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Was going to do some custom work on some tanks, but wanted to see what type of arc welder to buy. I have a stick welder right now, but my understanding is that's not the best for stainless steel welding and welding thinner metals - which is exactly what I'm looking to do. I've heard MIG's are sufficient, but the for the best welds, a TIG is recommended. I don't suppose someone could recommend a good brand, or one that they've had success with. My main concern with stainless is that we could be dealing with some pretty thin metal, which could lead to the metals warping. This would just be for a simple pilot system I am looking to put together. Nothing too serious. I've always been a tinkerer, and with 6 months worth of time to fill, so any self fabricators that can point me in the right direction or offer some tips on building your own system, that would be cool. I'm looking at doing a 2 BBL system.
Reply:Dc tig machine and lots of practiceBacked my CATMA over your CARMA oops clusmy me What would SATAN do ?? Miller Trailblazer 302 AirPakMiller Digital Elite Optrel Welding HatArcair K4000Suitcase 12RC / 12 VSHypertherm PM-45Rage 3 sawRusty old Truck
Reply:Originally Posted by killdozerd11Dc tig machine and lots of practice
Reply:AC is for aluminium, what sort of stick machine do you have? Most of em are practically the same power source as tig so you may get by with just buying the tig torch!
Reply:DC tig is for steel and stainless, AC tig is for alum. AC tigs usually tend to jump the price up fairly high.You will want to have a tig with remote capabilities so you can use a pedal for amp control, especially if working on really thin material with limited skills.You want to look for a good name brand unit, Miller, Lincoln, Thermal Arc / Tweeco come to mind as top runners. Avoid cheap import units. Hobart only has one tig unit that they offer and while it's not a bad machine, it's somewhat limiting. Used, Miller Syncrowave 180's, 200's and 250's are nice machines for someone starting out. They do both AC and DC tig and have a decent set of power and functions. Plenty of other older options as well. In inverter tigs, a Miller Maxstar 150 or 200, or a Dynasty would all be good options, but fairly expensive. Used expect to drop $1200-1600 roughly for machine and cylinder on the low end. A nice used Syncro 200 will set you back $1000-1300 and expect to spend another $100-300 for cylinder, plus misc things like filler gas lens, tungsten and so on. Then plan to lay out a fair amount in gas, rod and practice materials. New figure the above price as a minimum and go up depending on the machine, adding pedal, cylinder, torch parts and tungsten etc to that as well. $2K to $2500+ wouldn't surprise me even for an "inexpensive machine" like a TA 201 or Maxstar 150 STL. Lower priced tigs often don't allow the use of a pedal, so I'm not including those. When you get to stainless, you'll need a 2nd cylinder and reg for back gassing as well, so add that to your budget also. Figure another $200-300 minimum depending on the size of the cylinder and if you can locate a used one.A few things Stainless takes a bit to learn to weld. Also stainless needs to be protected from the atmosphere on both sides or you get "sugaring", a bumpy black looking mess that ruins the stainless and can collect bacteria as well as ruin the rust resistance of stainless. ( oversimplified but there's plenty already posted on sugaring and the need to back gas stainless posted if you search here). You can also use Solar Flux to protect the back side of the stainless, but you need access to the back of the weld to remove it when done, so it's not useable in all situations.Tig in general takes a fair amount of time to master. You have control over every aspect of the process, so it takes a lot more work to learn even the basics. Once you master the basics, you can move on to thin material. Heat control becomes more critical the thinner the material is and you really need to be at the point where you do it all instinctively. I'd say you have several hundred hours of good practice ahead of you if you want to do sanitary welds on thin stainless.I'd strongly suggest you look for a class at a local tech school to help you learn the basics if you want to get anywhere in a timely fashion. Right now I have a tig student at the tech school who is in his 2nd tig class. The 1st 48 hour class he barely got thru lap joints on 1/8". That's fairly typical. He's now working his way thru the other joints in the flat position slowly. He's a long ways from even starting stainless, tubing or thin material, even with his own machine to practice on. 6 months of time will be barely adequate even if you really apply yourself and practice all the time..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:I want to say the welder I have is Chicago Electric? One of the cheap knockoffs I got used on craigslist to just get started. Actually doesn't work too bad.DSW...thanks for all the info. Very informative Last edited by jdlev; 01-31-2014 at 12:13 PM.
Reply:http://charlotte.craigslist.org/tls/4311635299.htmlEd Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:HA! Sent that guy an email last night Broc ...and just now checked my email...it was sold
Reply:Originally Posted by jdlevHA! Sent that guy an email last night Broc ...and just now checked my email...it was sold |
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发表于 2021-8-31 23:21:20