Finger tip or foot control on TIG?

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Hello my name is Brett I am new to the forum. I am looking to pickup a TIG welder in the next month and would like to hear your opinion on what would be best regarding controls Foot v.s finger.I have never TIG welded before (MIG for 12 years) so I don't have any experience on the pro's and con's of a foot control v.s. finger tip control... I would think its what ever you learned and are comfortable with...? But have read that you have better control with a foot setup...What do you prefer and why?What would be the best to learn with?I am looking at the Dynasty 200 DX.I will be welding (when I get good enough) suspension, chassis and other components you would design or find on rock/desert buggies. Material will include 4130 chrom, 1020, mild steel and 6061 T6 aluminum.Thank you in advance!Cheers,Brett
Reply:I have both on my 200dx.I use foot for production work. And finger for field work.If you know how to drive a car, getting used to a foot control is cinch.Weld like a "WELDOR", not a wel-"DERR" MillerDynasty700DX,Dynasty350DX4ea,Dynasty200DX,Li  ncolnSW200-2ea.,MillerMatic350P,MillerMatic200w/spoolgun,MKCobraMig260,Lincoln SP-170T,PlasmaCam/Hypertherm1250,HFProTig2ea,MigMax1ea.
Reply:You're talking about the Miller Dynasty 200DX, right?  Awesome machine!I happen to have both, but never use my finger control (an east-west wheel style).I found that I prefer the foot control, even when my foot's not on the ground.  Either under a knee, or between my knees, depending on my body position.  I just can't stand the hand control.  Some people like it.  It's not for me.  Now, if there were a trigger of sorts, that I could vary with one finger, then perhaps, but I cannot go from 0 to 100% in a single motion of the knob, and every time I fiddle with the knob, I'm unable to pay complete attention to the torch's movement.  BTW, check out the SSC Controls foot pedal.  Way better than anything Miller sells, and less money too.
Reply:I have both, & I only use the finger controls when absolutely needed.Foot pedal is the way to goBuy American, or don't whine when you end up on the bread line.
Reply:I've admittedly never used a hand control, but foot pedals are sweet. When you tig, you're hands are busy enough with the torch and your filler, and having your foot take over the amperage control seems like a good idea.[Account Abandoned 8/8/16 Please Do Not Attempt Contact Or Expect A Reply]. See you on YouTube! -ChuckE2009
Reply:SSC foot pedal for me... My dang hands shake enough already without something else for my fingers to fiddle with and make it worse    I also find if I have to weld when it's cold, my feet move better/smoother than my cold fingers, although thats not very often...Dynasty 200DXBobcat 250, TD Cutmaster 38 Hobart Stickmate AC/DC LXHobart 210 Mig / SpoolgunCentury Mig, O/A rigPress/Ring Roller/Tubing Roller/Hyd. Pipe BenderJD2 Notcher/IR 80gal 5hp compressorportaband/chopsaw/grinders/etc.
Reply:I got both and use the pedal more, but find myself out of position at times...this is when I use the fingertip control. X2 on SSC pedal.
Reply:Foot pedal here
Reply:The wheel style hand controls work best if you hold it in your filler metal hand. I prefer the push button for hand controls. Push it once, light arc to locate the area to weld, push it again for full amperage to weld. When done, push once to go back to a light arc and twice to shut off. I also hold the button in my filler metal hand. It seems like it is awkward but it is not too bad.CERTIFICATIONS:7018M- H.V.O10718M- H.V.O11018M- H.V.O9N10- H.V.O71T-1-HYM- H.O.V100S1 PULSE ARC 0,035- H.O.V100S1 PULSE ARC 0.045- H.O.VER70S-3 PULSE ARC 0.035 H.O.VER70S-3 PULSE ARC 0.045 H.O.VER5554- H.O.V
Reply:If your just starting, learn by practicing on aluminum. Here is whyhttp://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/...-training.htmlOn top of that, if you want to get good REALLY fast? Start with just a simple cheap on/off switch. Then graduate to variable amperage after you have mastered controlling the puddle with just the cooling effects of the filler and travel speed. Most will disagree with me, but its a more natural progression. MIG you only control the travel speed. The amps and filler are consistent. with my way you are only making one of those constants (filler) a variable. Then when you get good at that, make the last constant (amperage) a variable. Rather than diving in with a crazy foot. Thats why when newbs post pics of welds they are always hot/cold/hot/cold because they have no idea how much the cooling effects of the filler and travel speed effect the bead. They think its all in the foot. When i think controlling the amps is the least important variable. I hope I am making sense?Last edited by travisc454; 01-18-2012 at 01:30 AM.www.performancealuminumfabrication.com
Reply:Funny I was leaning towards the finger tip control (mostly because it emulates a MIG process). But I'm getting the picture that it is more of a specialty tool for particular situations... I think I will go with the foot control. This is all very good insight Thank you!!travisc454, I really like the idea and video from Tips and Tricks about maximizing hood time with aluminum thank you for pointing this out to me! I will also give the easing into it a try...
