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Up Topic Welding Industry / General Welding Discussion / Tig welder question
- - By Cumminsguy71 (*****) Date 05-09-2009 21:04
I've got a farmer friend who knows a guy who is an Ironworker. Well, the Ironworker guy is a welder and he has an old Lincoln buzz box at my friends shop. Along with the buzz box he has a tank of argon and a tig torch. On the end of the tig torch is one of those copper eyes for hooking to a lug. My friend said he's seen him tig weld and when I visit I check out this contraption he's got set up and wonder.....how does he tig with that? I almost wondered if he's hooking up the electrode from the welder to the tig torch? I don't see the Ironworker guy much to ask him but figured maybe you guys would know or maybe I'm missing something.

Shawn
Parent - - By mechan (**) Date 05-09-2009 21:38
That sounds like how almost all portable rigs are setup that I have used. You clamp the stinger to a fitting that is spliced into the hose that the tig torch is using as backing gas. e.g.
Parent - - By chris2698 (****) Date 05-09-2009 22:17
Thats what I got scratch start tig, works absolutely great off my sa 200
Parent - - By hillbilly (**) Date 05-09-2009 23:01
ditto as the others have said Shawn. this is how i use my shop machine and the SA. clamp the adapter in the mouth of the stinger and go. this is how just about all the tig work in the field is done with the contractors i've worked for, UNLESS i'm lucky enough to go their fab shop and build there.
get you a tig torch and a bottle and you can TIG with your ranger.
Parent - - By Cumminsguy71 (*****) Date 05-09-2009 23:16
You mean I don't need that $1800 inverter box or whatever it is for the ranger? Would this work on my Miller thunderbolt in the shop? If so, holy crap I could be doing tig at home at the cost of a leased argon bottle and a tig torch.
Parent - By mechan (**) Date 05-09-2009 23:18
Should be able to switch your polarities and go, although no lift arc, hi-freq, fancy pedal, etc etc ...
Parent - - By Iron Head 49 (***) Date 05-10-2009 00:26
About 30-years ago this is all I had at home, I Tig welded with it just fine.
Parent - - By 357max (***) Date 05-11-2009 15:36
Ironhead does this machine have high frequency for the xx18 electrodes?
Parent - - By Iron Head 49 (***) Date 05-11-2009 15:56
357 max that is about the most basic machine ever built. If I remember correctly it is a re-badged Lincoln. I haven't seen it in some time, it is so far back in the barn it would take me a day and 1/2 to just crawl back to it. LOL!

Now this one has all the bells and whistles!
Parent - - By 357max (***) Date 05-12-2009 14:10
Iron Head, the photo looks like a Century made for Sears. Century as other machines; put high frequency arc starters for xx18 and other difficult to start electrodes. This high frequency worked for gtaw also.
Parent - By Iron Head 49 (***) Date 05-12-2009 17:53
Hi 357max!
It is an old Montgomery Wards machine, no high frequency at all. It actually has a fairly nice arc, for a very low end hobby welder.
Parent - - By 522029 (***) Date 05-10-2009 00:53
Cummingsguy

You are probably thinking about the  "high frequency box" for AC tigging aluminum.  If you do not want to AC tig aluminum, you do not need the "box".

Griff
Parent - - By chris2698 (****) Date 05-10-2009 02:19
yeah I don't see why not and have heard that you can make a good weld with DC on aluminum useing Helium as you're shielding gas although I dought I'd want to build a flatboat with just strictly DC.
Parent - - By hillbilly (**) Date 05-10-2009 05:29
Shawn, you're right you don't need anything extra for your thunderbolt or ranger, except a tig torch assembly and a bottle of sheilding gas. Also don't let the secret out, but lots of aluminum gets welded without AC and HF. You got to start hanging out in my parts, where the poor people live, we might learn you a new trick or two. Ha
Parent - - By Cumminsguy71 (*****) Date 05-10-2009 07:40 Edited 05-10-2009 07:52
So, looks like I'm looking for a tig torch. Let me ask you this. At school we have the liquid cooled torch set ups. They have "popped" a few lines and water has leaked everywhere. Can one of those be salvaged for this kind of operation, if so that's the kind of price that is right up my alley!

This is actually great news. Was looking for at a bigger mig cause I can't run a spool gun on my little hobart. I Bought a spool of aluminum wire just to try it and runs just fine through the regular gun! Have to crank the sucker up to run aluminum but mostly doing fence repair or gates so the argon bottle would actually come in handy!

As far as tig torch length. I've seen 25 footers for sale, how long to they come? How do you make them longer I guess is what I'm after.

Thanks for all the info guys! That is great news to here, could have been tig'n my arse off at home for years and never knew it.
Parent - - By hillbilly (**) Date 05-10-2009 11:27
well you could repair/fix the lines on those water cooled rigs, but you'd still need to run water/coolant through it to cool the torch. You can look around on the web and see that watercooled torches have been in use for a long time, even without recirculating pumps/coolers. So you could salvage a setup for home/shop use and not need much more, but you won't want that setup on your truck.

