[rrmccabe]

Originally Posted by OneMoreTime

Myself I have looked into the TIG and it does not seem to me to be necessary unless a fellow is doing something exotic such as 4130 or lots of aluminum or stainless

It might not be "neccesary" for mild steels, but for pefection it's hard to replace when it comes to cosmetics.

A TIG will create show quality welds you hate to cover up. When building custom pieces, I just weld and paint. No grinding, removing splatter, etc.

And as I stated in an earlier post once I got in the TIG mode I hate dealing with a MIG for some things. Sure dont miss burning holes in my jeans.

Rich

[oldred]

The key here is that there is a place and time for most all kinds of welding and every job will be a little different so whatever fits the purpose at hand! I use my TIG a lot when other methods would work just fine but the TIG just seems more appropriate sometimes.

About the statement that it takes a good deal of practice to get good at any kind of welding, this is definitely true but I might add that it also takes a great deal of learning and understanding the fundamentals of the welding process. I know a lot of welders that have been "practicing" for 25-30 years and STILL have a lot to learn simply because they do the same wrong things over and over and don't have a clue that they are not doing it right! On critical machinery parts that require a certified weld it is surprising how many "old time" welders can't get a weld to pass an X-ray or sonic test and they will refuse to listen or will be insulted if you try to explain what is wrong since they have been doing it for so long. Some of the long time welders can and often do make some of the worst welds simply because they learned to weld by just doing it and never took the time to really learn what is happening when you strike that arc!

[ronb]

I think this tread should be moved to the aws.org site? hehe!

[Bad Rat]

Surfer,,,, that is probably a real good deal on that welder,, but if you plan on welding light gage metal like patch panels , that 300 amp, probably won't turn down the amprage low enough to weld anything light gage,[under 16 ga.] with out burn through, 300 amp is a BIG welder,, it creates a lot of heat,, thats the reason for the cooler,, a welder with amprage under 200 anps does not need a cooler, I have a miller 180 tig,, and I can weld ANYTHING related to automotive, frames ,sheet metal ,tubing etc,
On the H.F welder,, I don't know about the 200$ tig,, but I had a friend that bought the 120$ mig,,my opinion?? JUNK, only settings are high and low, the torch stays hot constantly, [ sparks when you touch anything thats grounded,not trigger activated] maybe the 200$ tig is better, just my opinion guys, Bill

[rrmccabe]

Originally Posted by Bill Parten

thats the reason for the cooler,, a welder with amprage under 200 anps does not need a cooler,

The reason for a cooler is not to lower the amperage. Its to cool the gun and allows you to have smaller welding cable (easier to maneuver) because the power line is run though the coolant hose.

Rich

[oldred]

Ronb, It is getting more than a little off topic or maybe I should say I have been getting off topic. Sorry guys I get a little carried away sometimes, I will be quiet now

[gcrmcc]

I use MIG for most of my welding. I use "stick" for all my welding 5/16inch and over. I use tig for aluminum, mild steel and 4130. Several racing sanctions require TIG welding for frame consruction wether its 4130 or mild steel spec requirements. I also weld with oxy/ac for various things. Oxy ac torch is great for many things, probably the do all item in my shop. But I have two friends that bought the H/F tig unit and both are very happy with it knowing thier limitations.

[hallewis]

Well it's a little early to report, but I plunged and bought the machine, and it arrived just a few days ago. (I am a relatively experienced, but by no means professional, MIG welder, and have never done any TIG welding at all--this is an experiment.) So I've only had a chance to put down a few feet of bead on 1/8-inch scrap steel, but not to do anything serious. Based on that...

Everything Oldred said is right. This is a primitive welder, but it works just fine, and it can't be beat as a learning tool, or a small job tool. Heaven knows, it is cheap. And I hadn't appreciated how much the visibility of the TIG arc helps. I can actually see what I am doing

Defects: No AC, so no aluminum or such metals. Scratch start, and I had problems starting the arc at the beginning. (Probably I'll get over that with experience.) It's cheap, and shows it--no bells and whistles, no in-flight current control, etc. No evidence of what amperage is running---the amp-select knob simply reads 1 to 10, with no hint anywhere of what that means. Comes with a cable for stick welding, but who would use this for a stick welder? Stick welders are cheap. (HF, leave that out and lower the price.) And of course I have no idea how long it will last, or how hard it will really be to get parts.

