Question about lift arc tig and foot pedal

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Please excuse my ignorance. I've never tig welded. I bought the rebel and a foot pedal to go with it.My understanding of lift arc is that you push the switch on the torch and then touch the torch to the metal andwhen the torch is lifted off the metal the arc starts. And then push the switch on the torch to turn off the arc.Now if I have a foot pedal hooked up, how does it work with the pedal?Do I instead push the pedal and then touch the torch to the metal to start the arc? And does the arc stop by letting off the pedal?Thanks for your patience.
Reply:Well,I don't think my machine has the ability to do a "lift" arc start. But I've occasionally done "scratch" starts. Otherwise HF starts.But, I believe if you want to do an actual "lift" start rather than a "scratch" start, you'll touch your electrode to the work piece, then initiate your contact switch, with the torch switch or pedal, then lift the electrode to start the arc. And if you're using the torch switch in a 2T mode, you'll keep the switch depressed to maintain the arc.So, I believe you may not get the benefit of an actual "lift" start if you depress the torch switch or pedal before touching the electrode to the work piece, and would probably only get a scratch start that way.Please let us all here how it goes, as a lot people on this forum have been looking forward to the Rebel being released, and I think you're about the first one to post here that actually has one. Congratulations, I'm sure you'll dig it!

Originally Posted by Smason

Please excuse my ignorance. I've never tig welded. I bought the rebel and a foot pedal to go with it.My understanding of lift arc is that you push the switch on the torch and then touch the torch to the metal andwhen the torch is lifted off the metal the arc starts. And then push the switch on the torch to turn off the arc.Now if I have a foot pedal hooked up, how does it work with the pedal?Do I instead push the pedal and then touch the torch to the metal to start the arc? And does the arc stop by letting off the pedal?Thanks for your patience.
Reply:Thanks for the reply. I don't "actually" have it yet. UPS tells me that I'll have it tomorrow. I still have to trade one of my oxygen cylinders for an argon cylinder before I can try out the tig. Several weeks ago I walked into the LWS not in the market for a new machine and the local ESAB rep was there and started telling me about the machine and I asked him to get it out of his truck and set it up. (That was a big mistake)  After playing with it for a while I ordered one. I wish that I'd had him set up the tig and let me try it out at the time. This should be a fun new experience for me learning to tig. (I hope) I'll let you guys know how it goes. I'm sure that I'll have a bunch of questions as I go.
Reply:Well,I'm guessing that you bought the unit primarily for the MIG function. I mean, TIG is a comparative slow poke. But I enjoy it for its quietness (on DC) and absence of smoke or spatter. I'm not a TIG expert, but it's not too difficult to do pretty well on DC pretty quickly. AC TIG is newer for me, and is more challenging.So, you'll be able to get some of the best welder feedback anywhere in the English-speaking world on this forum.
Reply:Yes, I bought it mostly for the MIG function. Since then I've been learning about Tig. It appears that if I want to get serious about TIG I'll have to by another machine.
Reply:My belief is that there are very few of that particular unit in use. When you receive your new welder, go through the setup, in the manual. I have a TA181i which is probably similar , but no pedal. On that machine, the gas valve is opened, and then the torch switch controls initial starting and stopping the arc at the end.
Reply:It just arrived and I just went through the box looking for the manual. Apparently the only manual that is provided is the one loaded in the machine. I haven't been able to find one online either. I was really hoping to sit down and read it tonight. I have a lot of questions that I want answered. And the prospect of having to stand in front of the welder to read the manual isn't what I want to do. Very disappointing.
Reply:they may put it on the machine to help you familiarize yourself with how to navigate around on it, who knows. I'd lose the manual immediately anyway. Seemto always disappear somewhere anyway.Lincoln Ranger 10000Esab Rebel EMP215A few mini excavators, a hooklift truck, too many other rigs. I have too many projects...
Reply:

Originally Posted by Smason

It just arrived and I just went through the box looking for the manual. Apparently the only manual that is provided is the one loaded in the machine. I haven't been able to find one online either. I was really hoping to sit down and read it tonight. I have a lot of questions that I want answered. And the prospect of having to stand in front of the welder to read the manual isn't what I want to do. Very disappointing.
Reply:Thanks WeldinON! I came down with pneumonia a few days ago and I was already tired by time I got everything out of the box and I didn't get that far. Now I have some reading material.
Reply:

