thehelix112 Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 Guys, I just ordered my first welder: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220855697208&ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:US:1123#ht_1693wt_1398 Hopefully this entry level Tig will give me something that I can learn with. The only welding I've done previously was with my father's 35yo engine-driven Lincoln stick welder. I suck at it, but I am willing to practice to improve. I'm very very open to advice on how best to get started. EMWHYR0HEN recommended airgas(.com) in LA to get the gas for it, and looks like they have all the filler material I will need and so on. So questions, does anyone have a recommendation for a good autodarkening helmet? I haven't even started research on them, so be gentle, but my budget is around the $400 mark. I don't need anything super fancy or professional, but I don't wanna buy a cheap POS that will break in 6 months either (ie, preferably Made in USA). Also, I've started reading through some Tig tutorials online, does anyone have a little cache of welding references they would care to share? I have limited spare time for things like welding classes, but virtually unlimited spare time for things like reading tutorials, so I'd like to read as much as possible. Looking forward to blowing holes in things and much swearing! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLOZ UP Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 (edited) That's a nice one. Better than my Diversion. I haven't reached the capacity of mine yet, and I've made motor mounts, collectors, exhaust, intake piping. All normal car stuff. If I ever do I'll get a Dynasty and/or a water cooler, because the air cooled torch doesn't last long and it's kind of bulky. I asked the same thing about helmets: http://forums.hybrid...-you-recommend/ I ended up getting a Miller Professional Series, and am happy with it. Be sure to get a respirator for the welding fumes as well. Chromium 6 is bad. And a full jacket, UV B & C are bad too. I have a local Airgas that provides me with Argon, can't remember the cylinder size (middle size, largest that fits in my car) but it's 25 bucks a refill (after you buy a bottle), and Home Depot also has them if you need some on the weekend, but it's a few bucks more. You also have to buy their bottle--the guys at Airgas won't take other people's bottles to refill. This site has lots of disorganized information: http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/ Start with plate and just get arcs started and consistent, then add filler, then try a joint. It takes a while to get the feel of how much heat, distance, angle, and speed you need for whatever thickness and joint. And start with steel since aluminum is more expensive and has to be a lot cleaner, and the heat dissipation is something you have to consider as well. Edited September 23, 2011 by BLOZ UP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehelix112 Posted September 23, 2011 Author Share Posted September 23, 2011 Blozup, thanks for the input and the links! Much obliged. One small hiccup is that it was just pointed out to me that the welder is 220v, and I don't think my house is wired for 220v. So I have two options: 1. Upgrade my service to 220v, no idea how much that will cost but I'll ring a sparky tomorrow. 2. Call the place I ordered from and try to get a 110v version. I'd hate to change stuff to get a 110v one that won't do what I want in the future, but if it costs too much to ugprade the service I won't be able to afford it for a while. Gunna go do some research, but in peoples experiences, is a 110v reasonable for basic automotive stuff, I guess the biggest thing I'd wanna do is a roll cage at some point in the future.. would it support that? Many thanks! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwi303 Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 You forgot option 3, move to a country that runs 220V as standard instead of 110V... Nice welder I get by with a clunky old arc box to tack things together on the farm, there's no way I'd use it for car jobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLOZ UP Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 Where's the welder and where's the breaker box? For me, both were in the garage so I shifted a couple circuits around and added a 50 amp two phase breaker in and made a plug right next to it. Didn't have to open the wall either, since I just put it right below and right of the breaker box on the next stud. I could feed all the wires through one of the outlets on the box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehelix112 Posted September 23, 2011 Author Share Posted September 23, 2011 (edited) Thanks guys, just ordered a welding helmet, found the speedglas 9100xx for under 400 online, so went with that. Pretty expensive I guess, but hopefully it'll be a long time before I need to replace it. The welder will be in the garage, the breaker is at the exact opposite end of the house, outside. I need to check if I have a 220V outlet for a dryer (we have a gas dryer atm), and whether