tig welder for beginner,only need to weld thin stuff.

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1st off i have never used a tig and do not know a super lot about them, thats why im here.i will only be using this for thinner stuff, mostly turbo related,automotive related stuff, 1/8 and under, thinner walled pipe and sch 40 pipe at the biggest.i do not need to do alum. all thou it would be nice.so my ? is should i just pick up a cheap harbour freight one, small thermal arc or a maxstar 150 stl.i only put the maxstar in there cause i have a chance to get one, for what i think is a decent price.i can pick up a used maxstar 150stl for 550.00,it Comes with everything to start tigging  and with a full bottle of aragon gas, gauge, gas line, Tungsten rods, 2 boxes of stainless steel rods and 1 box of alloy rods, service manual, and welding guide.what do you guys think?
Reply:sounds like a good deal, no allie, go get it...
Reply:def sounds like a score if everythings ok with it, I'd say grab it...miller 330a bp TIGmiller dynasty 200DX TIGmillermatic 185 MIGthermal dynamics cutmaster 101 plasma cuttersnap-on YA5550 plasma cutterhypertherm powermax 30 plasma cutterbaileigh CS225 cold sawetc....
Reply:If you can get the Maxstar, get it. Much nicer machine and a ton easier to use on thin material than the HF unit..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:Get the maxstar thats a smokin price for it. You won't regret it at all.Ya gotta spend money to make money!
Reply:Forget the HF units.  Go for the maxstar and dont look back!A few of my toys !LinuxMintManjaroMiller Roughneck 2E Lincoln WeldPak 100HTP MTS 160 Chicago Electric 80amp Inverter   Victor O/A
Reply:well guys the welder got sold on me, i told the guy i could pick it up friday, cause he was 1hr away from me, but someone came and got it today.so  now my ? is will the chicago electric 80amp inverter get the job done, i can get a new one with the tig torch for 150ish.so will this welder get me to make some super pretty welds on thin stuff, with enough practice and if i have enough skill,,/// o.k. lets say i was a experianced tig welder and i had this machine, would i be able to lay some nice/sharp looking welds?
Reply:Define experienced... I can think of several top notch tig welders here who could make it work, but none of them would probably touch a machine like that. Why make you job any more difficult than it has to be? Can it be done, yes. Will it be significantly harder to do a great job? Most definitely. When you start dealing with "thin" material being able to adjust your heat with a pedal or remote becomes more critical. If you don't have one, you have to adjust your arc length and speed to control the puddle. Not impossible on thin stuff, but the difficulty goes up exponentially the thinner you go..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:HTP makes a 130 amp tig which may fit your requirements.  It's dc only, so generally speaking, aluminum is out.  But it's under 700 with lift start and under 900 with high frequency start.  Thermal arc makes a 95 amp welder that's around 400, but I don't know if that includes a reg or foot pedal.  Just some thoughts,Rene
Reply:Originally Posted by ryan1well guys the welder got sold on me, i told the guy i could pick it up friday, cause he was 1hr away from me, but someone came and got it today.so  now my ? is will the chicago electric 80amp inverter get the job done, i can get a new one with the tig torch for 150ish.so will this welder get me to make some super pretty welds on thin stuff, with enough practice and if i have enough skill,,/// o.k. lets say i was a experianced tig welder and i had this machine, would i be able to lay some nice/sharp looking welds?
Reply:will the Thermal arc 95s inverter put me in the same boat?
Reply:Originally Posted by ryan1will the Thermal arc 95s inverter put me in the same boat?
Reply:has anyone had luck with adding a foot pedal to any of these cheaper machines?i seen a few guys have done it with all different kinds of pedals, but never really seen some welds after the mod. for a pedal.
Reply:I am interested in something similar. But I want to be able to weld aluminum. I have used a lincoln machine unknown model number that I figured for someone to prior never using it worked good for me. I mainly did exhaust components and some stainless pipe for some guys squirt guns for his pool.I would like a good value but also versatile. I have seen some tig/plasma machines etc. So what should I look for as far as specs and understanding the good from the bad at a glance. Thanks for you responses
Reply:bringing back a old post, never did get a tig, but looking again.any thoughts on this???, all i want it for is thin stuff.http://www.harborfreight.com/240-vol...der-66787.htmlharbour freight part number  66787i can get this welder for a 160.00i will add this foot pedal mod toohttp://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=34235also all i think i need is a bottle,reg,and cord to get started right??
