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TIG Welding

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Andy1845c

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Just wondering if anyone here owns a TIG welder or has experiance operating one. I'd like to learn to weld aluminum with one. Just wondering if anyone here can offer any input on different features and what not. It sounds like the foot or hand current control is helpful.

I have read good things about this one online. Its not cheap though!!! **broken link removed**

One artical I was reading praised its "AC balance control" - I haven't quite figured out what that is.
 
I work on welders as part of my business. I Love the Miller syncrowaves! :) :)
They are well built and have a well designed power system.
I have used them a few times but never actualy had to fix one!
Comming from a service tech thats a true complimnet! :)

But would do some online shopping first, you can get them for $3500 to $4000 or so with full factory waranty from reputable online dealers. :)

I worked for a big name welding supply company before . But I could still buy brand new online cheaper than with my employee discount. (10% above cost) :p

Miller does not care where you by it. They go by purchase date for their waranty program not manufactured date. :)
And all Miller certified repair shops fix them even if you did not buy it from them! :)
If they turn you away you can call miller corp direct. They take customer turn downs rather seriously! ;)
 
Got a Miller at work. Not that well versed in TIG welding since I'm old school stick, MIG, and brazing. TIG is tough to do properly but not impossible. Plan to spend $$$ for any Miller! You'll prolly waste a lot of material for awhile trying to develop decent skills at it.
 
I've never TIGed (I'm also a stick guy, with a little time on MIG and O/A) but on the forums I've been on I've never seen anyone complain about the Syncrowave. And hey, even if you never get the hang of TIG, you'll have a helluva nice stick machine. ;)

I'm envious of your dilemma.


Torben
 
Thanks for the replys so far guys!

I can MIG weld fairly well. My dad has a MIG welder and I have done a fair amount of that over the years. I've done some stick welding, not something I am real good at. I can't braze to save my life. :D

I have heard TIG welding is hard, and I have heard its not as hard as some make it sound. I don't know anyone with a TIG welder, so I have never had the chance to try it.

Sounds like everything has to be uber clean to TIG, but man, you can sure make some pretty looking welds with one. :)
 
The robotic TIG welders do a heck of a splendid job!

**broken link removed**
 
One of my first jobs I had was as a night shift mechanic at a pasta manufacturing company. I did loads of stainless steel TIG. I had TIG classes at college before that too. I was very good at it. I made super clean and sharp looking welds every day. :)

Now many years later my Tig work looks like a chimp did it with his feet! :eek:

I supose I should hook my TIG up and practice some. ;)
 
I just want to make sure we are using the same 'terminus technicus'.

TIG is supposed to mean Tungsten Inert Gas or WIG (Wolfram Inert Gas)

A friend of mine holds all welding licenses one can imagine and he also has a license to weld high pressure tubes at nuclear power plants.

I'll interview him and ask what is the best technique to do so. (welding aluminum)

Boncuk
 
I just want to make sure we are using the same 'terminus technicus'.

TIG is supposed to mean Tungsten Inert Gas or WIG (Wolfram Inert Gas)

A friend of mine holds all welding licenses one can imagine and he also has a license to weld high pressure tubes at nuclear power plants.

I'll interview him and ask what is the best technique to do so. (welding aluminum)

Boncuk

Hi Hans,

Yes, that's the TIG we're talking about. I've never heard it called 'WIG' before but since tungsten used to be called 'wolfram' (I think it still is called wolfram in German?) it would make sense.

I know that TIG is often used for the root of an important (i.e. high-pressure) weld, and then capped over either with more TIG layers or else stick welds using 7018 electrodes or similar. So everything you said makes sense to me. . .but I'm no pipeliner; I'm just some guy with a welding hobby ;).


Regards,

Torben

P.S. For all you stick welders out there, there's a fun video at the start of this page: Old School Stick Welding still Rules. 6011, 7018, anyone?.
 
I can weld either handed too. But not both at the same time! :D
But is he why the pipelines burst some times? :p

I worked as a welder at a truck and trailer repair shop as my second job.

I saw a certified and licenced welder with 20 plus years experiance put an entire back end on a trailer with the shielding gas turned off! 4 hours of continuous welding and he never noticed! :eek:
 
Just some trivia. Tunsten is extracted from the Mineral Wolframite... I think Germany had the honor of first naming this mineral, thus the chemical symbol for tungsten is W.
 
Hi,

this is what my friend advised:

If you want to weld aluminum tubes use nitrogen to flood the inside of the tubes richly.

Use Argon (expensive, but the best to use) to prevent oxydation of the aluminum. Preheat the aluminum pipe to approximately 320deg/C to burn off aluminum oxyde and begin welding right after that process using before mentioned gas.

Always use a welding agent at least one class higher than the material you want to weld.

Last not least, never weld aluminum using a DC-welder. (unless you want to make a spray nozzle) :)

Sorry, I don't know much about it. I just used to weld iron and steel of any shape and size in a manner nobody could tell where the beginning and the end of a "seam" was.

To achieve good welding results even welding iron I had a high class welder which was mainly a three phase to one phase 400Hz converter.

(The higher the frequency the better the welder arcs without sticking electrodes.)

Boncuk
 
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Didn't do metalwork at school, it wasn't an option at my grammer schoold, so I've only got a VERY little experience stick welding in my early teens with a cheap crap welder we 'found' somewhere :D

However, in Sheffield there's a museum called 'Kelham Island', which has many exhibits related to the steel industry - including a HUGE steam engine, which they demonstrate running off compressed air.



The reason for mentioning this, is that amongst the exhibits is a welding example done by a student years ago - it's basically a load of pie shaped metal pieces, welded together to make a cylinder, then sawn through and polished. The metals are all different, and include stainless steel, aluminium, titanium etc. - it's really a very impressive example of what can do done.
 
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