Reply:Originally Posted by weldingmachinei have both, & i only use the finger controls when absolutely needed.Foot pedal is the way to go
Reply:I have both. I also use the pedal more. I really only use the thumbwheel in a tight spot or when my feet aren't  steady.IW Local 580 NY, NY
Reply:I have used the footpedal. With my head, butt, knee, elbow with a 2 x 4 under my arm pit.
Reply:Originally Posted by Don BI have used the footpedal. With my head, butt, knee, elbow with a 2 x 4 under my arm pit.
Reply:I use the foot pedal the same ways as Don b.  We just got a new Syncrowave 250 with all the options plus a wireless foot pedal.  This is the coolest thing I've used.  It has a different rate or scale of current control than the standard foot pedal but it takes only one test weld to master.  It's light weight too so you can have it on your chest and operate it with your chin when under the race car.I've also done production welding with a micro switch start.  It is ok for this app but it is hard to not make craters at the end of the weld especially at the end of a plate or sheet.  there is a little technique to it I guess that you develope as you learn to use the thing.  I have one for the new SW ....still in the box where it most likely will stay for a long time.
Reply:Originally Posted by bentwings. . . I've also done production welding with a micro switch start.  It is ok for this app but it is hard to not make craters at the end of the weld especially at the end of a plate or sheet.  there is a little technique to it I guess that you develope as you learn to use the thing. . .
Reply:They both have their place. I use the pedal @ the bench & the thumbwheel under the boats etc.
Reply:Originally Posted by Old SkoolThey both have their place. I use the pedal @ the bench & the thumbwheel under the boats etc.
Reply:Originally Posted by Don BI have used the footpedal. With my head, butt, knee, elbow with a 2 x 4 under my arm pit.
Reply:Originally Posted by SJCI'll have to remember that.  I usually use my knee, back of the knee, or back of the thigh when in a tight spot.
Reply:Originally Posted by shovelonYou ever called the wife out to work the pedal in a pinch?
Reply:Originally Posted by SJCNo, I don't have welders at home just at the job.  But if I did she wouldn't do me any good.  She can't work the gas pedal in her car right.  Bugs the crap out of me.  She's on the gas, lets off, on the gas, lets off.  I asked her one time why she did that.  She said that's what you have to do to maintain the speed you want.  I tried to tell her you can hold it in the middle to do the same thing.  I could tell pretty quick it was a lost cause.
Reply:Started using the finger control on my new Longevity TigWeld 250 and have never tried the foot pedal. Have an old Miller 200 syncowave with the pedal only that I used for about 6 years. Have to say I am liking the finger control for most of what I do.From the desk of Kevin CaronTrying to be the best me I can!www.kevincaron.comAHP Alpha Tig 200x MillerMatic 251Miller Syncrowave 200
Reply:I have both on my Dynasty. For x-ray tube welding I will take a momentary finger button over a pedal hands down.Momentary button is very good if your machine has 4p settingsI friend has a thumb wheel o. His sycro that works very well ( not 4p. Just a ramp like a pedal )I must find out which one he has and get one. Moving the pedal around the shop can be a pain.G
Reply:If you have to chose one or the other go with the hand control. Some times there is no easy way to make a foot control work. I have done a lot of work on small planes and always use a hand control because of some of the positions you have get into. On a creeper under a boat or a vehicle i prefer a hand control. A foot control can be a pain because its one more thing you have move when you move. If most of your work will be on a bench then i would go with a foot control.
