Stainless Steel Tig Project

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Well today i was working on a custom stainless ash tray. No fancy millers were used, just a simple harbor freight 80 amp inverter that i setup for tig welding. No foot pedal or nothin just plain old scratch start.Materials used1/8'' 316L1/16'' 316L filler1/16 RED tungstenGas around 18cfhSettings around 80 ampsOn with the pics.....The machine setupLayoutStart tacking it upAll tacked upWelding it upAll done Thanks for looking! Ya gotta spend money to make money!
Reply:Not bad. It looks like you could have used a bit more filler and gotten your dips a bit closer.I'm not sure if I'm reading too much into your " No fancy millers" comment or not. Basic DC scratch start tig doesn't require a "tig" machine. It's been done for years on simple SA200's and transformer DC stick machines like Tombstones. What you've got is basically a lower powered bottom end "Maxstar" or even closer a Thermal Dynamics 95S. Items like a foot pedal help to control the heat and make learning easier, but they are not "required". That all changes however if you want to do alum, like many here inquire into. There a "fancy" tig is almost a necessity, though you can cobble together an AC stick based tig with the right add ons.If you are making that comment because people seem to knock to HF stick machines, they do so for reasons other than what you are posting. That machine is very limited with stick, in many cases not having the balls to run most 3/32" rods. As a low amp tig source it has more potential, and I think for what you did it worked very well.If I'm wrong and you were just making a joke ignore all this. I might be a bit touchy as it seems often guys think the HF stuff is the hottest thing out there and can't see the point of quality machines and think anyone who recomends a better machine is out to screw them. Each has it's uses. For a low budget tig for say SS tube I think that would work well, IF you had the skills to use it. On the other hand I could probably sit someone down with no tig skills and get them up to speed faster with a small Maxstar  or TD 95 and pedal than with that..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Dsw,I can see where you are comming from. The no fancy miller comment was just a joke.Ya gotta spend money to make money!
Reply:lacking in the gas coverage department big time!
Reply:Originally Posted by JimLlacking in the gas coverage department big time!
Reply:Originally Posted by TSORHard to get great coverage on an outside corner with a gas cup vs. a lens.  Using an undersized cup as he did makes it worse. Not to bad for beginner tig work.  As mentioned above, a little more filler and tighten up those "dimes".  Put a larger cup on your torch or $pring for a gas lens and you won't get as much contamination in your welds.
Reply:Originally Posted by richharrwhat size cup would you use vs. lens? also would raising the cfh help or would it cause too much turbulence?
Reply:Looks nice.  I also like the kant-twist clamps- really handy for small work and not at all chintzy.