Tig welder for a beginner

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SLOPAR72

SLOPAR72

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About 20 years ago I got tired of getting things welded and I bought a Mig. Certainly average work at best but I don't do it consistently enough.... I am wanting to make some changes on my Pontoon and need to fuse aluminum together. Never so much as picked up a Tig however I am now considering purchasing one. It's an art and a craft so I respect you guys that do it in Trade or even a lifer (lol) so be kind in your words haha....

Looking for advice on a box, novice advise, or anything that will help me make the decision. I have just grown tired of asking people (much less finding someone who will actually do the work) and I have found it a fascinating process so it would engage me in trying to do well with it....


TIA,
JW
 
To do aluminum you need a machine that will do AC. I'm about to pull the trigger on the Primeweld TIG225X.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BXHRBQ8/?tag=fabo03-20
Full featured machine that gets good reviews and will do aluminum. You could potentially get a spool gun for your MIG and do aluminum but the results are not as good as TIG. There are other TIG options in that price range. WeldProf, Everlast, AlphaTIG, Vulcan (harbor freight) to name a few. Another option would be to find a used Miller Dialarc HF. Huge old dinosaur but they work well. I had one but needed the space and sold it. Obviously Miller, Hobart, and Lincoln but they are more Expensive
 
In my opinion, TIG welding requires a significant amount of practice to do a decent job. I had used a stick welder, and oxy /acetylene for 10 years before I bought a MIG. It was dead easy to use and get great welds. Then, I decided I wanted a TIG to weld my roll cage and other things including aluminum.
I bought a Miller TIG machine, and until I had about 40 hours of practice under my belt, I couldn't weld anything worth ****, even with my previous gas welding skills. TIG requires MUCH greater skill and has a lot more variables to deal with than the MIG process. Tungsten types and sharpening, pedal control of the heat, not dipping the tungsten... there is a lot to learn. Learning aluminum on the TIG was another whole process.
Unless you are really interested in learning the TIG process, and are willing to spend the practice time behind the torch, I would suggest you consider looking into a spool gun for your MIG welder instead. The learning curve there is much lower, the investment is much smaller, and you can fix your pontoon boat as good or better than the factory built it.
Just one weldors opinion...
 
Make sure everything is clean. Base metal and tip. When I was welding mine equipment, there was nothing clean. Welds on hydraulics were TIG. A lot of other welds had to have a TIG root pass, MSHA rules. You'll need a lot of coordination. Right hand.. TIG torch. Left hand... Filler metal. Right foot... "Gas pedal" to control current. Practice.
 
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Im gonna buy one of these, they are dc only so no aluminum, but it's a plasma arc tig combo and is 110/220 voltage which is nice. And it has pretty good reviews. It most certainly isn't a professional rig but for beginners and hobbiest like myself it should be a good learning tool. After Christmas im gonna save up some money and buy it.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Plasma-Cut...-/124160066222?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292
 
You can find a lot of used TIG machines out there, stick with red or blue. (Lincoln or Miller) you likely do not need water cooled, entry level machines will run around 2k new. With TIG it is all about the prep. And yes it takes a bit of practice. I have earned a living running TIG torch since 80s and I am still learning! Aluminum and Magnesium take a bit more finess but in the end it is not as bad as it seems.
 
Ditto on the primeweld, I am happy with mine.
TIG is an art, and if you are going to practice you can do some amazing things.
That being said, you need a steady hand, and good vision.
You will learn soon enough about dipping the tungsten, keeping sharp points, pre flow, post flow, current, foot pedal, finger trigger etc.
I bought mine for the same reasons, I want to do my own and hard to find someone to do the work. I figure after 4 or 5 jobs, I will be about even on costs.
 
Sublime one said:
You can find a lot of used TIG machines out there, stick with red or blue. (Lincoln or Miller) you likely do not need water cooled, entry level machines will run around 2k new. With TIG it is all about the prep. And yes it takes a bit of practice. I have earned a living running TIG torch since 80s and I am still learning! Aluminum and Magnesium take a bit more finess but in the end it is not as bad as it seems.
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^^^THIS^^^ and GO BIG. And BE CAREFUL it is NOT 3 phase powered (unless your shop has 3 phase service, obviously)

You can routinely find Lincoln Miller 250A and larger machines around here for 400up. I bought a big 'ol Lincoln in nice shape at an estate sale I think I paid 600, with only stick cables. It is a 250/250 AC DC tig stick, weighs?? 400 or so on casters. Yup. heavy.

