Tig welder??

[brian64x]

I am in the market for a TIG welder, but I am unsure what one to get. I have logged countless hours at the controls of an older Miller Syncrowave but I really know very little about the welder itself. I will be using the welder for small projects in a machine shop I am building in my garage. Welding up to 3/8" aluminum and steel. Mostly it will be used for welding up twisted off bolts in cyl heads and ex manifolds then welding on a nut and turning out, building brackets and mounts for various things...ect. Definitely will want a water cooled torch and foot control. I don't really have a $$ amount in mind but, I don't want a POS that I will have to replace in a few years either. Any suggestions from those of you who use/own a TIG?

 

[cav has been]

Re: Tig welder??

I just wired in my latest find yesterday, a "new " 1979 model Lincoln 300/300 tig. Being an old bastid I learned on this type of machine and have been less than impressed with the square wave machines. I replaced a 180 sd Miller with the Lincoln, absolutely no comparison in mnho.
For your stated application a gas cooled tig would be adequate and a lot cheaper if you can live with the larger torch.

 

[brian64x]

Re: Tig welder??

I really need the smaller torch for getting into aluminum cyl head ports and such.

 

[flemgunner]

Re: Tig welder??

If Im not mistaken one of the the miller maxstar models should fit ya nice. They arent to steep either

 

[317millhand]

Re: Tig welder??

The Miller Maxstars are nice. I use a 150 at work every day to weld stainless steel. This particular machine has been in use since 2005 and still going strong. The 200 will not weld aluminum, but the Maxstar 200 should fit the bill nicely. The pipefitters at my job, use the 200's with the liquid coolers and they just work awesome.

 

[brian64x]

Re: Tig welder??

The Maxstar 200 is a DC machine, I will need AC to weld aluminum.

 

[*greenhorn*]

Re: Tig welder??

I have a miller 200 sycrowave it make a bad wielded look good also does AC I dont use it on aluminum much but any steel or other dc weild it's the bomb really a good machine

 

[npetric]

Re: Tig welder??

I use a miller dynasty 200 dx. It's a great machine. I use an air cooled torch, but you can also get a water cooled set up for it. The machine is nice and compact and should serve you well.

 

[MikeeBooshay]

Re: Tig welder??

Miller Sychrowave 250 - spend the extra bucks and get all the bells and whistles up front, better than adding it in later. Last place I was at we had over 50 of them, tried other units, kept coming back to the Miller. It's basically 5000 bucks to get one outfitted.

I have one that looks brand new, got it off craigslist, for $1800, had to drive to Dallas from Houston to get it. Worth every penny. Got a spare small torch and a owner bottle for it too.

 

[High Binder]

Re: Tig welder??

So I've been looking for a Tig welder too but it seems
(after reading tons of reviews) that you just can't get a decent new one for less than $3000 and even that's pretty bare-bones. So, I've been keeping an eye on Ebay and Craigslist, seems to be the best place to get a used one. My brother-in-law got a nice Miller machine at an estate auction.

 

[caustic]

Re: Tig welder??

I own the miller dynasty 200 dx it's too small to weld much 3/8 alu (can be done I’ve welded some ½ with it but had to pre heat), ¼ max, it takes way too long to develop a good weld puddle, either then that is good to go, if you do not need it to be “on job site” portable then I'd look at the syncrowave 250 and larger 300, 350 if you need a small torch you can run it or a large torch or both , when I worked in a larger shop I had both hooked up at once to a coolmate 3 cooler and had a 2-way valve for the argon so that I could run whatever torch i needed to my 350 syncrowave worked great.

At our shop the Miller welders have been with out major problems, for an every day use welder that brand as out performed the others we had by a long shot (others = lincon and essab)

 

[SniperCJ]

Re: Tig welder??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Mikee Booshay</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have one that looks brand new, got it off craigslist, for $1800, had to drive to Dallas from Houston to get it. Worth every penny. Got a spare small torch and a owner bottle for it too. </div></div>

Damn, I wish I had beat you to that one since im in Dallas and all...

 

[nfresquez]

Re: Tig welder??

Except for the occasional 3/8" you talk about the dynasty 200dx is just about perfect. I use one at my own shop and love it, the advance squarewave makes the sycrowave feel like a dinosaur. Let put it this way, I own a welding shop and teach at the local university teaching welding and we used to have all sycrowaves. But after the head of the department tried my dynasty we now have aprox 18 dynasty 350's, now there is a machine!

Hell you could always switch it to DC with pure helium and weld the thicker stuff..... They dont call it HELIARC for nothing.

 

[brian64x]

Re: Tig welder??

After doing some research I think I am going to look for a dynasty 200dx. I think it fits the bill nicely, after all, I really won't be doing that much thick welding and when I do I'll just preheat and burn away... Its too bad the dynasty 350 is so much more expensive or I would be considering it as well. I can get a new dynasty 200dx for around $4500 shipped to my door. I'm not in a real big hurry to buy one so I think I'll shop around for a slightly used one first. Anybody know of where there is one for sale? Thanks for the help guys!!

 

[*greenhorn*]

Re: Tig welder??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Mikee Booshay</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Miller Sychrowave 250 - spend the extra bucks and get all the bells and whistles up front, better than adding it in later. Last place I was at we had over 50 of them, tried other units, kept coming back to the Miller. It's basically 5000 bucks to get one outfitted.

I have one that looks brand new, got it off craigslist, for $1800, had to drive to Dallas from Houston to get it. Worth every penny. Got a spare small torch and a owner bottle for it too. </div></div>

I wish i had spent the $ for the 250 agin i have the 200, comes with the same thing as the 250 all youll have to get it a diffrent torch. they both a good machine

 

[chpprguy]

Re: Tig welder??

Have you looked at a Lincoln Invertec V205?
It's what I'd have if I could afford it....
AC/DC and goes low enough to weld .025" SS autogenously...

BTW, if you ever need more power, especially in alum...
mix helium or run straight helium.

The arc is transferred through the shielding gas and helium transfers electrons almost twice as efficiently as argon does....

 

[Proarc]

Re: Tig welder??

The dynasty 200dx is a nice light compact machine