New Miller Maxstar 150 STH

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I have been attending vocational school on Saturday mornings for the last month taking welding classes. I have a Hobart 140 mig at home. Lately I have been playing with TIG welding at school and I really enjoy it. I told my wife it would be cool to have a TIG and Stick welder to play with at home.Got home from work yesterday and the wifey had bought me a new Miller Maxstar 150 STH. Now I can't wait to get it all set up and play with it.....the welder that is.Looks like it will fit the bill for welding at home. Anyone have tips for getting up to speed with the new welder?Thanks,Wayne
Reply:being that it is a DC machine you wont be welding aluminum. I have the older 140 version and use it exclusively as a portable stick machine. It works great for field repairs and small fab jobs where I am limited on power. Did you get a remote with it? I prefer a foot pedal but I see that weldcraft has a torch for them with a built in finger control that might keep the package more portable.
Reply:What would you like tips on, stick or tig to start out?Miller has an excelent student pack for $25 that covers all processes and has a lot of good extras as well. Be sure and treat the wife to a good dinner out for this at a minimum. Thats a nice machine and one that will serve you well for a long time..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:Kind of curious what the best tig torch and foot pedal would be for the welder. Of course I will have to get a bottle of straight Argon for gas. Hopefully that is all I will need to get started tig welding.
Reply:Originally Posted by riderdogKind of curious what the best tig torch and foot pedal would be for the welder. Of course I will have to get a bottle of straight Argon for gas. Hopefully that is all I will need to get started tig welding.
Reply:LUCKY! i wish my wife would show up witha new welder for me...the new maxstar 150 dont need a gas valve but the older 140s do . i have a 140 and love it! no remote for me just lift and go. i use it to do food grade stainless and sanitary tube and couldnt ask for more the 150s are awesome cause you never have to f- with the gas valve but im too cheap to buy a new one. i got a #9 torch and put it on last week and im loving it i run 80A max on all the stuff i do so it is perfect. i got it on ebay and only paid $30 good luck and get the #9 torch it is much nicer to run
Reply:For starting out, you don't really need a foot pedal. You won't be doing aluminum anyways. If most of your welding is going to have you sitting on a stool, you will like a foot pedal at some point, but if you want to be able to move around, work on your knees, etc you may prefer a finger control. For most s/s and mild steel work, if you set your heat correctly, you can do very well without one. If you are going to be welding heavier wall metal I recommend the WP17, if not then the smaller one is fine.
Reply:I've got the Weldcraft 17 on my STH with the thumb wheel. I rarely sit at a station when I weld so that set up suits me fine. At 14 lbs or so, it's a fine rig. Curious what you/wife paid for it.
Reply:Originally Posted by dunemetalCurious what you/wife paid for it.