Reply:Ressurection...Request for consult::The Background:- Completed the Lincoln Electric GTAW Course (40hrs) in 2012.  MS, SS, Al (10gauge & 1/8" coupons)- TIG'd via a Lincoln Precision TIG 275, air-cooled torch, w/ Thoriated Tungsten - Limited TIG experience w/o "InstructorShip"The Existing TIG Equipment:  - USED Miller Dynasty 200DX w/ CoolMate 4.  Configured for 240v.  No "burn-in" test at this time.  Awaiting regulator & Ar gas.  Obtaining this week.- USED Radnor 20 Series TIG Torch, Model 25, 200Amp, Water-Cooled w/ Finger Control (Basic)- Leased 150 CF Ar Cylinder w/ Smith RegulatorThe Near-Term Matls/Projects:- 3' x 4' Welding n Fabrication Table (supplemented via MIG process)- Tools for WnF Table- FirePit a la design/fab posted by a WW TeamMate 'Tat2dHandz'- Al shelving and SS artwork, 1/8"-3/16" (supplemented w/ Hypertherm PowerMax 30)- CrMo Frame and Rolling Chassis for Electric Kart. Zooom!- Breader Reactor (Ha!)The Question:1.  Day 1 TIGn at home, use pedal -or- finger control for torch??  Planning to START via Pedal, and retain the existing hand-trigger rig for backup.  Hanger queen.  New buys.   Considering a) CK Worldwide's Water-Cooled 230Amp Flex-Loc Torch w/ 25' SuperFlex Cable (#FL2325SF), and b) SSC Control's Welding Foot Control (#C810-1425).2.  Learning curvesmoother by STARTING w/ Pedal and PROGRESSING w/ finger control??  Gut's telling me this is true.  Was able to "get" the start/end control of the pedal at Lincoln on mild steel, ss, and Al.  Driving a car w/ clutch makes operating a motorcyle w/ hand cluth, down the road, easier.  No??Thanks in advance to your feedback!
Reply:Test for Echo? Gearing up strike 1st arc with the DX200 this weekend. Will attempt to drive the finger control to begin the TIG journey. Pedal Control w/ Flex-Loc setup to be purchased when the money tree is unearthed...
Reply:when I first got my tig and was learning I was having a lot of trouble really getting the hang of the pedal. I would set my max amperage at what I thought was the max amperage of my weld and then try to modulate the pedal from there. well I always seemed to not really get it right and I thought that maybe a hand control would be better for me because the main difference is that the hand control maintains consistency, in other words when you move the hand control to lets say the 1/2 way mark and then let it go it stays just at that fixed point, instead of constantly hunting around and varying with the pedalafter I got the hand control I found out that while it is also a cool thing to have in certain situations it still wasn't the ultimate "fix" that I thought it would be, every time I varied the amperage I would inevitably wind up moving the torch slightly from where I would want it to be and the hand movement was counter productive to the precise welding I was trying to achieveI winded up going back to the foot pedal, BUT what I did now was, instead of lets say reducing my weld current to say 60 amps when my weld was dictating ~60 amps max, instead I would now just leave my machine cranked all the way up to 200 and then do all of my modulation through the pedal... this winded up being much better for me and by doing this it made the pedal feel like it had more resolution or more precision than setting it up with max pedal at 60 amps... with max pedal set to 60 amps every slight change in pedal position would make a larger change in amperage, where when the machine was set to all out, the pedal movements now became much less touchy... now a slight variation in pedal will only slightly vary the amps where before it was much more change of amps with slight change of pedal position. it was more linear and much easier to control. now just about always I leave the machine on kill and do all my modulation with the pedal and it has been much better for me and I now feel like I can control it well enough. of course technically the precision would naturally be higher with the amperage on the machine reduced, BUT that also means that I have to fully stroke the pedal all the way to max, and then come off from that when the weldment heated up, where with the machine set to kill I only have to press the pedal part way and since I was always floating in the range of the pedal it just worked much better for me rather than having to go full stroke, then back off from floored as I welded. for anyone having trouble with the pedal I would recommend practicing with the machine wide open and use the pedal to control the weld current, it's much easier to get the hang of it than if you set max amperage on the machine to just what you think you need... worked for me now I keep the hand control for only those times when I can't use the foot pedal, and even there I find that it works much better when the machine is set to much higher than you actually need even with the hand control, so for a 60 amp weld I only need to move the control about a quarter of the full stroke instead of having to go fully to the end of the stroke just to get to 60 amps.Last edited by turbocad6; 02-14-2013 at 06:53 PM.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:@ turbocad6 - Mahalo loa nui!  Check.  Set la machina to "kill" a la ZapSter and modulate via small movemments of the foot.  Makes sense.....and, in fact, that's how the Lincoln Welding School pros taught/showed me back in Dec'12.  Those cats would set to 275A for 11ga MS/SS/Al and modulate according to what the puddle was "telling" them as the weld progressed.  Perfect sense.Know for a fact that maintainig the proper  z-direction of the torch via a Pedal stomps the same via a Trigger Control.  Focus your hands on the torch and filler rod, and your feet on the pedal.  That's what leviathin drummers Bill Bruford (King Crimson, Yes) and Neil Peart (Rush) would do.  Ha!Ok, will source the SSC pedal and Flex-Loc when that money tree magically appears.  In the interim, will be sure to "set to kill" the trigger control and proceed w/ "eyes wide open".Appreciate your light-speed input.
