Want a tig but have no projects!

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Hey all,My dad and I took a class at the local career center on stick welding several years back and I was never a big fan- nevertheless we bought a stick welder and it still sits in his garage-We had to build a set of custom headers for a engine swap we were doing and tried the stick welder on the thin wall round mild steel pipes- haha not even....we tried a mig rental but I didn't like the lack of control and it fed all sorts of wire into the interior of the headers and we had to cut it off- spat a lot as well as we didn't have gas with it.... we also had a torch set that we decided to try and I fell in love- what fun and what control.... In college I played a bit with the formula sae team and they had a big dollar tig welder they were making the frame welds on moly steel... I played with it and was very impressed and have been thinking about one ever since...BUT--- I have no current use for it- what do you guys do in these instances? Play around with scraps and when you get good put an ad in craigslist for welding work? create projects? Is there a good project book with products you can sell when you are done?  My wife is all for it as I really enjoy welding for welding.  Dunno what it is about it- probably an ego thing to be able to melt seemingly unbreakable steel and form to my own shape that in theory should be as strong as if I didn't mess with it. either way I thought I would ask.
Reply:get involved with cars, and you will have endless projects
Reply:Tell your friends you have a welder.  They'll bring you every broken thing they own and expect you to fix it for free.
Reply:Supe, Isn't that  the truth!MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:lol I am "involved" with cars.  I have an 11 second 5.0 coupe mustang with performance big valve aluminum heads, lopey camshaft, high flow intake, centrifugal supercharger, built rearend, and more but no projects that I can think of-  My next car as soon as this one sells is a corvette z06 and I can't see the need for a tig welder with that either.Do you mean car building as in kit cars? What do you guys weld?Thanks!
Reply:1st project.... Welding Cart2nd project.... Welding table and stool3rd project..... Various brackets to hang hoses and leads fromBelieve me, the ideas will come to you.Richard TerryMarine engineer.............  C'mon retirement!
Reply:Originally Posted by hpfiend....what do you guys do in these instances?
Reply:I learned to weld when I was young, but never had much actual need to own my own welding machine...  untill I bought my first mig welder when I was in college.  After that, I had all sorts of need for welding, and have ever since.  Once you have your own machine, that you truely enjoy using and feel confident with, the answer to everything will soon become--  JUST WELD IT !MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:"Build it and they will come"  It works for me.David  Real world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Yep, buy it and you will find all kinds of ideas come to you. I cut stuff in half just to weld it back LOL.
Reply:it is like any tool  you don't have.  you don't realize how you lived with out it after you get it, and wish you would have bought it sooner.
Reply:Inverters have a built in first project.  A cart.  Guess even a xformer tig will need a cart unless you buy the Runner version.DennisThermal Arc 185-TSWMillermatic Challenger 172VictorO/AAtlas Craftsman 12 by 24 LatheEsab PCM-875Wholesalem Tool Mill-Drill
Reply:It was a little slow this week at work, so I took some 1/8" x 4 " and made some boxes.  One is MIG, One is TIG and one is welded with 6013.And a rack for my work uniforms.DavidLast edited by David R; 01-26-2008 at 07:49 AM.Real world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:You'd buy a (unknown year) Z06 and could't find anything to TIG on it? And you're into cars?Lets see, You could....Install 8 direct nitrous bungs in the intake (unless plastic)fabricate a new exhaust to eliminate the catsfabricate the plumbing and other hardware for a turbo setup (:fabricate a supercharger bracket, intercooler and plumbingInstall 8 bungs for the extra set of injectors for when you are making 18 PSI boostMake new brackets for the fire system, 5-point harness, cage, nitrous bottleFab a cold air intakeFabricate brackets to install 6-piston Brembo calipers to stop you at 200MPHYou could also do a welding project for someone that owns a CNC mill in exchange for them making you a smaller blower pulley for that 5.0 so you can get a more manly boost curve and get into the 10s. Hmmm. What can we weld today? How about brackets to mount the 'chute on that back of the Fox body for when you get a larger crank pulley and more fuel and go into the 9's?How about welding up a custom 6" exhaust for your buddy's Honda (yes, everyone has a buddy with a Honda that thinks it's a racecar!) so he can run 16's? What about extending the mounting brackets for his Fast and Furious wing to raise it above the roof line so the car is less aerodynamic? I know! The same dude will need a bracket made for his monster tach with shift light!Below: 1987 Porsche 928S4. 32 valve, 5.0L V8, MSDS equal length 8-into-1 headers going into a mandrel-bent 3.5" single exhaust (no cat). Vortech reverse rotation supercharger blowing into a custom 1400 CFM water-to-air intercooler w/dual heat exchangers. The crank has a cutom one-piece pulley with 1" cog drive for the blower (since the serpentine belt slipped at high RPM). Air pluming is all 3", inlet plumbing and MAF is 4".  Powerhaus custom software in both fuel and timing computers, 48LB/HR Bosch injectors, Vortech FMU with modified Barry Grant static pressure regulators, 520 RWHP @ 7100RPM. You just gotta hear the 8-into-1 exhaust when over 6 grand...it's the sweetest European exhaust wail you could imagine. If you don't know the "Euro exhaust wail" sound, you just wouldn't understand. No...I don't know what it runs in the quarter since this is not a drag car. It's right at home on a road course or the street. If it breaks, it might just have to do a 6.6L stroker with bigger heads and cams, lower compression and the blower will be replaced by a large single turbo. Attached ImagesLast edited by turboblown; 01-26-2008 at 04:24 PM.
Reply:If you have the $ and have a desire for a TIG then go buy one.  As others said you will find projects that you never thought about before having this resource.  Last year I bought a MM210 MIG and within a few months I bought a syncro 200 because I loved it so much.  They have already paid for themselves on projects that would have cost me 1000's more paying others to do the work i now do for myself.Best Times with 434 Naturally Aspirated Vette60 - 1.261/8 -  6.37@ 107.25 MPH 1/4 - 10.08 & 134.9MPH1/4 - 9.60@144MPH
Reply:I'm not into the car thing ,but you should just buy it . you will find all kinds of things to do with it...
Reply:Nice wheelstand. That's one of my favorite cars of all time.
Reply:Hey all- been disgustingly busy with work-- thank you for all of your great replies... I am convinced ;-) Now on to shopping and rewiring the garage for 220... And I found a few projects- I am going to put the drivetrain out of my mustang coupe into a 86-92 RX7- I am going to tig a different aluminum intake discharge tube with bypass valve setup, possibly make some custom blower bracketry, cut and reform/reinforce the front subframe to clear a radiator and electric fan with custom bracketry, fabricate a custom slave cylinder bracket for the hydraulic clutch conversion, create my own internal fender flares, make an exhaust system w/ cutouts and bullet mufflers, ooh it would be neat to make my own aluminum cowl hood by modifying the factory aluminum setup... heck I may even make my own rollcage down the road or a strut tower brace... You are so right about buying a tool and not knowing how you lived without it previously- I bought a craftsman inspection mirror a month ago as it was on sale at sears- I have already used it no joke 3 times.Last edited by hpfiend; 03-31-2008 at 05:33 PM.