I'm about to start playing around with a tig and want to know what size/heat range and brand you would reccomend for welding mainly light stuff like 16ga exhaust pipe. I already have a big Lincoln AC/DC diesel machine that is capable of running a tig torch but have no idea what brand of torch is decent. Any reccomendations? Thanks

 

I love the crap out of weldcraft, seems to be fairly good quality at a decent price. Best reccomendation I can make is to buy a water cooled torch and a water cooler so you can weld aluminum and stainless for more than a couple seconds at a time. IIRC I use a WP22 at work, seems like a fairly standard straightforward watercooled torch, they also have a WP-18 that I think has a flex head for tight applications (rollcages).

 

Thanks, I was actually looking at a Weldcraft torch but didnt know anything about it. I thought I needed a high frequency converter to weld alluminum? I dont have on my machine, I also didnt know that a water cooler was needed to keep a sustained arch on stainless. Thanks again.

Hummer

 

You don't NEED high frequency, it makes life easier though. I weld at straight up 60hz straight out of the welder at work when I do aluminum. Within a few minutes of practice I can lay down beads that look just as good as any done on a higher end machine. My opinion is, the better you get without all those fancy ***** the better of an actual welder you are.

There's a bunch of people out there that I don't think could weld aluminum very well at 60hz without HF start and wave manipulation options. Those options that come on more expensive welders should be used to make a good welder have perfect welds, often I think they're used to make a poor welder make pretty welds.

Since you're doing it off a generator welder you're about where I am +/- a few hz. I say give it a try, when you step up to a synchrowave or dynasty you'll be better than most. Its frustrating at first but well worth the payout in the long run.

 

Thanks, I will give it a try when I get a torch.

 

I use Weldcraft @ work , they're pretty good . CK is another choice . A water cooled setup is nice as the torch doesn't get hot and the torch is more compact when you compare them to an equivalent air cooled . The high freq is for arc starting in both ac/dc and used continuously in ac for arc stabilization , you'll need this if you want to do ac and it's nice for dc . A remote is nice , most favor the footpedal .

 

Thanks, Ive pretty much narrowed it down to an aircooled, adjustable head, with valve, Profax Lenco or Weldcraft. Something in the 300A range. I dont have a water cooler so I have to stay air cooled for now.

 

i use a water cooled weldcraft at work on the miller 351 tig that i have there. it works fine.

 

Hows the miller machine holding up? Any problems like the circut boards on the mig machines?