Stick and Tig Welder

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Hello, Can someone please tell me what's an affordable welder that does Stick and Tig? I am new to welding so I wanna learn with something that's not junk, but not the best, just something to get me going. Later down the road ill spend more. Figured someone here will point me in the right direction . Thanks Merry Christmas
Reply:Do you want to weld Al and if you do cost will go up. Check out some of the Thermal Arc products at cyberweld, they some really good deals right now.http://http://store.cyberweld.com/tharc201tsti.html
Reply:For some light welding and very reasonable price wise the everlast 140 st or even the PA 200, the Miller maxter series 140-150-200,  and the new thermal arc 180  has all three common processes( stick,tig and mig) these welders will be DC tig meaning you can only tig MS and SS. Also don't forget that most ac/dc transformer welders can also be set up as a dc tig welder, like the lincoln buzzbox, or miller thunderbolt/hobart stickmate lx is essentially the same welder. Transformer welders are pretty much bulletproof (primarily the older copper wound ones) Check out the videos by weldingweb member..... lanseAlso use the search function on the site and you will find TONS of info on welders....Last edited by DemonSpeeder; 12-24-2011 at 01:42 AM.Lincoln pro mig 180Lincoln Square Wave Tig 300/wp 20/home built water cooler Victor, Purox, Harris, O/A welding/cutting setupsVintage Craftsman drill pressVintage Craftsman/Atlas 12"x 36'' lathe7''x 12'' w/c band saw Everlast 140 st
Reply:As mentioned any DC constant current power source can be used to do basic scratch start tig. That means if you add a tig torch with gas valve similar to what Tozzi posted up in his thread on scratch start tig, you can do basic DC tig from any DC stick machine. If you can find a used machine, you can probably get set up for about $450-500 no problem and have a very nice DC stick machine that will do tig.Add a little bit more to the budget and you can probably find a nice dedicated Tig rig used in the $650-800 range if you look a bit on CL. Usually these are larger transformer machines like Zaps 330 AB/P. They are big, heavy and want a good bit of power, but often they are AC/DC tigs, come with a pedal that will make learning easier, occasionally even include a water cooled torch, and will probably last the average hobbyist his life.I'm personally hesitant to recommend one of the import units. There have just been too many bad ones and horror stories about bad customer support after the sale when problems occur. They have their place, but be warned in advance, that chances are if you do have problems down the road, it's a disposable machine and you probably will not easily be able to get it serviced like you can with name brand units. To me spending that sort of money on a gamble that if it dies you'll end up spending more money than a new mid range name brand would have cost you at the start isn't worth the risk. I got burned that route when I first got started years ago and learned the lesson the hard way..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:Look for an old Miller Dialarc or lincoln Idealarc,and don't be worried about age as they are essentially the same since the fifties or even earlier. These machines are work horses and can be found for $300-$600 or so. The two problems with these larger transformer machines is the size and they also need 60 amp or better breaker and wiring. But if you are doing general welding under say 150-180 amps,these machines will have about a 100% duty cycle, meaning you can weld continuous with out stopping and not burn up the machine.Lincoln pro mig 180Lincoln Square Wave Tig 300/wp 20/home built water cooler Victor, Purox, Harris, O/A welding/cutting setupsVintage Craftsman drill pressVintage Craftsman/Atlas 12"x 36'' lathe7''x 12'' w/c band saw Everlast 140 st
Reply:hi, heres something new that recently came out. http://www.weldersupply.com/productd...s&ID=9&pID=538I would look for a miller 180SD machine great for the money. Are there power issues ?? You will find out on all these sites that we will all have all kind of goodies for you to buy.Good luck and HAPPY HOLIDAYS! You should have placed it on your christmas list!