You can buy import tig torches ?? about a 100 will get you going.
 
I’ve had an OLD 300A P&H lurking in my garage for some years now. I took it in on trade for some tools when I was a Snap-On dealer (circa 1978-85). It is AC only (although I’ve been told you can buy an inverter for it), has a foot pedal that looks like it came out of an early gasser, and a water-cooled tig torch. I loaned it to a buddy who was an old Ironworker and welder, and he kept it for about 15 years. It needs to be fed with a 75-100A circuit to use its’ full potential. I only used it a few times, and have very little tig experience. Is there a market for something like this? I’ve thought about listing it, but it is really heavy and about the size of a refrigerator. Not really easy to ship. It would be great for patching up the Queen Mary or a tank.
 
67Dart273 said:
^^^THIS^^^ and GO BIG. And BE CAREFUL it is NOT 3 phase powered (unless your shop has 3 phase service, obviously)

You can routinely find Lincoln Miller 250A and larger machines around here for 400up. I bought a big 'ol Lincoln in nice shape at an estate sale I think I paid 600, with only stick cables. It is a 250/250 AC DC tig stick, weighs?? 400 or so on casters. Yup. heavy.

You can buy import tig torches ?? about a 100 will get you going.
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This mentality of go big or don't go out at all is what kept me out of welding for many many years! As I felt I couldn't afford it. You don't have to have the best of the best to start out with. a chitty welder is probably better because if you can perfect that when you finally get that good welder your welds are gonna be 10 times better! You can get by and make acceptable welds with a cheap welder is it ideal or the best out there? No of course not but for someone on a strick budget like myself that just wants to learn you don't have to "go big" and spend 2k on a welder! I have done alot of projects that people told me I couldn't do on my 89 dollar harbor freight flux core welder! Same applies with tig welding!
 
dartfreak75 said:
This mentality of go big or don't go out at all is what kept me out of welding for many many years! As I felt I couldn't afford it. You don't have to have the best of the best to start out with. a chitty welder is probably better because if you can perfect that when you finally get that good welder your welds are gonna be 10 times better! You can get by and make acceptable welds with a cheap welder is it ideal or the best out there? No of course not but for someone on a strick budget like myself that just wants to learn you don't have to "go big" and spend 2k on a welder! I have done alot of projects that people told me I couldn't do on my 89 dollar harbor freight flux core welder! Same applies with tig welding!
Click to expand...

With a tig, things are different. The fact is you NEED big for aluminum, and you CAN BUY big because of these dinosaur transformer machines that are out there. A 120V AC powered welder is going to go nowhere with aluminum. Yeh. There are lots of import/ DC only tigs (inverters), and you can't weld aluminum with 'em.

The fact is, you can "rig" an AC buzzbox with a high freq converter and a bottle and "do aluminum." But that does not get you a foot control, and with guys like me who are struggling anyhow, not having a foot control is a killer.
 
67Dart273 said:
With a tig, things are different. The fact is you NEED big for aluminum, and you CAN BUY big because of these dinosaur transformer machines that are out there. A 120V AC powered welder is going to go nowhere with aluminum. Yeh. There are lots of import/ DC only tigs (inverters), and you can't weld aluminum with 'em.

The fact is, you can "rig" an AC buzzbox with a high freq converter and a bottle and "do aluminum." But that does not get you a foot control, and with guys like me who are struggling anyhow, not having a foot control is a killer.
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But but but.... does beginner just starting out and trying to learn how to tig need to start on aluminum? Nope not at all buy some cheap 18 gauge or 1/8 stock or use some old crap you already got and practice away. Personally I would like to have the option of welding aluminum but can't think of one think I have that is aluminum that I need it for especially not to spend big money on a dc unit! A beginner can get a cheaper ac unit and learn to weld without spending his 401k!
 
I got an econotig and was welding aluminum well enough in thirty minutes.

Dive in, and don't dip your electrode in the puddle, it's not a soldering iron.
 
Well the OP is talking about welding aluminum, so that is that

If you are just starting, and happy with only steel, you can use a "scratch start" hobbled together out of an AC/DC stick machine, which are cheap and easy to get used. You can even weld steel (I'm told) without an HF device........only a stick welder, a tig torch, and a bottle and regulator.

This guy here is the go-to tips guy far's I'm concerned......



 
67Dart273 said:
Well the OP is talking about welding aluminum, so that is that
If you are just starting, and happy with only steel, you can use a "scratch start" hobbled together out of an AC/DC stick machine, which are cheap and easy to get used. You can even weld steel (I'm told) without an HF device........only a stick welder, a tig torch, and a bottle and regulator.