Reply:Why not save your money and find a good deal on a used model that will suit your needs? Instead of dropping coin on something that most likely won't work for what you need.JoeMiller 140 Autoset (2010)Miller Syncrowave 250 (1996)
Reply:It should work for 1/8", but will probably be at the edge... you're not going to have many amps left... assuming one amp per .001" so .125 would take 125 of the 130 amps available.Normally I suggest steering clear of the extended protection plans, but in this case, I think it might be prudent to get it.The gas cylinder and flowmeter could easily double the 160 unless you score a good deal somewhere on both.  arc-zone has a nice flowmeter for 43(+s/h?)  http://www.arc-zone.com/index.php?ma...oducts_id=7950  You might be able to get a cylinder off of craigslist.  You might also need some plumbing to connect the flowmeter to the machine.  It may or may not be cheap/easy.. they oft use those laughable junk special expensive hose fittings rather than something common.... the kind of garbage your local gas pusher has to order rather than something you can pickup at a hardware store.There is a huge tradeoff between gas cylinder cost to buy and cost to fill vs how long it will run for.  You're going to want about 15 cfh coming out, and an 80cf will only last for 5 hours of arc time.... maybe seem like a lot, but you will be shocked how fast it goes.. then off to plunk down another $30 and plenty time in the car to go over the cost numbers again.  There is only a small difference in cost to fill between the smallest and largest as compared to how much longer the largest will run for.You will also need tungsten.  You'll use a lot of it when learning (2+ sticks).  You will be fine with 1/16" tungsten.3shop river has good stuff.http://myworld.ebay.com/3shop-river/diamond ground also has a good reputation.http://www.diamondground.com/LA2-116.htmlI recommend using 2% Lanthanated, ground lengthwise to a point.You will also need a probably dedicated grinding wheel for the angle grinder to sharpen the tungsten.Check out http://www.youtube.com/user/weldingtipsandtricks for a lot of good welding videos.  You will learn a lot."Great spirits have always encountered violent oppostion from mediocre minds."  --  Albert Einstein
Reply:Tungstens should not be a budget problem for him.  If he's only doing thin work, he can get a 10-pack of 1/16th for $9 from HTP.  That will last him a long time.http://www.usaweld.com/Tungsten-s/59.htm   You also need a helmet that will sense a low-amp DC inverter arc.  Not all of them do, including many cheap ones.__David Hillman
Reply:HTP has a 150 amp machine on clearance right now, looks like a good deal, and I've heard good things about the quality of their machines. I can vouch for the quality of their tungstens and consumables. Work great at a great price. You'll need a 220 outlet, this doesn't do 110 like the Miller.....http://www.ebay.com/itm/HTP-Invertig...item27bf62e6beProud to support Reliable Sheet Metal Works, in Fullerton, CA.Full service sheet metal fabrication serving Orange County since 1926.http://www.reliablesheetmetal.com
Reply:This harbor freight AD hood seems to be well regarded.http://www.harborfreight.com/blue-fl...met-91214.htmlI have one.  I really like it, and it works with my inverter down to the lowest amp setting.. about 5 amps."Great spirits have always encountered violent oppostion from mediocre minds."  --  Albert Einstein
Reply:My son has a HF AD and it works pretty well...better than my Miller.  The only thing is the head gear sucks IMHO.  It's new and it already slips and won't stay tight.
Reply:The issue is if your trying to do automotive stuff most likely you will need to run some thin aluminum so youd need an ac dc machine.. If you dont need to weld aluminum then you should go with the max star for sure.. Or maybe look into a small diversion as well... Dont even think about getting a HF welder, though I will say someone got me a HF auto darkening hood and it is pretty nice for the priceHTP Invertig 201Lincoln Idealarc SP250Miller 180 AC StickBy farmall:They should have held the seagull closer to the work, squeezing evenly for best deposition.
Reply:I find with HF stuff, you need to pick and choose your battles.   The mask is probably an awesome deal... a welder you will most likely use once or twice and then never even want to look at again?  I don't know. Not worth it to me.  I bought a Clarke MIG 130EN welder a while back... nice for some things but I could never get the thing to run a decent bead.  Bought my Miller and it was a 100% difference.  Not sure why, but I chalked it up to live and learn.  If there is something you really want, then you will work for it and in due time you will attain it.JoeMiller 140 Autoset (2010)Miller Syncrowave 250 (1996)
Reply:Take a welding course at the CC (one that includes an intro to tig) and you'll find out pretty quickly what those basic tig features (HF start, remote control, etc) do for you.Trying to "learn to tig weld" with a machine not designed for tig will be an exercise in futility.  You keep mentioning that all you want to do is thin material.  Actually, in most cases, that's more difficult than the thicker stuff.  I generally start my guys on 1/8" and work down as their skill level increases.Tig welding takes a committment on one's part, both in equipment purchase and the time spent developing the skills.  Frankly, from your posts, you lack both.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:I spent $700 on a 120 hour welding class.  I knew nothing about TIG and really not much about any other welding.  I could make stuff stick together before but now I feel pretty confident when welding no matter if it's TIG, MIG or Stick.  And I learned to weld Aluminum which I would think might be important with Turbo/Supercharger related things!?And I agree... TIG welding is something you learn over time, not just go buy a TIG machine and BAM your a welder.  It's tricky, and the thinner you go the harder it is.well since no one really likes the idea of a cheap tig for a newbie to tig welding, how about something in the 1,200 range.what would you guys recommend????
Reply:Originally Posted by ryan1well since no one really likes the idea of a cheap tig for a newbie to tig welding, how about something in the 1,200 range.what would you guys recommend????
Reply:If you are going to do turbo stuff, you will have to be able to do aluminum.  Most of your hot side parts will be stainless, but your cold side will be almost exclusively aluminum.
Reply:http://store.cyberweld.com/tharc16tiwep.htmlAlso at cyberweld you can find the TA 161 stl for $650 and can buy a foot control for $200 or less.
Reply:I have a Lincoln 175 squarewave.  It's a great beginner welder without all the extra adjustment.  It does have and auto adjust on AC which works quite well.I have used it for production welding, contract welding and at home.Today was a good example of what I do with it.I started off with some 4130 moly tubing on the funncar chassis,  then welded some copper fittings and flat stock.  Later I did 2 different aluminum alloys, and a go kart chassis made out of mild steel.They are very good welders.  Mine is 10 years old and runs great.  Even my 12k generator runs it.Check one out
Reply:I bought an Everlast 250EX ac/dc TIG with watercooled torch and foot pedal included for close to your $1200 budget.  It has so many controls....pulse settings, HF start, Scratch start, up slope, down slope....etc.   This is a great little welder and I love how smooth the arc is.  I had a Miller Maxstar STL befor this but sold it.  I needed the AC for Aluminum and I think made a good choice!!