Looking for TIG for SS piping

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Hi,I am new to the forum and almost new to welding. I did some welding with ARC and MIG but have not tried TIG yet. For some reason ARC was easier for me event though everyone says that MIG is easy. I did build an exhaustsystem for one of my old cars a while ago using cheap ARC welder from searsand it came out ok but was not pretty and was not very air tightsome welds had pin holes in them I used alum. mild steel piping. Some time after I tried a MIG also bought from sears boght an argon tank and some argon but for some reason I could not get it to make nice welds and mostof them came out bad so I sold the MIG and the ARC welders.  Its been a few years and this time I want to try a TIG welder and SS piping. I am planning to weld pipes together and also weld pipes to 1/4 to 1/2 in. flanges. I was thinking of miller 150 STX since its small and runs on both 110 and 220V. But one of the guys suggested that I purchase on of thsoe cheaptig welders from harbor frieghts.http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=91811I am afraid to purchase a cheap welder again that would discourage me from welding because it produces cheap welds. Basically I am looking for something that can do thin SS with low to high ampsso I don't burn holes and something that can produce good results and tryto spend as less money as possible. My hobby is cars and welding; I workwith computers all day long and like to do some work with my hands once in awhile. Thanks in advance and your help is greatly appreciated.
Reply:Not to rain on your parade, but I don't care what welder you are using, you won't get the results you are looking for with the amount of time you put in on your welding. I agree on the idea of you getting the Miller Maxstar 150. I use it all the time. Just understand what I will try to explain to you: i use a Dynasy 200 about 2 times a week. For maybe 4-5hrs. a week of welding. Mostly on SS. I use a Maxstar for my repair work, and for my hobby stuff. To get good results with the Dynasty, it took me about 1.5 hrs on and off for steel. I still have issues with aluminum from time to time. For the Maxstar, with the thumb dial, it took me more than an 80Cu.ft. bottle to get it to the point where I trusted the welds with my life. That is over 12hrs non-stop tigging when you are on the ball. NOTE:I started tigging with the Maxstar, NOT the dynasty. My point??? You need to PRACTICE. And then, practice. If mig and stick give you hassles, tig will flip your lid! Good when it works, Great when you master it, a nightmare when it masters' you.....Just go in open minded, and very patient.
Reply:I understand it will take time I just want to know if it will make it easier forme to learn if I buy a complicated expensive machine or a cheap one dial machine. Maxter 150 can be purchased with remote control to be used withyour feet. One of the guys that I spoke to said it does not make a difference what tig welder you have as long as can tig you should be able to make gratewelds event with the cheap $200 dollar tig welder.
Reply:Sounds like with your MIG and stick welding, you started out trying to weld thin pipe that is not real easy to make nice welds on if you dont already know how to weld, got frustrated and quit before seeking training from someone who could help you learn how to adjust the machine, solve any setup issues there might have been like what kind of gas or what kind and size of wire or rod to use for your chosen material and some help on controlling the torch for better welds.  Welding skill doesn't happen overnight, it takes alot of practice and alot of mistakes will be made without someone there to teach you how.   Also, welding around a pipe is harder to learn than simply welding plate together sitting flat.  You should practice and learn flat plate t-fillet welds and butt welds before trying pipe.   But even before you practice welding stuff together, just practice running straight beads on flat plate so you get use to holding the torch steady, moving it at a constant speed, moving it smoothly in one direction so the weld comes out straight instead of squiggly or wandering about, holding it a constant distance and angle from the work to maintain a consistent arc length and gas coverage, altogether learning how to make beads that look uniform from beginning to end.   MIG is the easiest process to learn to make nice welds, with only one thing to control (the torch), 2 hands available to control it with and the machine depositing the filler for you.   Mig welding is like driving a car with an automatic tranny, once the settings are adjusted right and you learn how to control the torch, all thats needed is to pull the trigger and steer it where you want it to go, the machine does the rest.  This is probly why it's the most popular kind of welding with home hobbyists and why it pays the least for professionals: it takes the least skill to perform well and can be learned quickly by anyone, which also explains why my wallet isn't fatter (I'm a production MIG welder  ).TIG is the hardest to learn, with 2 hands a foot all doing something completely different at the same time that all have an effect on how the weld comes out.  Reminds me of circus juggling.  In my limited experience with TIG, I think of it like learning how to drive, on a stick shift, with a 13-speed high-low tranny, pulling a trailer, on a busy street, with narrow lanes...  There's alot of stuff going on at once!   I'm not trying to burst your bubble here but I think you might end up frustrated and quitting again if you try to jump into TIG pipe welding on thin material or thin pipes with thick flanges without general welding skills built up in other, easier processes, joint types and material thicknesses.   My advice is to get into a basic welding class with your local community college or high school adult vocational program and get some basic training and practice time and experience some confidence-building success in oxy-acetalyne and mig or stick welding and when you feel comfortable with that, then try TIG.   The beauty of going to a class like that is you get to use all sorts of cool machines without laying out a bunch of money to buy them all, and you might get a little instruction on how to use them too.   Going by my experience in this kinda class, you probly wont get much personal instructional time with the teacher, but you can ask questions and get together with other students and learn more, faster than you would at home alone in your garage trying to figure it out by yourself, plus the classes usually dont cost all that much if you're not trying to get a college credit for it.
Reply:I work full time so I can not take any classes. Do not needcredits already have 180 credits and two degrees. I used $140 dollar ARCwelder to atach plates and do but joints and they all came out ok. WhenI had to join pipes together it was a different story, if it got to hot I wouldmak a hole and would need to patch it when it was starting out it would becold and would get bad penetration. With MIG it was the same problem firsttoo cold and then too hot. I think TIG would be the best choice since I wouldbe able to control the heat. First heat it up and then add filler as needed welding pipes is much harder then welding plates. I took the pipes ones to a welder with 15years of experience and he did a crappy job almost as bad as mine. He tried using both ARC and MIG he was a general welder. The are also welders who create perfect welds in SS or aluminum pipes and they lookexcelent good penetration not too hot not too cold and clean. That is whatI need and I am looking for easiest welder to learn on without spending toomuch cash and also any videos of tig welding. Also I think its much easier to drive stick than automatic especialy on twisty roads. In a slow streight line andtrafic I would choose and automatic, otherwiese its a 6spd for me.Last edited by leogsx97; 11-17-2006 at 01:12 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by leogsx97I understand it will take time I just want to know if it will make it easier forme to learn if I buy a complicated expensive machine or a cheap one dial machine. Maxter 150 can be purchased with remote control to be used withyour feet. One of the guys that I spoke to said it does not make a difference what tig welder you have as long as can tig you should be able to make gratewelds event with the cheap $200 dollar tig welder.