Older AC DC machine for aluminum TIG

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We've got a nice, old, Lincoln Power MIG 255 we're happy using.  Got an ESAB 180i based on Louie's recommendation and my son and I both are really happy with it. (It has features I never knew existed.) Neither of us has any experience with TIG. We want to learn. And we'd like the ability to weld relatively thin aluminum.  Think working on Jon boats and such.  I'm told we need AC.  My legs won't work with a foot pedal, so I thought I'd get a finger control for the torch.  Question is, how would I connect any control, foot or finger, to one  of the older AC DC welders?  I've read welder suggestions mentioning Idealarcs or Dialarcs as inexpensive AC DC machines.  But I don't see any sockets for plugs.  Is this bad info I've been told? Or am I way off base on the basic idea? Advice, thoughts, suggestions appreciated. Thanks.
Reply:Al, realistically, what's your budget? Idealarcs and Dialarcs are really not great aluminum welders. A couple of things about aluminum boats: 1. not all alloys are weldable. Generally if a boat is riveted, I have been told it is likely not weldable. 2. You could always MIG weld if the alloy is weldable. You might want a spool gun in that case. 3. If you are going to TIG weld, you want the features found on a more modern welder, like a square wave form (instead of sine wave like the older welders), pulse, frequency adjustement, etc. None of these exist on an older welder. 3. You would probably be better off buying something like the Primeweld (https://primeweld.com/products/tig-2...-dc-tig-welder). I don't have one but lots of folks seem to like them and the customer service is supposed to be way better than the likes of Longevity or Everlast. You know I haven't steered you wrong. If you want to TIG weld, and have enough budget, get the HTP unit and don't look back.  https://usaweld.com/collections/htp-...age-air-cooledAs far as finger controls, pretty much any unit that takes a foot pedal can use a finger control. In the Dialarc, not all Dialarcs will TIG weld. You need to look for the Dialarc HF models. Same for Idealarcs. Not all of them TIG weld. The other approach, especially if you get a new/modern TIG welder is to use the sequencer in a 4T operation. With that feature you can toggle between a ramp up current, a high current, a lower secondary current and a ramp down current Jodie has some good videos on how to use 4T instead of a foot pedalThe other thing you can do is get a TIG button https://www.6061.com/tigbutton.htmMiller Multimatic 255
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Originally Posted by FloridaAl

We've got a nice, old, Lincoln Power MIG 255 we're happy using.  Got an ESAB 180i based on Louie's recommendation and my son and I both are really happy with it. (It has features I never knew existed.) Neither of us has any experience with TIG. We want to learn. And we'd like the ability to weld relatively thin aluminum.  Think working on Jon boats and such.  I'm told we need AC.  My legs won't work with a foot pedal, so I thought I'd get a finger control for the torch.  Question is, how would I connect any control, foot or finger, to one  of the older AC DC welders?  I've read welder suggestions mentioning Idealarcs or Dialarcs as inexpensive AC DC machines.  But I don't see any sockets for plugs.  Is this bad info I've been told? Or am I way off base on the basic idea? Advice, thoughts, suggestions appreciated. Thanks.
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Originally Posted by Louie1961

The other thing you can do is get a TIG button https://www.6061.com/tigbutton.htm
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Originally Posted by Oldiron2

How hard does the button have to be pushed? Any chance the finger gets tired during a long session? Have you used one?Looks interesting.
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Originally Posted by FloridaAl

Neither of us has any experience with TIG. We want to learn. And we'd like the ability to weld relatively thin aluminum.  Think working on Jon boats and such. suggestions appreciated. Thanks.
Reply:As usual, great info on this site. Louie and Dan, thanks so much!!  That's really the kind of info I needed. Louie, I didn't have a specific budget amount.  Looking at what I saw in the used market I was thinking (hoping ?) in the $500 to $700 range. (Being retired, I use the Chinese Payment Plan. One payment makes it so easy to keep track of finances.

)The Prime Weld 225X, with everything included but cylinder and finger switch, should be doable.Now I just need to study up on all the features mentioned that I don't understand. (Sq wave, sine wave, pulse, HF, crossover, and the like.)Thank you both.  Great ideas and advice.
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Originally Posted by FloridaAl

As usual, great info on this site. Louie and Dan, thanks so much!!  That's really the kind of info I needed. Louie, I didn't have a specific budget amount.  Looking at what I saw in the used market I was thinking (hoping ?) in the $500 to $700 range. (Being retired, I use the Chinese Payment Plan. One payment makes it so easy to keep track of finances.

