing a 50A circuit installed instead of 30A. You're also outside the range of air-cooled torches, which means you need to buy a water cooler too. If you go air-cooled, do yourself a favor and invest in a CK FlexLoc with SuperFlex 1-piece cable for work up to 150A (it's comparable to a 17 torch). Then get a cheap but rugged 26 torch for tasks up to 210A; they'll be able to interchange all their consumables & accessories.

In general, inverter units are much more feature rich and compact vs. transformer units which seem to be more rugged but much more basic. Chinese units are popular because of their extremely low price point, but if you have the budget Miller and Lincoln are worth their salt.

I'm sure others will have much more specific suggestions (e.g., portability, generators), but there's a broad brush of things to think about.

Cheers,
Richard

250 amp for aluminum. I have a 300 at home and am glad that I do. My work has 250's and one 300 and that's barely enough.

This hinge bracket took every bit of 250 amps just to get it tacked well. A good tack in aluminum is 3-4 dips of a 3/32 or 1/8" filler rod on most days. Even though it's 3/8" plate, when people buy machines based on 1/4" material, they are not aware of just how much is being done, or needing to be done with heavier components at some point.

Always go 1/8"- 1/4" thicker than you think you will need.

Welcome to the forum Mojo.

Thanks for the replies. That's a lot of good information to consider. I don't want to make a bad decision because this would be a big investment for me. Maybe the safest way to go would be to buy the best used machine I could afford at a fair price. That way, if I wanted to go bigger or newer I could recoup most of my investment versus purchasing new and having to take a big hit. Anyway, thanks again for your replies.

Used is a good thing. I bought my Airco (miller 330 a/bp) for $225 - it's my avatar.
900 lbs of tig/stick awesomeness. Goes from 5 amps to 460 amps

Big, ugly, old, dirty, heavy, high power machines are cheaper than small, light, modern ones.

Is a LINCOLN IDEALARC 250/250 INDUSTRIAL TIG WELDER a good machine to learn on? Would $500 be reasonable for this machine?

If it has to be Miller look at the Dynasty 200DX.
The inverter based machines are lighter, use less power and have more features/flexibility than
transformer based machines.

If portability and breaker size are not deal breakers, I would look for a used synch 250 or precision TIG 275.

Mojo wrote:Is a LINCOLN IDEALARC 250/250 INDUSTRIAL TIG WELDER a good machine to learn on? Would $500 be reasonable for this machine?

I say definitely yes.
Especially if cables, foot control, tig torch, (stuff like that) are included.

You can always sell it for what you paid later if you want a cool fancy one.

Test it out and take it home

Mojo wrote:Is a LINCOLN IDEALARC 250/250 INDUSTRIAL TIG WELDER a good machine to learn on? Would $500 be reasonable for this machine?

Depends on what it comes with.
Bare machine, I would think is hardly worth that.
How much stuff comes with it?

AKweldshop wrote: Depends on what it comes with.
Bare machine, I would think is hardly worth that.
How much stuff comes with it?

You're just spoiled by the Invertec inverters.....makes you "hate" on the old heavy iron