Originally Posted by C. Livingstone

Well,I don't think my machine has the ability to do a "lift" arc start. But I've occasionally done "scratch" starts. Otherwise HF starts.But, I believe if you want to do an actual "lift" start rather than a "scratch" start, you'll touch your electrode to the work piece, then initiate your contact switch, with the torch switch or pedal, then lift the electrode to start the arc. And if you're using the torch switch in a 2T mode, you'll keep the switch depressed to maintain the arc.So, I believe you may not get the benefit of an actual "lift" start if you depress the torch switch or pedal before touching the electrode to the work piece, and would probably only get a scratch start that way.Please let us all here how it goes, as a lot people on this forum have been looking forward to the Rebel being released, and I think you're about the first one to post here that actually has one. Congratulations, I'm sure you'll dig it!
Reply:Hey,Thanks for that accurate info. Yeah, the 210 EXT is great. It never occurred to me to try a lift start, as seems like it would be so counterintuitive, after using HF starts.

Originally Posted by lugweld

Your Everlast has lift start.
Reply:So far so good!Went out to the garage for a little while today. I didn't have the energy to set up the mig, (getting over pnuemonia)  but I did some arc welding and it was much easier to dial in than my Lincoln weldanpower. Hopefully I'll be well enough this weekend to try the mig and maybe the tig. Wish me luck.
Reply:Did you find the paper manual, the chart in the lid is mainly parameters and consumable info. The manual could be downloaded, and it has the info you need regarding lift arc.
Reply:The paper manual was just a quick start guide, but it had a cd with manuals so all is good.
Reply:Cool, they must have changed it, mine was a real early one, and it came with a decent, printed manual
Reply:I have still yet to read the cd manual that tells me how to lift start tig.  Did you find it on the CD and what was the name of the manual?  There is several different manuals on the CD.Lincoln, ESAB, Thermal Dynamics, Victor, Miller, Dewalt, Makita, Kalamzoo.  Hand tools, power tools, welding and cutting tools.
Reply:I bought the Rebel in February without a foot pedal (due to present financial situation) but have played with it in TIG mode a few times. Forgetting to turn on the gas is my #1 problem. I'm too accustomed to it being automatic in MIG mode.Once I became more familiar with everything I was able to weld better with the unit. The one complaint I have is with the TWEOC torch trying to turn in my hand. When I finally get the foot pedal I'm going to swap it for one of my Weldcrafts.It's hard to weld when you can't see.
Reply:Did you ever find out how to tig with the pedal?  I have the same machine and the same question.
Reply:On my lincoln 210 mp it is a scratch start even with the pedal, but the pedal allows you to control the power within the arc as you weld.I haven't built anything I can't throw away.  Perfection is the journey.    Mac
Reply:I recently purchased a Rebel EMP 285ic, and the lift arc procedure goes like this:Touch your tungsten to the work piece, depress the foot pedal(a small amount of amperage will start to flow), then lift the tungsten up slightly off the work piece.  At this point the arc will come up to the level with which you have the foot pedal depressed.  Wait until you have formed a puddle, dab, and move forward, dab, repeat.  Lift off the pedal to extinguish the arc.Boy this is a slow sub-forum if the original question was asked in 2016 and is just now getting answered in 2019, by a fresh faced "solderer" level member.If I am not mistaken this is an ESAB sponsored sub-forum? Yo ESAB, where you at!?If you want to break into the American market in a big way, you cannot count on folks who will research a product to the N'th degree.  If you do that, you will loose out to Red and Blue every time!  You need to be pro-active and be answering questions at the snap of the fingers.  If you have a sponsored sub-forum you need to be posting sticky's on every aspect of every machine you want to sell in this market.And you need to have a better user manual.  I don't know if the info is lost in translation, or you just expect folks to seek it out for themselves.I'd really like to know how the spot welding function on my EMP 285ic works, but there is zero info about it in the manual.Heck, there are symbols in the machine parameters that are not even mentioned  or shown in the manual.None of this is to say that the machines are of poor quality, they are excellent. They weld great!Last edited by Flat_Bastard; 04-28-2019 at 12:26 AM.Reason: spellingJust say, Know.
Reply:Thanks, FB.  Makes sense.