foot control or hand control for tig

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i am looking for my first tig welder. i have never tig welded ,should i get foot control or hand control? thanks
Reply:Foot....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:foot pedal is by far the standard but hand controls are ideal for certain situations where it's hard to operate a pedal, like when your on a ladder or in the hole
Reply:Like you I 'm just learning to TIG weld. I bought an HTP Invertig with foot pedal and then a few months later I bought their water cooler and at the same time a hand control. I find that as a beginner it is much easier to use the foot control than the hand control. Maybe later once I've become more adept then I will try and start using the hand control again. At least that is my opinion.Harold MulderMiller 211 AutosetHTP 201 Invertig with water coolerHardinge Cataract Quick Change Lathe
Reply:When I bought my Thermal Arc, all I had ever used was a foot pedal, but I thought I would like a hand control better, so I got the hand control instead of the pedal.  After trying and trying to get down the skill of using the hand control and to no avail, I went back and bought a foot pedal and that's all I've been using since.  Once in a while I mess with the hand control, get frustrated and plug the foot pedal back in.  I suppose someone who is good at playing guitar would do well with hand control.  I don't have that skill.If you don't truly need the hand control for doing on-site work in tight areas or awkward body positions, on a ladder, etc, the foot pedal is by far the better choice, unless you just really love the hand control and are good at operating it.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:cowski,if this is your first TIG power supply that implies you're not very familiar with TIG welding and there will be a lot of things to do with your hands -besides using a slider or pot to control the welds' amperage. Using your foot to control heat is probably simpler way to weld when you're starting out and unless you change the welding conditions you may not ever need hand controls?Also you're probably welding on items that are "on the bench" fixed items that you can move around and weld on- as opposed to climbing into/onto like vehicles of different types?  Again, the foot control, reduces the number of tasks your hands have to manage- but if you have to start walking or climbing around the work (?) then; its almost impossible to use a pedal any more.So until you need to move while welding or move a yard or more between welds (if you ever do have those conditions?) the pedal reduces the hand work -which will be plenty busy- needed to get 'your hand in' and learn to TIG weld.I learned with all hand controls because I was using the pedal foot to run a positioner (rotary table) for the TIG welds I started with, when not using the positioner I was on or in a boat, so again the pedal was not very portable.  I'm just pointing out that the circumstances of your work could make a difference in your choice - but 'unloading your hands' from heat control, while learning, is likely the easiest way to learn.Cheers,Kevin Morin
Reply:I have never used a hand control..Nor do I want to..But if you only have a pedal ...Yeah they are the way to go when sitting down at your bench..Can't get any better..If you chose the pedal get REAL comfortable with it sitting down..Think of it as your throttle pedal in your car/truck...It does the same thing..But LEARN TO USE BOTH FEET!!!!You'll need it.Sometimes you may find yourself in situations where..Well... No chair allowed..Then you learn to push it down with your knees..Side of your leg..That sort of stuff...This foot That foot..This knee...When you get all tangled up in a rollcage project you do what you must..I have used my a$$ at times underneeth stuff..Kills your legs though...Practice and have fun mostly..Think of it as a body challenge..You'd be amazed at how many can't do it.....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsterSometimes you may find yourself in situations where..Well... No chair allowed..Then you learn to push it down with your knees..Side of your leg..That sort of stuff...This foot That foot..This knee...When you get all tangled up in a rollcage project you do what you must...zap!