I'm glad I bought it. I will learn what is important when and if I upgrade, can use it for small jobs, and can pass it on to the next generation when appropriate.

Finally, a flash note. Apparently HF has just raised the price by $20. I got in under the wire.

Originally Posted by oldred

I may be going out on a limb here but I just tried out a TIG welder and wanted to pass on what I found. A while back a buddy of mine bought a HF MIG welder and I was quite impressed with it(for the price anyway)and now he just bought the TIG outfit no.91811-1ake and we tried this thing today. First let me tell you what it is NOT! it is not for aluminum welding nor is it heavy duty it any way but for light steel, scratch start type TIG operation this thing worked darn good. I cannot vouch for quality or how long it will last but heck it is only $199.99 and the one I tried works a lot better than it should for 200 bucks! For someone on a tight budget this outfit may be just the ticket for hobby type body work,exhaust pipe or thin wall tubing, etc. As I said I have no way of knowing how this thing will hold up but most HF stuff usually does ok if you don't expect industrial duty service and I can't think of any TIG outfit for anywhere near the price.

[beemdubya]

I was thinking about buying this welder. do you think it will weld .120 tubing? thats similar to 1/8th inch wall..

[dgent3]

Hello to all,

I am new to this forum, this is my first time on one, anyway, I was reading the "tig" thread about the harbor freight tig. Some questions were raised about parts this machine uses standard Dinse quick connects if you cant get replacement parts, get a new torch.
This link should help
http://www.welding-direct.com/tigtoairco.html
They have lots of parts for all types of welders at reasonable prices.
Hope this helps out some of you.

[oldred]

Good link, very good prices too.

[Toysrme]

You can add a pedal to a HF box easily. Because the heat control is nothing more than a pot, you can remove it & add in a remotely mounted pot. Finger, or foot control for afew dollars.

Here's the first that I ran across:

Overall i'm quite impressed with this little machine; we nicknamed it the "Rescue Toaster" after an episode of sealab 2021. My friend saw it and didnt think it was worth a **** then i showed him and he used it and named it that

Basically I took the potentiometer out of the welder and transplanted it into a set of N64 racing pedals I got from Good Will for $3. Three dollar pedal mod. Cant beat that with a ****ing stick!

Here is the welders 10k pot in place of the old 25k ohm

Just thought I'd let you know that oldred.

[Toysrme]

This is for you oldred! A friend's HF tig.

The low cost pedal / torch mounted current mod for an HF tig.
(And any other welder that use a pot for adjustment)

OK; So i finally got around to building a pedal; here it is:

Pedal look familiar?

Basically I took the potentiometer out of the welder and transplanted it into a set of N64 racing pedals I got from Good Will for $3. Three dollar pedal mod. Cant beat that with a ****ing stick!

Here is the welders 10k pot in place of the old 25k ohm

[oldred]

That's a neat set-up I will have to show this one to Gabby(my buddy who has the HF TIG). That is one area where the HF machine is definitely lacking but that looks like an excellent solution.

[austntexan]

Hi, new to the site. Just picked up the HF TIG for a pretty good deal after the 20% coupon ($173 w/tax) and was setting it up in my garage shop. I dont have 220 so I ran a chord out from my dryer plug with 12/3 cable and 220 plugs. When I flip the switch, the 'overheat indicator' comes on and stays on, fan on the unit is running, gas switch turns on then off. My extension is 45ft, is this the issue, losing too much power before getting to the welder? Seems that I checked the length and this guage somewhere online and it said I was ok for around 50ft, could be wrong.

The purpose of this machine is soley to run lines and practice basic welding during the week. I'm taking a class at the local CC where were all on big new miller tigs, so this is just for fun on the cheap. Any ideas guys?