Lincoln 355 TIG Welder

heres where experience in welding comes into play,
buying a basic used welders a bit like buying a used engines short block ,
theres a bunch of parts required to allow it to function, buying that welder without testing its operation, you could be effectively buying the equivalent of a short block with a cracked crank, ( Id want to see it operate
( SEE it weld before I bought it)
it might be a good deal, but be aware what your looking at and the potential cost to get it fully operational.
Im often asked why I prefer the TIG and oxy-acetolene torch welding over arc and mig for most jobs and the reasons that with both those types of equipment you can heat, reheat or adjust the heat nearly instantly with or without adding filler rod material.
that might not sound like a huge advantage, but trust me here its critical at times, do your research, you'll find you have options, in accessories and materials, the choices you make , make a big difference in how versatile or easy to use the welder becomes in your shop



you need a water cooled torch lines and coolant pump
(coolant is usually 50% water/50% anti freeze just like in your cars radiator)
tig torch and a coolant pump and gauges and a shield gas tank to TEST its welding operation, and those parts for a 355 amp tig could easily be close to $2-3KK alone , Id sure want to see a tig welder operate BEFORE I bought its used
while the welders a good deal if its fully functional its not cheap to set it up with the parts missing.
wiring up a 50amp or 100 amp feed is not cheaply done either, don,t forget TIG rods, and gas collets
TIGSetup.jpg


Ive spent about $800 on just the 100 amp electrical feed on my old tig welder

https://02e4fb6.netsolstores.com/cart.aspx coolant pump $750

http://www.millerweldersales.com/produc ... uct_id=700 $600 torch

http://www.millerweldersales.com/produc ... uct_id=448 gauge $100

TANKS OF SHIELD GAS GENERALLY COST ABOUT $300

http://www.usaweld.com/TIG-WELDER-Inver ... 12.5-3.htm
HTP MAKES A VERY GOOD TIG WELDER AND TECH SUPPORTS GOOD ALSO

LINCOLN, and MILLER are also good brands

http://www.htpweld.com/products/tig_welders/tig201.html

related info

http://www.welders-direct.com/mm5/merch ... ry_Code=TW

viewtopic.php?f=60&t=1108

viewtopic.php?f=60&t=3284

viewtopic.php?f=60&t=3414

ANY QUESTIONS ??
 

I didn't notice all those things missing, I was more focused on the it
needing a 100 amp circuit.

How much difference is there between air cooled and water cooled
torch. I assume you can weld longer with the water cooled, but if the
welder has a 40% duty cycle, then is the water cooling needed?

 
an air cooled tig torch is fine for light amps and short duration welding, like skip stitch welding a patch in a fender, fabricating a custom oil pan,or welding a cracked accessory bracket. but the torch will heat rapidly once you increase amps or duration, as a general rule Id suggest a liquid cooled torch on any application used over 20 minutes continuous use, or for over 120 amps, and the more amps or the longer the duration the faster the heat builds.
your un-likey to need more than 200 amps for 98% of auto related welding, in fact most welding will be far lower, especially sheet metal, so a 350 amp welders not required, but an air cooled torch in my opinions a toy if you want to do extended welding, example, if you were thinking of tig welding a roll cage a air cooled tig torch would be a total P.I.T.A. you would spend 3/4rs of your time waiting for the torch to cool off.
keep in mind even when your welding constantly youll seldom exceed about 60% use rate, a 40% use rated 355 amp welder will allow almost constant use at lets say 120 amp settings for hours at a time. but the air cooled torch will become rapidly useless under those conditions, unlike a coolant cooled torch, which at that lower amp setting would operate for hours with zero problems



ask questions
http://weldingweb.com/forumdisplay.php?f=23

http://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-us/ed ... enter.aspx

http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/co ... iscussions

http://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-us/su ... ow-to.aspx
 

So as you reduce the current, the duty cycle goes up, therefore you
can weld for quite a long time at a reduced current and the water
cooled torch becomes even more of a necessity.

It seems to me that current control at the torch/finger would be better
than a foot control. What have you found to be true for you???

 
I also felt the hand control was the better option, when I first got my TIG welder, but the welder came with the foot controller.
but its a bit like riding a bike, once you get the hang of controlling the current or heat with the foot petal , it becomes a skill you really just don,t think much about.
my TIG came with the foot control and at first I just used it by setting the amps on the dial with the welder to what Id need and just held the foot petal down when I was welding with an arc and let the petal up when not welding "HARDLY GOOD FORM OLD BOY" but I eventually got the hang of it and found that the ability to add or subtract heat from the arc gave me a bit more versatility so now I set the amps a bit higher than required and have learned how to use the petal control to vary the heat, now IM not a really great welder but I do manage to produce some welds that occasionally surprise myself as to quality and appearance.
youll learn to use either control, and the foot control makes the torch a bit smaller and lighter in weight and less bulky, but there are times like when your laying under a car or some awkward position when access to properly use a foot control can be a huge challenge.
in my opinion the coolant cooled torch is far superior,Ive used several friends tig welders with air cooled torches and you very quickly find out why you need decent welders gloves that way.