Reply:Delete double post
Reply:wrong buttonLast edited by Kevin Morin; 09-25-2010 at 02:25 PM.Reason: dual post
Reply:zapster,I think all the Tuna tower TIG guys down south and I'm sure of all the free hand pipe guys in our neck of the woods; use handle mounted controls- some slider advocates and some roller wheel advocates.I'm not enough of a welder anymore to make the contortions needed to work a pedal while I bend over a pipe rail teetering on a frame in a boat.  Its not any more work to learn to roll a wheel or slide a tab on the torch than to control your stern up and down with your legs as you weld!  In fact, given the wt of my stern these old legs would get a whole lot more tired than my finger or thumb rolling a little heat control pot instead of hoisting my full displacement carcass up and down to control the heat!Once a welder has to pick up the pedal or control it with some limb or body part other than a relaxed foot; it's time to move the controls up to the hands in my thinking.Cheers,Kevin Morin
Reply:Originally Posted by KGIORZap,In those situations do you set the amps as close as possible to for that material so that the pedal has less range and is running at or close to all the way down so that you are not trying to finesse it in the middle of the rang?Ken
Reply:Originally Posted by Kevin Morinzapster,I think all the Tuna tower TIG guys down south and I'm sure of all the free hand pipe guys in our neck of the woods; use handle mounted controls- some slider advocates and some roller wheel advocates.I'm not enough of a welder anymore to make the contortions needed to work a pedal while I bend over a pipe rail teetering on a frame in a boat.  Its not any more work to learn to roll a wheel or slide a tab on the torch than to control your stern up and down with your legs as you weld!  In fact, given the wt of my stern these old legs would get a whole lot more tired than my finger or thumb rolling a little heat control pot instead of hoisting my full displacement carcass up and down to control the heat!Once a welder has to pick up the pedal or control it with some limb or body part other than a relaxed foot; it's time to move the controls up to the hands in my thinking.Cheers,Kevin Morin
Reply:If you have never used a foot control or hand control I'd recomend getting a hand control first. It's really easy to learn to use a foot pedal after a hand control, but not the other way around. I learned with a foot control first, but when i got my own welder it came with a hand control and it was really frustrating, but since I had no choice, I learned, and I have not gone back. It also depends on what and where you will be welding, if you want to be mobile definetly a hand control, if you will be exclusivly on the bench then the foot control is better.Also, if you are going to try to do professional work right away, go with the pedal. If you've got some time to practice first go hand control.Last edited by fortyonethirty; 09-27-2010 at 05:56 PM.Ian TannerKawasaki KX450 and many other fine tools
Reply:I have done more tig with no control then with but i would have to say foot pedal. Altho the tig i used at work has a hand control whitch is the type that is ment for your thumb (its a slider type) i hate using it and could not get used to it. I used a foot pedal before too, but not much, but i say foot pedal is the way to go, well at least for the shop/bench.Ya gotta spend money to make money!
Reply:I have both a foot pedal and a handheld control.  I use the foot pedal most of the time when welding on a table, but use the handheld when I can't position the foot pedal in a way I can reach easily, such as is usually the case when working away from the table.Electronics Engineer (embedded controls)Miller 200DX w/ Coolmate 3Thermal Dynamics 82 plasma cutterGrizzly G0678 8x30 millPM1440BV 14x40 latheHF 6x12 surface grinder
Reply:Guys working in the field don't have the option of foot pedals, and many don't use sliders.  They have to fix the voltage and stay with it.Some welding schools teach how to DC tig first, before AC using xmt's or some other DC power source.  They don't often provide remote controls of any type  to do so.  It keeps new students that aren't coordinated from worrying about the foot part and getting the focus off hand technique, and helps them concentrate on puddle development and control through technique.  Many of our customers take on everything at one time.  I just have them to cut out the pedal and the pulse and anything else that distracts them from the weld puddle and technique.  Usually they call me up and tell me it worked.I use a foot pedal, but its only about 50% of the time, depending upon what I am doing. If I have to drag a foot pedal around the shop, it just gets in the way.  I leave it at the work station.Esab Migmaster 250Lincoln SA 200Lincoln Ranger 8Smith Oxy Fuel setupEverlast PowerPlasma 80Everlast Power iMIG 160Everlast Power iMIG 205 Everlast Power iMIG 140EEverlast PowerARC 300Everlast PowerARC 140STEverlast PowerTIG 255EXT
Reply:With an advanced welder with pulse, you can mitigate the button issue with the pulse a bit. 4130 has a great point; though frustrating to learn with a button or rheostat, when you get the foot pedal, it's like a gift from heaven. I use 1 welder with pulse, and do aluminum towers with it. It's nice, bzzzZAPbbzzzZAPbzzZAPbzzZAP. I am using a slow pulse with it..... 1/2 PPS.And then, after so much work...... you have it in your hand, and you look over to your side...... and the runner has run off. Leaving you holding the prize, wondering when the runner will return.
Reply:i have never used a hand controll, but that being said, i have never found a circumstance where i couldnt use a foot control...on a ladder, check, on my back under an oxidizer welding over head, check...i placed it under the back of my knee.  sitting indian style check.  using a foot pedal was a little sketch and a balancing act, but it did work.  and if you are in some crazy position where you cant use the foot pedal yourself, you can always have a buddy work it...i have done that too, just expect to move slower than usual so as to not have your friend bump the heat too high too quick
Reply:how about no heat control? When doing tig roots on pipe learn to use your filler / travel speed /  and pipe as means of heat control. Any pipe ive done at our coal fired generating station in the boiler has all been preset at the welder. Only control on the torch is the gas valve. Also when were doing our high pressure tests we arent allowed any controls at all to simulate a real life scenerio.
Reply:funny I've been thinking of getting a hand control because I'm just having a lot of trouble with getting the coordination down with the foot pedal... at first I tried it just standing up, but that don't work so well for me so then I tried with a stool, a bit better but still not great for me... I have a question about the hand controls that I'm hoping some can answer... I'm assuming you would use scratch start & I'm assuming that the hand control stays at a fixed position until you move it?, it that the case or is it spring loaded like a trigger?  in other words can the hand control just be set at a fixed spot & then only tweaked as necessary or does it also need to be throttled continuously in use?