Now if it was up to me, I'd find me an air cooled rig and go. rember the K.I.S.S. theory.  I've got a Bernard watercooler and torch setup for my big Tig machine at the shop, but I don't paticulary care for it. I use a 17 or a 26 air cooled torch, just like I would in the field for no more Tig work than I do.

Asfar as length goes, your Tig rig can be asfar as your leads will reach and you want to tote your sheilding gas bottle, or you just just extend the hose from the reg to whatever length you need.

Anymore questions ask away
Parent - - By Cumminsguy71 (*****) Date 05-10-2009 13:31
Tig lead length......yeah, ok, hand me my "sign" hillbilly. Duh, stretch out leads til the end and connect tig setup. I seemed to have forgotten the whole 100 feet or so of lead between machine and tig torch.

What about the gas, I've seen the tig torches with the little gas knob on them? If you don't get that does the gas just blow all the time? I guess there is a difference between how they build the liquid cooled torch and the air cooled torch so running a liquid cooled would not work as well running it as an air cooled. I've found a couple on ebay, used and one was set up with the lug and gas hose. Now, where did I hide that cookie jar full of $100's??
Parent - - By FieldHand80 (*) Date 05-10-2009 15:00
try to get a dry rig torch with a gas valve on it, that'll really save ur bottle if your paying for the gas, but if your not buying the gas and your welding alot, who cares then, that gas will cool your tig rig down, those rigs can get so hot they squeeze like a straw. If your buying the gas try to get liquid argon, it's the cadillac of gas.
Parent - - By Cumminsguy71 (*****) Date 05-10-2009 16:29
Thanks FieldHand! Found a torch on Airgas site, don't know if I need a 150 or 200 amp, or for that matter 2 piece cable or one piece. I have not really found out what the difference is or if the two piece would be better for my application.

http://www.airgas.com/browse/product.aspx?Msg=RecID&recIds=384632&WT.svl=384632

We've actually got one at school that somebody dropped a piece of pipe on several times. It's practically brand new off of a lincoln 225 machine. Just don't know if it would be salvageable or not.
Parent - - By DaveBoyer (*****) Date 05-11-2009 02:34
Don't get liquid argon unless You are going to use one hell of a lot of it. The liquid tank has to vent off argon if You are not using it. It will get empty even if You don't use it.

The hoses can be replaced, the torch handle can be replaced, what damage was done to the one at the school?
Parent - By Cumminsguy71 (*****) Date 05-11-2009 14:14
Its a brand new lincoln 225 tig machine/stick combo, real nice and I've had the chance to run it a few times, unfortunately our day students are a bit harder on the equipment and teach was showing me that they dropped something on the hose/cable 3 times. I'm guessing a piece of pipe or something.
Parent - By Cumminsguy71 (*****) Date 05-10-2009 16:09
That's what I need to learn, poor folks tricks....that's right where I'm at!!
Parent - - By FieldHand80 (*) Date 05-10-2009 13:01
whether your running you a dry rig tig torch or a wet rig tig torch. you can run a jumper lead from your copper lug thats eiether a stinger or a nut and bolt (nut and bolts better connection) and hook that up to your stinger on your machine. I work at this shop once that had this dinosaur looking 8 pack, I pick one and made it a winner, I found and old foot pedal in the tool crib and I took that and wired it in the the box that way I wouldnt have to keep walking over everyone to turn it up, man I miss that machine now. Anyhow, you run that copper lug from your torch to your argon bottle and jump it in between by your stinger. Change your polarity and go to town.
Parent - - By chris2698 (****) Date 05-10-2009 16:30
does anyone have any pictures of a bead ran on aluminum with DC?? I'm currious if it looks anything like on AC

The dry lead tig torch I have is weldcraft and I think I got it from weldingsupply.com I bought the 200amp which seems kinda bulky. I don't know I think I can get a different handle so it doesn't seem so fat. I thought this is what I had in school but in school I believe they were 150 amp. Checkout ebay I have seen some nice torches on there. I can't remember what I paid for mine seems like 130 but really not sure
Parent - - By hillbilly (**) Date 05-10-2009 16:49
I don't have any saved on my pda here, but there's some on the hobart weld talk site.
Parent - - By chris2698 (****) Date 05-10-2009 16:58
Thanks I'll have to see if I can check them out. Thanks
Parent - - By chris2698 (****) Date 05-10-2009 17:15
http://www.hobartwelders.com/weldtalk/showthread.php?t=31928

Hope I don't get in trouble on this forum for posting this but this weld was all DC on this pipe check it dam good welding here. Never thought DC could weld this nice and I assume you are making a good weld??

Chris
Parent - - By Cumminsguy71 (*****) Date 05-11-2009 14:20
Wow, that looks really good....in my not so experienced tig welding aluminum opinion.
Parent - By FieldHand80 (*) Date 05-11-2009 19:47
if you need anymore tips..email me I'll try to help.
Parent - By FieldHand80 (*) Date 05-11-2009 19:45
if you can help it...try to weld alum. with a syncrowave.....it'll be the best on it other wise.....all I dry rig is the 200 amp. and yes the handle is huge....I took mine off and used that cloth like medical tape....it makes a huge difference.
Up Topic Welding Industry / General Welding Discussion / Tig welder question

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