Texhotrod593

iTrader: (7)

I know it is a stupid question but what welder are yall using for welding the alumn cold sides up? I am working on getting rid of all or most of my silicone connectors to reduce the chances of leaking.
I checked with a couple of welders in the area and mosteither do not have the machine to do it OR if they do it will cost me somewhere between 200-500 dollars to have it welded! That to me is ridiculous. I wold rather buy a maching and do it myself.

I understand most TIG machines can cost 1200 or more but is there a way to weld that stuff including cast alumn pieces without breaking the bank? Does the harbor freight machines do it?

JAX04

iTrader: (17)

You WILL get what you pay for.

Blue or Red is your friend....

I bought a Miller Diversion 165 for my first TIG and think its amazing... i got rid of my mig welder, it just sat and sat. If i need bigger, i'll step up to a larger machine.. 200dx or something.

Texhotrod593

iTrader: (7)

Whats a good price for that machine?

mrstepheneades

Using Lincoln Precision Tig 225 with water cooler. 3500.00 piece though. Does AC, DC+, and DC-. Weld aluminum on AC.

Texhotrod593

iTrader: (7)

Ok thanks for the recommendation...BUT I will weld just a few pieces a year lol. I am not going out and buying a 3500 dollar rig just to do a few pipes or repairs once in a while. I have a wire fed welder, a small one that I do all my body work, floor pans, steel pipe including turbo piping etc. I will spend maybe 500 max. thank you though for letting me know that aluminum needs to be welded AC. I have seen several TIG machines stating they are not suitable for aluminum and I was wondering why. Its because they are all DC. Will a wire feeder with shield gas weld the small stuff that I have? Maybe replace my liner with a teflon liner and use 100% argon and aluminum wire? Please dont flame me guys, I can weld but I am not a professional.

Texhotrod593

iTrader: (7)

Another thing...I have access to a LARGE commercial gas miller stick welder. Can I stick weld this stuff?

allumini

here's a discussion about it

http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php...UT-a-spool-gun

Blown06

iTrader: (32)

If your near houston I could probably help you out. I use a Miller dynasty 200. I know what you mean about cost.....I have nearly 4000 in my rig.

Texhotrod593

iTrader: (7)

Thanks! It looks like MIG welders are just tough to do for alumn. I guess I could go that route since I dont care what my beads looks like as long as the hold and its welded

Man I wish I was close. I live about 4 hrs away. Thank you for the offer. I have a couple of friends that can do it but they do not have the machines. So basically they do it as a profession and still in my same boat. lol

samdogmx

iTrader: (14)

this is what I use. It was $1300 when I picked mine up a couple years ago

hobart

stevieturbo

Aluminium welding generally speaking needs an AC TIG machine.

Take a look in the Tools/Fabrication section. Some people do have good success with the cheap chinese machines.

Of course, you can go old school and aluminium can be welded with a flame. ( ie oxy-acetylene )


It can be done with MIG, but it is tricky too.

1fast bird

iTrader: (22)

The Miller Diversion 165 is a great little TIG for the money and is perfect for light jobs. Has worked great for me also. I would definitely recommend it or the Hobart equivalent (same machine, different name) for welding hot side and cold side pipes.

I got lucky and found a 1 year old machine on craigslist for $800, so keep your eyes open locally for deals.

JAX04

iTrader: (17)

To add to the diversion deal. The 165 comes with a Finger control torch, (no pedal) and it sucks, IMO.

I got more frustrated trying to learn to tig then i thought i would get in a million years. I still cant tig like a pro but i can get the job done. Not so good on aluminum tubing yet. But metals and aluminum plate, no problems for me.

If you think that a foot pedal is more right for you and dont want to spend the money on converting, Hobart EZtig 165 i think comes with a pedal instead.

on top of that i converted my Diversion over to an ultra flex hose and a WP9 torch and that made a HUGE difference for me.

best of luck, remember, cant go wrong with quality. It'll last.

1fast bird

iTrader: (22)

I bought a foot pedal for mine since I was taught to weld that way. The wheel is hard for me to use but have to use it that way from time to time. The pedal I got is the SSC control unit and it works great. Seems to be better constructed than the Miller pedal and only cost me about $150.

IIRC the Miller Diversion 180 comes standard with the foot control, but costs a bit more.

These are inverter machines and aren't meant for big welding jobs, but are perfect for a budget and small jobs like turbo piping. My vote is definitely the Diversion 165 or Hobart 165. Either way it will save you a ton of money in the long run to weld on your own.....

Jesus Freak

It will be very difficult to find even a used Tig for $500. I'd say make a couple more calls to local shops to find a better price... $300 isn't too bad IMO tho.

Welding cast aluminum is a whole other world, cast welds horrible and almost always cracks again.

Exidous

iTrader: (11)

Longevity makes a nice budget unit that runs off 120/240v. You can run it off your dryer plug. It came with a pedal ( a must for the finish of the bead) and was about $700 new. The 160 was about $550 for the holiday sale last year.

I have the 200 amp version and the only issue I have is that you cannot vary the A/C freq and the torq gets really hot after a while. I have done 304, 308, 321 and alum with it so far. No issues really.

I highly suggest using http://www.radnor-e3.com/ for the tungsten. I use the same stick for all the metals I've had to weld.

Twin turbo c5

I use a miller 180 diversion. I love it works great. I paid around 2000 for mine.

87silverbullet

iTrader: (11)

If you are only going to do a lil project, forget buying a welder. Use this

http://durafix.com/

Here is the demo vid


Hell, even harbor freight has some.

http://www.harborfreight.com/8-piece...ods-44810.html

Ping King

iTrader: (20)

I bought a used Hobart Tigmate in like new condition for about 900 bucks. You can do OK work on Aluminum (like charge piping and thin stuff).

Tricked-Out-Toy

iTrader: (4)

DONT DO IT! I started in the same bot about 5-6 years ago and tried the spool gun with my MIG welder and it would do ok on thick stuff but on charge piping it just made a mess... Either buy a diversion 165 with a pedal and take a class from the local welding rep or supply shop or post up on craigslist looking for someone local to weld it for you. trust me you will be extremely frustrated with a spool gun, mine was a complete waste of money....