Just got a new tig.

Hello everyone, I needed to do some welding for a project and decided I didn't want to do it on my el crappo cheap mig that never worked right.


The course I had been on taught mig and oxy so I thought about getting another, better, mig or an oxy setup.

Well for reasons unexplained I thought I would buy a tig. I had seen mixed messages about how easy it would be to use having not used one before.

All I can say after using it for a couple of hours is I love it

I am only getting about one out of four or five scratches to get an arc going.. Sometimes it sticks and sometimes it starts and I pull away to far This seems to be my main problem in using it so far.

It's a lot like oxy to use, from my two hours experience Working the puddle that is.

All I can say is that I am glad I went that way. I will also upgrade he mig later down the line but for now I want to do some welding!

Thanks,
Jason

What kind of machine did you get?

Jim
www.pivotlok.com

Not the one I wish I had but money stepped in to have the last word

It's only a small unit, the freeman 130 MA from a company inverterfusion. www.inverterfusion.com.

I am not close to being an expert but I was surprised how easy it was to do the simple things after hearing many on usenet say it would be too difficult.

Thanks,
Jason

Is this it:
http://www.inverterfusion.com/prodrange.asp?ID=1

Looks like something Chewbacca would use on the Milennium Falcon

Sounds like you're having a blast!

Yep thats the one. I have spent the day using it and try to finish my first project with it tomorrow.

Then I think I will go out and buy a paint gun for the air compressor and see if I can get it look good as well. The welds have got a little better during the course of the day

Jason

I'd be watching ebay for an older HF "arc starter" or "arc stabilizer" unit. I picked up a miller HF-1-WG that also has gas/water controls for a tig torch for just under $300 shipped (60 was shipping, this beast is heavy!). Used it a bit with my tig torch after doing some arc starts with the scratching method, it really lets you learn about the weld 10x faster since you don't have to pay quite as much attention to keeping the arc maintained, and you can stop to flip up your helmet and inspect the weld and then start again like nothing happened.

Now I lust after the HF-251-D unit that can take a pedal and everything, too bad thats about $800 more than I have available to spend.

Pics of my old unit (before it was hooked up):
www.speedyoldtruck.com/images/welding/hf1wg-1.jpg