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Thread: Recommend a Tig Welding machine for me

  1. #21
    Club Member wrath's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by slow96hater View Post
    Honestly for home use, I'm sure someone is gonna talk crap, but the Vulcan multi process from harbor freight is a very hard mig/tig/arc to beat for the price. Very comparable to Lincolns multiprocess they offer for $500 cheaper. These welders do weld very nice if you are truly a welder and know what you are doing with, and how to identify material.
    No AC with the Vulcan Omnipro 220 for $900. Miller is supposed to be coming out with a new multiprocess welder with AC on November 9th. I have used a Vulcan, and while it is better than some things (like farm store crap from China, plenty of experience with this) it isn't anywhere near as good a Miller Multimatic 215 for $1265 after rebate. Is it worth a 50% price increase over the Vulcan... yeap. Is it worth double the price of a Vulcan... yeap. Is it worth triple the price of the Vulcan... nope. I've used a lot of crappy welders and I'm a crappy weldererer. Save a few more bucks in the piggy bank and get the Miller (or at least the ESAB 215). The Vulcan is not a bad welder by any means, but I think they missed the "should really consider it" price by about $200.

    If you just want to buzz together aluminum, a good used Syncrowave is hard to beat.

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  3. #23
    Forum Member slow96hater's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by wrath View Post
    No AC with the Vulcan Omnipro 220 for $900. Miller is supposed to be coming out with a new multiprocess welder with AC on November 9th. I have used a Vulcan, and while it is better than some things (like farm store crap from China, plenty of experience with this) it isn't anywhere near as good a Miller Multimatic 215 for $1265 after rebate. Is it worth a 50% price increase over the Vulcan... yeap. Is it worth double the price of a Vulcan... yeap. Is it worth triple the price of the Vulcan... nope. I've used a lot of crappy welders and I'm a crappy weldererer. Save a few more bucks in the piggy bank and get the Miller (or at least the ESAB 215). The Vulcan is not a bad welder by any means, but I think they missed the "should really consider it" price by about $200.

    If you just want to buzz together aluminum, a good used Syncrowave is hard to beat.



    I've never used a esab, but they do look cool, and the one person I do know who has used one said they were alright too. I think he just used their mig machine. Don't even know which one.

  4. #24
    Club Member Beigg's Avatar
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    For home use, which welder would be best bang for the buck to only do aluminum? Wouldn't be doing anything thicker than 1/2".

  5. #25
    Club Member wrath's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by slow96hater View Post
    I've never used a esab, but they do look cool, and the one person I do know who has used one said they were alright too. I think he just used their mig machine. Don't even know which one.
    ESAB Rebel 215 in one of its many flavors is a fine machine. If it weren't for the fact that I could get a Miller for a couple bucks more I would have bought one. In fact, all of ESAB's machines are plenty fine. But for just a few bucks more... it comes in Blue and if I ever want to switch to something else everyone buys Blue used.

    Quote Originally Posted by Beigg View Post
    For home use, which welder would be best bang for the buck to only do aluminum? Wouldn't be doing anything thicker than 1/2".
    Welding 1/2" aluminum is expensive (takes a lot more current than steel) and difficult. About 1 amp per .001" but you're just going to end up making multiple passes anyway. Probably need a 300 amp TIG welder to be happy. To do it with MIG you're probably going to want at least a machine like a 252 or an XMT and a push-pull gun. I haven't tried it with my 252 and my Alumapro (I just have the cheap $1900 air cooled one, I have no watercooler) but I should be able to do it if I don't shake too much. If I had bigger pockets I would have purchased an XMT350 and a feeder that'd drive the push-pull gun.

    I have a friend that has spent a lot of time welding an aluminum jet boat together with a lot of 10mm sheet using his Lincoln Square Wave 200.

    I've never tried to weld anything thicker than 5/16" aluminum with a TIG welder before (with a Syncrowave 200) and it was a bit of a stretch. Torch was so hot I had to wear my MIG gloves. But I'm not skilled.

  6. #26
    Club Member Beigg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by wrath View Post
    ESAB Rebel 215 in one of its many flavors is a fine machine. If it weren't for the fact that I could get a Miller for a couple bucks more I would have bought one. In fact, all of ESAB's machines are plenty fine. But for just a few bucks more... it comes in Blue and if I ever want to switch to something else everyone buys Blue used.



    Welding 1/2" aluminum is expensive (takes a lot more current than steel) and difficult. About 1 amp per .001" but you're just going to end up making multiple passes anyway. Probably need a 300 amp TIG welder to be happy. To do it with MIG you're probably going to want at least a machine like a 252 or an XMT and a push-pull gun. I haven't tried it with my 252 and my Alumapro (I just have the cheap $1900 air cooled one, I have no watercooler) but I should be able to do it if I don't shake too much. If I had bigger pockets I would have purchased an XMT350 and a feeder that'd drive the push-pull gun.

    I have a friend that has spent a lot of time welding an aluminum jet boat together with a lot of 10mm sheet using his Lincoln Square Wave 200.

    I've never tried to weld anything thicker than 5/16" aluminum with a TIG welder before (with a Syncrowave 200) and it was a bit of a stretch. Torch was so hot I had to wear my MIG gloves. But I'm not skilled.
    I figured it would be better to aim for thicker then less, but .375" is likely the most the tig would be used on with aluminum. I prefer to mig steel & SS, which that area is covered for that equipment.

  7. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Beigg View Post
    For home use, which welder would be best bang for the buck to only do aluminum? Wouldn't be doing anything thicker than 1/2".
    to weld something that thick you will need to pre heat it with a torch or heater of some sorts, oven or rod oven something like that, then you will need multiple passes. I’ve had a lot of experience with different types of welding, tig welding Pipe in a nuclear facility, steel, sheet metal etc. the better the machine the better the results for sure. Aluminum guns are nice for not so precise work.

  8. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by mikesfastss View Post
    to weld something that thick you will need to pre heat it with a torch or heater of some sorts, oven or rod oven something like that, then you will need multiple passes. I’ve had a lot of experience with different types of welding, tig welding Pipe in a nuclear facility, steel, sheet metal etc. the better the machine the better the results for sure. Aluminum guns are nice for not so precise work.
    Was hoping to gear the cash towards 220V+/- tig machine since a mig is already owned, just it is not capable in doing aluminum (too low of amps & only DC). Was looking at those Forney machines.

  9. #29
    Club Member mikesfastss's Avatar
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    I recently bought a Miller 200 amp machine from an eBay auction for $250, another $200 for a aluminum gun and I’m good now. I’m always looking along with my brother for equipment being he owns a fab shop. They pop up all the time.

  10. #30
    Club Member Beigg's Avatar
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    The Lincoln Electric 180 Amp Weld-Pak 180 HD MIG might just be what I'll go for to do aluminum. Any idea on the best place for price?

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