)The Prime Weld 225X, with everything included but cylinder and finger switch, should be doable.Now I just need to study up on all the features mentioned that I don't understand. (Sq wave, sine wave, pulse, HF, crossover, and the like.)Thank you both.  Great ideas and advice.
Reply:When the alternative to new was all there was these older machines were a bargain.  That gap has closed with the advent of the inverter. so much cheaper and now has really modern features even at a low price and when one figures much to do with the power demands they are even more attractive.   Not that they are not good, just cost/obsolete.www.urkafarms.com
Reply:I love my Syncrowave 250DX, but for the work you're talking about, and the ballpark budget, I'd say Primeweld 225X is the way to go.  The older machines can do great work, but when you're talking about thin material some of features you get with modern inverter machines can help make things easier.  Pulse and variable frequency really shine when you start working with thin material.  Some of the older machines offer pulse, but it's nothing like what you get with the modern machines and less useful.Check out my bench vise website:  http://mivise.comMiller Syncrowave 250DXMillermatic 350P with XR AlumaProMiller Regency 200 with 22A feeder and Spoolmatic 3Hobart Champion EliteEverlast PowerTig 210EXT
Reply:Anybody who has driven will quickly adapt to foot pedal control. I've sort of wanted to try a finger control when in odd positions; step ladder, rung ladder, or crawled under something. Steel welding can be done with the simple DC welder. For aluminum, I'd want Miller Dialarc 250 HF or Idealarc whatever from Lincoln as a minimum. TIG aluminum was once a cooperative process when weldors had helium as a shielding gas. Using argon as a substitute ain't the same. I believe manufacturers have spent years developing welders that work as well on argon as sine wave welders did on helium. Aluminum welding is a process where the oxide forms in a few seconds, melts twice the temperature of the aluminum beneath, & it isn't very conductive. Meanwhile, the metal conducts heat away at an alarming rate. The arc blows away the oxide in EP (electrode positive), then melts the parent metal EN (electrode negative). Keeping that heat in balance is the goal. Shielding gas is a poor conductor, the arc doesn't easily flow. It must ionize to become conductive. Electron numbers have to be out of nature's wants. Ionization starts easily from the point of a tungsten electrode. The return stroke is less effective, because it comes from a broader surface, and the surface is oxidized. Ionization is a struggle. Sine wave power stops twice a cycle. Ionization must start anew. Early in the development of TIG, welding engineers developed HF (high frequency) this is 1200-2000HZ, 2000? volts, it is overrunning the 60HZ welding current. In part, it preserves ionization as the direction of flow changes.A much more effective system of preserving ionization is square wave. Current isn't stopped, it only changes direction. With square wave, cathodic etching is much more effective. Syncrowave provided square wave. Now we want to control balance. No need to use so much of our effort to clean oxides. We now could use 70% of our trouble to weld, instead of the 50% we used to use. We see an evolution of features. In my youth TIG was a secret process. Probably it was known to people elsewhere, but here in rural VT it was rumor only. The only place it was done was General Electric, a defense contractor. One excuse for secrecy was National security, the other was denying competitors access to process secrets. These years later, it's common knowledge.Now a hobbyist can access all that is known. Manufacturers build machines for hobbyists.Last edited by Willie B; 8 Hours Ago at 07:09 PM.An optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.
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Originally Posted by John T

If you can find a good deal on a used Syncrowave 250 .... go for it.  If not,   HTP221 ALL THE WAY.    love mine.   I think you'd be hard pressed to to find anyone who didn't love theirs. Also,syncrowave vs HTP also depends on your Budget$ and how much garage floor space you have. If you get the dual voltage HTP, you can throw it in the car with a small bottle and plug it in anywhere....   syncro... not so much.
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Originally Posted by Willie B

Compare your 40 year old cell phone to what the market currently offers. I am openly prejudiced against Chinese imports. In my experience they aren't of good quality & they destroy the US economy. Ralph Smith ain't getting a weekly pay check for building a Chinese welder.
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Originally Posted by Willie B

Compare your 40 year old cell phone to what the market currently offers. I am openly prejudiced against Chinese imports. In my experience they aren't of good quality & they destroy the US economy. Ralph Smith ain't getting a weekly pay check for building a Chinese welder.