I bought a ANCIENT 1980s TIG 330 amp welder used for a bit less than $1000 with a liquid cooled torch and accessories , it may be old but it welds just fine, it has darn few features that the newer design tig WELDERS HAVE, ITS BASICALLY A WELDER THAT WORKS SIMILAR TO AN OXYACETYLENE TORCH FLAME BUT ITS AN ELECTRIC ARC, PROVIDING THE HEAT, NOT A FLAME, used to melt the filler rods, in some ways thats an advantage in that much of the skills you develop using an oxy=-acetylene torch easily transfer to use of the TIG
330ampmiller.jpg

viewtopic.php?f=60&t=1669&p=4042#p4042
 
http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/ar ... rode-guide

http://store.cyberweld.com/wetuel.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nLsrcsc ... re=related

http://www.millerwelds.com/products/hel ... sics5.html

http://www.airgas.com/content/details.a ... 0000000178

http://www.airgas.com/content/details.a ... 0000000141

http://www.airgas.com/content/details.a ... 0000000142

http://www.circletrack.com/howto/ctrp_0 ... index.html

http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/TIGhandbook/

Select Your Stick or TIG Electrode

welding rods usually 36" long so 37" pipe with one end glued is not a bad idea
Gas-Tig-Rods.png

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I have
also read the rule of thumb to use an amp per mil of base metal (125A for
1/8" metal, for example).

If you plan to weld with a particular diameter electrode, you need to know its operating range (basically, smaller electrodes carry less current, larger electrodes carry more current). The following chart suggests operating ranges for common Stick, wire, TIG and carbon arc gouging electrodes. This helps you determine which electrode sizes you can use with a particular machine.


Amperage for Stick Electrodes
Stick diameter and type 3/32" 1/8" 5/32" 3/16" 1/4"
6010, 6011 40-85 75-125 110-165 140-210 210-315
6013 40-90 80-130 105-180 150-230 250-350
7018 60-100 110-165 150-220 200-275 320-400


Amperage and Voltage for Wire Electrodes — Part 1
Wire diameter and type .030" .035" .045" .052" 1/16"
Tubular (flux or metal cored) N/A N/A 15-36V
105-340A 15-36V
105-430A 15-40V
140-480A
Self-shielded flux cored N/A 14-20V
50-120A 13-20V
80-220A N/A 14-22V
146-322A
Solid (MIG) 17-23V
50-200A 18-25V
50-225A 18-34V
85-355A 21-39V
150-500A 26-40V
250-610A


Amperage and Voltage for Wire Electrodes — Part 2
Wire diameter and type .072" 5/64" 3/32" 7/64" 1/8"
Tubular (flux or metal cored) 22-36V
200-495A 23-33V
250-510A 24-36V
355-615A N/A 26-32V
375-640A
Self-shielded flux cored 16-25V
130-350A 16-35V
200-545A 16-35V
200-525A 22-33V
310-625A 28-38V
400-600A


Amperage for TIG Welding
Tungsten type & diameter 1/16" 3/32" 1/8" 3/16" 1/4"
2% type 50-140 125-200 150-325 300-340 -
Pure type 60-90 125-160 190-240 260-320 330-450


Amperage for Carbon Arc Gouging
Carbon diameter 3/16" 1/4" 5/16" 3/8" 1/2"
Amperage 250 300 500 600 750

TIG welding (Tungsten Inert Gas) or Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) is frequently used for high quality, precision welding. In TIG welding, there is an arc that forms between the metal and the permanent non-melting tungsten electrode. Gas is fed through the torch, shielding the electrode and molten weld pool. If filler material is to be used, it is added separately to the weld pool.

Some of the benefits of TIG welding include superior quality welds, precise control of welding variables such as heat, freedom from splatter and low distortion. In addition, with TIG welding the process can be used at lower amperages for thinner metal and can be used on exotic metals. Some of the general drawbacks for TIG welding include the requirement for greater manual dexterity than other forms of welding, lower deposition rates and greater cost for welding thicker sections.

The commonly used power source for TIG welding is AC current. Direct current is sometimes used but due to high heat generation on the tungsten electrode and poor oxide cleaning its use is limited. Argon gas is most commonly used in TIG welding as the shielding gas. Just by changing the diameter of the tungsten electrode, welding may be performed within a wide range of heat input at different thicknesses, offering great flexibility in the process.

TIG welding can be used on many different types of metals, but is most commonly used with aluminum, especially with metals of a smaller thickness. Because of the popularity in automotive applications, TIG welding has become popular within the circles of professional racing teams along with being a favorite for auto enthusiasts and hobbyists as well.

In TIG welding, an acceptable weld is obtained only if the filler wire is clean and of high quality. If the filler wire is not clean, a large amount of contaminant may be introduced into the weld pool making for an unacceptable weld.

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