Reply:Originally Posted by turbocad6funny I've been thinking of getting a hand control because I'm just having a lot of trouble with getting the coordination down with the foot pedal... at first I tried it just standing up, but that don't work so well for me so then I tried with a stool, a bit better but still not great for me... I have a question about the hand controls that I'm hoping some can answer... I'm assuming you would use scratch start & I'm assuming that the hand control stays at a fixed position until you move it?, it that the case or is it spring loaded like a trigger?  in other words can the hand control just be set at a fixed spot & then only tweaked as necessary or does it also need to be throttled continuously in use?
Reply:I've got a dynasty 200dx. I'm even considering just trying to program it for just a trigger start with a profile that has a hotter start, then a drop off to a mid range & holding it, then on trigger release ramp it down, I think this machine can do that but I haven't tried yet, maybe fine tuning the settings & learning to do it like this without the pedal control at all... I am using it hf pulse, I kinda like the penetration & narrow heat zone of 500pps but still playing with freq.on aluminum the pedal is fine for me I think, but when I try to do 1 1/4" schedule 10 back purged stainless pipe & the pedal just isn't doing it for me even while sitting at a table with a stool, I'm trying to get as close as I can to x ray weld quality with full penetration without overheating it. . when you say just a button what do you mean? I'd like to be able to try just adjusting a knob to ~3/4 or so, then as my weld warms up just ease it back a little & continue,  pedals just not precise enough for me, either that or maybe I still just need a lot more practice, I'm just not feeling it well with the pedal & think I would like to try something on the torch but not sure how these work.
Reply:I use a foot control whenever possible, but the hand control is nice when you're around a lot, or are welding from a kneeling or prone position.
Reply:how does hand control work? does it just stay at the set point or is it spring loaded return like a pedal?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....I use a pedal or a finger button as my tig has a 4t setting. Works better than a north/ south sorta thing. If your machine has that function.G
Reply:Originally Posted by turbocad6how does hand control work? does it just stay at the set point or is it spring loaded return like a pedal?
Reply:thank you, think I'm going to pick one up to play with 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:Originally Posted by forhireI have a ck worlwide and it is not spring loaded. The range of motion is about 3/4 of an inch. You have the full range within that short movement from off to full. It does take some getting use to. The hardest for me was learning to pull it all the way off then done... I subconsciously expected it to snap off if I lifted my thumb
Reply:Originally Posted by forhireI have a ck worlwide and it is not spring loaded. The range of motion is about 3/4 of an inch. You have the full range within that short movement from off to full.
Reply:Originally Posted by DesertRider333/4" you say?  This got me to thinking.  I knew mine felt a lot longer than that, so I went out and measured it just now.  Mine mesures at 1-1/4" range of motion.  Maybe my control is older than yours?  Is yours the one that is built into the torch handle, or is it the separate one that clips or vel-cros to the handle?  I bought mine in 2006, I think, and it is built into the handle.  If mine was only 3/4" travel length and had a spring return, I think I would be able to use it effectively without crashing the torch about.If my Thermal Arc was a 300 instead of a 185, maybe I could use the 1-1/4" travel length most of the time and just not slide it all the way full on.  With a 185 machine, I max it out all the time.
Reply:Oh ok.  Mine is the slide control.  I've not tried the rubber band one you have there.  Is it easier to use than the slide or thumb wheel styles?MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Originally Posted by DesertRider33Oh ok.  Mine is the slide control.  I've not tried the rubber band one you have there.  Is it easier to use than the slide or thumb wheel styles?
Reply:I prefer the foot pedal. It is definitely all about preference. I would say if you can find a way to try both to see what you like better do that. Even in situations where a foot pedal wouldn't be "ideal" I have found ways to use them simply because I like the control I have in range of motion and because my foot is already used to being in control of the current flow.Weld Instructor
Reply:I just got my hand control yesterday & wow, for me it's so much better than the pedal. don't know if it's just me or what but I was having trouble keeping a stable consistent adjustment with the pedal & always winded up either backing off or stepping down inadvertently & just never felt natural. from the minute I started using the finger control I was like ahhh, this is more like it. the best part about it to me is it stays set exactly where it's set until I purposely move it, so I start out at full, then back off a bit as it heats up & then can just maintain that consistent adjustment without wandering up or down.as far as trouble using it on the torch I'm having none at all. I just grab the torch & then lft my pointer finger to adjust it. I mounted it sideways with the track facing up & I can push it from off to full without wavering any at the torch at all, works great for me I think. I got the same one that forhire showed. the travel is right inbetween 3/4" & 7/8ths, it's actually 13/16ths  of travel. only have it a day & I love this thing, doubt I'll ever want to even use the pedal now 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....