Homemade TIG welder

Date 02-12-2004 18:49

A welder like this one or, perhaps, this same one was the subject of a thread on another welding forum. It may have been on the Hobart Welding Forum. In this website's photo the manifold welds appear to be very rough and not tig-like in quality (or not up to oxyacetylene, stick or mig quality, for that matter). Perhaps this may indicate that this homemade welder does not produce a smooth, stable arc. With serviceable, used GTAW welders available for only a few hundred dollars why would anyone design his own tig welder - isn't it like someone trying to reinvent the wheel?

By SUBLIME (*)

Date 02-12-2004 19:12

I think they are mostly for emergency repairs for the off road types. No welding shops 50 miles out in the desert to weld together a broken drivehsaft.

By welder6g (**)

Date 02-12-2004 20:47

Ever make one out of a Millermatic 251!???????

By Lawrence (*****)

Date 02-12-2004 21:03

Yeah, back when I was an under water welder we would just tie the tails of a couple electric eels together for constant voltage. For constant current you would put the electrode in the mouth of one and have successive eels biting the tail of the previous eel; with this method, I helped construct Dr. Evil's undersea lair. And lemme tell ya buddy; their ain't no weld shops at 20,000 leauges beneath the sea!

With tounge in cheek

McGuyver

By dee

Date 02-12-2004 22:12

Mac,
You forgot the one about the lamp you picked up out of Davy Jones' locker that was still lit!

By dee

Date 02-12-2004 22:16

Larry,
This is the kind of project that stimulates interest in the way things work. Besides a bit of hands-on in welding there are quite a bit of practical electrical fundamentals being demonstrated by this project. I think it belongs in the education forum, but possibly not ours- it might be better as something NASA would aim at science teachers and such.

By LarryL

Date 02-13-2004 04:25

Dee, I agree that there is great educational value (plus pride of accomplishment) in building a homemade tig welder. This builder's intent, however, was to do tig welding without spending a lot of money on equipment. He somehow concluded that making his own welder was the cheapest way to go. I think he would have been better served by purchasing an old but serviceable tig welder. I've read that some can be had for $250 to $300. The welds on his "Custom header," however, look like they were done with the most primitive type of welder. If this is an exhaust manifold, the welds are likely to leak deadly carbon monoxide that might drift back into the passenger compartment. Since this builder's intent seemed to have been the welding of custom designed pieces, his starting out with an inferior (though ingenious) welder may have been a case of "Penny wise pound foolish."

By chabat

Date 02-13-2004 15:12

Can you really get a used TIG for $300? What condition would a $300 TIG welder be in? And where?

By LarryL

Date 02-13-2004 16:44

Look over this thread about a Miller 300A/BP welder at the Home Machinist welding forum. Several of the guys mentioned buying one of these for $100 to $280.

http://www.chaski.com/ubb/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=welding&Number=31925&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=

There is no guarantee that every $300 welder will function satisfactorily. I think, however, that many old large transformer GTAW welders may be "bulletproof." For example, I've got an old Lincoln AC/DC IdealArc 250/250 (now sidelined by my Thermal Arc ProWave 300GTSW) that is about 20+ (?) years old. It will probably continue to put out good steel and stainless steel welds for another 50 years.

By HOAGY

Date 02-13-2004 17:33

what is the address of the home machinist welding forum? thanks hoagy

By LarryL

Date 02-13-2004 19:25

Hoagy,
Just mouse click on the link I inserted in my previous message and that will take you to that thread. From there, if you want to get to the forum's index, click on the word "welding" in the line "Home Machinist>welding."

By LarryL

Date 02-13-2004 19:33

Another try:

http://www.chaski.com/ubb/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=welding&Number=31925&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

There may have been a problem with the previous url, or, the site was having troubles.

By dee

Date 02-13-2004 23:29

Larry,
I dont think it's been established that the builder was proficient at GTAW; there may have been little improvement in weld quality had he been using a name brand machine, but I accept your point; it was not one I was addressing.

I doubt it would be advisible to learn to weld on any RubeGoldberg power supply- I know I would have to be desperate to attempt to do so. It's hard enough to self-teach using good to excellent equipment. Rather than ridicule a valiant and innovative imagination I sought to find a place where it might be recognized for the merit it does, in fact, deserve... I see no advantage to denegrating the idea even if it may be loosely described as "right for the wrong reason" and submit that any crackpot crazy enough to come up with a contraption like that which even remotely works is worthy of some kind of credit, and as individuals we would get more out of it by using our energy to see how it could be put to good and productive use SOMEHOW. I would like to think of it as good forum form, courtesy and manners.

Naturally niether Lincoln, Esab, Miller nor Thermal design their power supplies like that. I've no great surprise if it welds like it were the crude equipment it actually is, but it works better than the one I built,and I suspect better than the one you built as well. If I knew how to improve on it by adding a capacitor or something I would mention it. I would hope anyone else here would do the same- being unable, perhaps we should demonstrate some discretion.
There's a lot to be said for crackpot ideas, and that crackpot has my vote. I'd be curious as to how to improve it's arc and I think it would make for a good discussion and even better project.
It would be appropriate to present the concept to AWS directors; as many school systems are treating manual arts with increasing disdain think how effectively this might bring welding to the masses through the science cirriculum... serving a fundamental purpose of the Society.

This idea has merit perhaps even the designer didnt have the vision to identify. I would venture that with a little refinement it also can be made to run a decent bead, and if and when he discovers how, he will be more a master of the art than most of us who can manage to turn a switch and set a knob... more power to him.

It's probably not a good sign that I can understand crazy ideas and off-the-wall motivations.

Regards
d

By LarryL

Date 02-14-2004 00:40

Dee,
It was not my intention to denigrate the builder of this homemade tig welder. I, least of all, would poke fun at someone like him since I am a "crazy inventor" myself (http://www.wonderip.com). It's just my opinion that if the end result he sought was welding of his custom designs, it may have been foolish to utilize an untested welder that he designed and built himself. I do give him a lot of credit for his ingenuity.

By the way, my crazy tool is receiving national attention. There will be an article about it in the next issue of Fine Woodworking magazine (on newsstands next week) and it also will receive some mention in an article in a Wood magazine issue that comes out in March.

I hope that you will be able to understand my crazy idea. ;<D

By dee

Date 02-14-2004 00:47

Larry,
Sorry to have struck so intense a note. My comments were to explain my view and opinion as it seemed to have been poorly made the first time, rather than to criticize yours. Good luck with your idea... I'm off to investigate.

Regards
d