miller thunderbolt ac dc

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i got the tig set up i was wondering if i can do alum and do i use only argon or what kind of gasLast edited by rcdriver55; 10-06-2010 at 02:33 PM.Reason: misspelled
Reply:Yes with a lot of conditions. DCEN requires Helium and it is different from what you have experienced in the past. AC can be used with the addition of a high frequency unit, which probably costs as much as your Thunderbolt. Believe it or not thin aluminum can be welded on DCEP, but you have to use a large tungsten i.e. 16 ga aluminum would require you use an 1/8" Tungsten (Pure-green Band). Remember your Thunderbolt is a fine light duty unit so watch your duty cycle/amperage in all cases. It is much easier to TIG weld aluminum with either a foot or handle amperage control so as the aluminum heats up you can start decreasing your amperage.
Reply:Technically yes, but in reality it's not going to work. DC alum tig with only very rudimentery controls at best will not be fun or productive. AC alum tig is tough enough even with the right equipment. DC is even harder. I'd suggest a trip to the doc 1st for bloodpressure meds and some heavy tranquilizers to help you deal with the frustration. Wear a padded helmet for when you beat your head on the walls in frustration and keep all the sharp knives locked up. Adding a HF unit won't gain you much either and cost more than a good used dedicated tig most likely.That machine will do a fair job on DC tig for steel and stainless. It will be harder to learn on than with a dedicated tig machine, with no pedal and only coarse curent adjustments. Lots of things have been done with a basic scratch start tig in DC so thats certainly doable..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:thank you i was just wondering i just got this and i had no clue
Reply:Best way to weld aluminum with that machine is sell it and replace with a Syncrowave, Dialarc HF, Idealarc, Aircrafter, or any other ac/dc/hf TIG machine, with foot pedal.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op