Reply:The finger tip takes some practice i am trying but use to the foot controlMILLERMATIC 212 AUTOSETMILLER BOBCAT 250MILLER DIALARC HFMILLER 15A SPOOLGUNMILLER S32P WIRE FEEDERTHERMAL ARC 186 AC/DCPAKMASTER 100XL PLUS
Reply:I think you'll be buying both of them, they're both good, i do railling on a 4' X 20' table, when im working all arround the table and go back and forth to weld each part of a large railling, working with a pedal can be hard, even if you have enough wire, you have to carry the pedal each time!Pedal is good when you work on a chair at the same place!Calculator > Bevel Square
Reply:also just to add, if I'm doing a weld that may require very low amperage, like 20-25 amps, I may then turn the machine down, but I will still set the machine to at least triple what I think I really need, again for the same reasons given. good luck and happy practicing 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:Foot control. There is always a way to use the peddle. I have a brand new finger control torch in the box under my TIG. You want it?
Reply:Originally Posted by turbocad6also just to add, if I'm doing a weld that may require very low amperage, like 20-25 amps, I may then turn the machine down, but I will still set the machine to at least triple what I think I really need, again for the same reasons given. good luck and happy practicing
Reply:Ditto.  I keep at least 250A on tap at the peddle.  As to finger vs. foot:  best bang for the buck for me has been a foot control paired with a remote contactor button glued to the back of the torch head.  Like most folks, I drag the peddle l around with me and use most any part of my body to control it.  If I absolutely can't opperate the peddle, I plug in the button.  It's pretty rare, even doing chassis work.Syncrowave 300Maxtron 450, S-52E, 30A
Reply:Although the pedal is way easier, I try to force myself to master the finger control.  It takes much more time to learn, but i find myself in to many situations (on a ladder, under a machine etc) where you can't use a pedal.
Reply:@ Bill D, LayoutMan, TC6, VPT, Wendell, and Blackbart - a collective Mahalo for your diverse inputs and operational experiences with the foot & hand control TIG mode.Light 'em up
Reply:Originally Posted by blackbartAlthough the pedal is way easier, I try to force myself to master the finger control.  It takes much more time to learn, but i find myself in to many situations (on a ladder, under a machine etc) where you can't use a pedal.
Reply:Originally Posted by blackbartAlthough the pedal is way easier, I try to force myself to master the finger control.  It takes much more time to learn, but i find myself in to many situations (on a ladder, under a machine etc) where you can't use a pedal.
Reply:+1 to that. I've found myself in what others have called "an asinine, redneck Twister" with the pedal velcro'd to a surface or taped to my boot.I usually like the pedal for fine control, but I found the rotary "tank tread" that CK has, pretty useful for times when trying to use a pedal just got silly.+1 on the SSC pedal too. Very well built unit. The low profile style has really grown on me. You don't feel like you're trying to imitate cap'n MorganIf I had to pick one, it'd be the pedal. As VPT says, there's usually a way to make it work in in an odd spot.Last edited by Commodore8888; 02-16-2013 at 11:00 PM.HTP Invertig 221-DV -- get's dragged everywhere.Syncro 200 -- "The Boat Anchor" at the lab.Lincoln 125 MIG
Reply:I recently did a little weld sample at machine shop for an interview. I walked out to the shop and their welder had the Syncro set at max amps.... 450 amps showed on the digital display, I checked polarity...put on a hood and ran some beads on some SS parts their welder was working on. He asked me why "I didn't turn the amps down"??..I replied "that's what the peddle is for..right"... point is; unless I'm welding with scratch/lift start I usually set the amps way above what I may actually need to do the weld.... as far hand control goes.. I haven't tried one yet..but I do want to get one in the future...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