This guy here is the go-to tips guy far's I'm concerned......



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Lol I completely missed the part about the pontoon! Yea my bad.
 
I bought a TIG some years ago (a Miller autoset) and use it frequently but as stated, TIG takes some serious practice and understanding to do well, that said it isn't magic and assuming you are of reasonable intelligence (must be because you are here) you can definitely learn to do it. However, I will say that welding aluminum is a whole different animal and has a lot of issues that welding steel doesn't. Not all aluminum can be welded or welded well, getting it clean can be hit and miss, getting the puddle to form can be a challenge, etc.

I will say this in reference to power; I learned from experience that more power is definitely better and this is especially true when welding aluminum of any real thickness. The first MIG I ever bought was a HF unit and while it did work, I didn't know how must better a good welder was until I bought a Miller 110v Autoset unit. I also eventually bought a Miller 212 220V machine for welding heavy stuff and it works well for that. I once had a big Miller stick welder that was converted to do TIG but it was just too confusing although it did have a lot of power but it was HUGE.
 
Thanks to all the replies. I don't want to muck up the thread by quoting a bunch of you guys as I am probably not the only one looking at this.... So it's a good thread for us do-it-yourselfers. But what I will point out.....

1-Spool gun could be an option. I have a Miller 185 and is more than capable but how strong are the welds? They don't look great but that doesn't mean it won't get the job done. People seem all over the clocks about them....

2- As for space that's not a problem. Big shop and I love things on Casters and can throw 100amps of single phase at a machine. But my thought was a newer machine would have auto settings to get me in the right direction. A blessing and a curse.

3- Vision and steady. 50 years old so everything is in the downward direction lol.... That would just have to be figured out.

I would never expect to get near the quality or production of a skilled welder. I have always said that. But what I learned in life is if you slow down and embrace the challenge of something most people can do pretty well at anything.. My Pontoon is getting ready for a serious power upgrade and I need to make changes to the Toons and reinforce the Transom area and it would be a headache to find someone to do the work not to mention the cost of someone making multiple trips during the process.

JW
 
You can do a pretty decent job with a spool gun and a bit of practice, especially if you're welding fairly thin material (like a pontoon). Here is a photo of an aluminum seat out of my Valiant that was welded with a spool gun.

spool weld.jpg
 
I’ve read good reviews on the Eastwood Tig machines. When I picked up a tig torch and welded mild steel, i said this is so simple. Then I tried aluminum and I didn’t last 5 minutes. It takes lots of patience and practice. My professional tig welder friends always like the older Miller and Esab.
 
Thanks for the reply's everyone. Never was being known as the smartest guy however the gumption meter is pretty well pegged lol. The idea of a Spool gun makes me feel cornered and I am always open to learning new things. I have until January to sort it out. And Garry in AZ, those are amazing welds for a Spool gun. I wouldn't challenge you in your trade for a sec...

Thanks,
JW
 
SLOWPAR72, I can't take credit for those spool gun welds, those were done at the Kirkey factory.
 
Just like others have said I think you would be better with a spool. You need to weld steel pretty good before trying aluminum. Also like others have said it must be clean and free of dirt. I used green tungsten on aluminum and red on steel with good results. One thing about aluminum is it is not forgiving with a tig meaning dirt in one spot or the wrong position on the foot pedal and POOF you now have a big hole to fill.
 
I bought a Lotos tig 200 AC/DC machine for $600 on Amazon last spring and have used it alot to build a boat project and it worked great, I am no pro welder, I have gas welded and stick welded. I watched a lot of youtube videos and went after it. After a couple weeks of pratice I can weld pretty decent. I like this machine, Does not have as many adjustments as some but it did fine for my project. Good luck
 
dartfreak75 said:
Im gonna buy one of these, they are dc only so no aluminum, but it's a plasma arc tig combo and is 110/220 voltage which is nice. And it has pretty good reviews. It most certainly isn't a professional rig but for beginners and hobbiest like myself it should be a good learning tool. After Christmas im gonna save up some money and buy it.
Plasma Cutter Tig Welder CT520 TIG MMA 3 In 1 Non-Touch Pilot Arc Torch 110/220V | eBay
Click to expand...
Ever used a plasma cutter? Once you do, you'll try to use it on everything. Gotta have a good air supply too. As for the welding point, my thoughts have always been buy the best welder you can to get the strongest and best welds you can, especially if you're welding any structural parts.
 
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