or not the box even has 220V. If box has 220v but it doesn't run to the garage I guess I'll be getting a sparky to try and fix that. Thanks again for the help, Dave Kiwi303, lived in one for the first 25 years of my life, only a recent immigrant to this great lower voltage land. The stick my dad built was run from a holden grey motor thats 10 years older than I am, he used it to build our home out in the bush. Edited September 23, 2011 by thehelix112 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SATAN Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 (edited) I have the same welder except it is a 185 instead of the 225. They no longer make the 185 and 225 is standard. Still essentially the same machine though. You cannot run that machine on 110v. You are also going to need at least a 50amp breaker since it is a transformer type welder. The higher tech inverter welders don't suck as much juice, but that welder will need 50amps minimum. You also need a grounding rod for it, which is a copper pipe that runs 8 feet into the ground. Without it, the high frequency with mess with electronics near by. I don't run a ground rod, but my kids can't watch TV if I am welding. The machine performs great. The low end is 5 amps which is great for thin wall steel. I first started on a Hobart Tig Mate which had a limited low end of 30 amps. That sucked for thin steel. The Lincolns arc is very stable and smooth. The only thing I don't like about the machine is the amperage adjustment. It is a knob that turns infinitely. You just keep turning clockwise to up the amps, but it is very finicky. Too much screwing around to get it RIGHT AT 150amps (or wherever). I wired in my own 50 amp breaker for my welder. You have to use two separate 120v legs. You can use a dryer outlet, but you are going to be popping that 30 amp breaker anytime you try and weld over 150 amps for longer than 2 minutes. It is also not safe to simply put a larger breaker in. You have to have the wiring to accommodate it. I run 6 gauge wire from my breaker, 8 feet to my welder. Helmet... I used to go and buy a 50 dollar Harbor freight helmet every 4-6 months. The head gear would always break on them. I eventually dished out a little money for an Arc One three sensor helmet. The Harbor Freight helmet always operated flawlessly. I get flashed more with this Arc One helmet in one day that I would all year from my Harbor Freight helmet. I have debated putting my Arc One head gear on my Harbor Freight helmet... My buddy had a Lincoln auto helmet. Swore by it for years and years. I let him barrow my Harbor Freight helmet for a few days. He told me he was a better welder because of it. He was both joking and being serious at the same time. He went out and bought one as soon as I took mine back. I would never mess around with a 110v TIG welder. Even if it were an inverter, you would be VERY limited on what you could pull from 110v. EDIT: Oh also go sign up at weldingweb.com Lots of info there. Skill level ranges from -2 all the way up to 10+. There are some amazing weldors on that forum. Most are pretty helpful. Lots of politics to get mixed up in if you are not careful though. Edited September 23, 2011 by SATAN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehelix112 Posted September 23, 2011 Author Share Posted September 23, 2011 Great info satan! Many thanks. Also really appreciate the pics. I'd like to get my setup as correct and safe as possible, so I think I'll just call a local sparky in the morning and schedule an appointment and see what they have to say. Is what my breaker box looks like, pretty sure there isn't any 220v breakers in there, and it sure looks pretty full.. likely gunna need quite an upgrade, hope its not too expensive. Will go jump into the welding forum now. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redneck1545 Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 (edited) I used to be a HVAC service tech and repair man. I now fly planes for a living, much better career choice! You will definitely need a bigger breaker box BUT your house is wired for 220v...The AC "double pole" breaker is a 220v breaker and thats the same style you will need for your tig. A 220v line is nothing more than a paired set of two 110v lines. Also, there is above post that mentions 2 phase...there is no such thing, just single phase 110v/220v and then you have the 3-phase stuff for big commercial buildings or shops. You will have no problem running 220v to your tig as long as your service wire that feeds INTO to the breaker box can handle a larger amp load. Worst case scenario, you'd have to run a new larger diameter (smaller gauge) service wire to a new bigger breaker box with more posts and then run a 220v line to your tig. Either way you have to get a new breaker box as your is full, unless you dont want Air conditioning for a while. Hope that helps Edited September 23, 2011 by redneck1545 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHO-Z Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 That old Lincoln welder is a great machine if it is one of the 4 cylinder models. It is the same machine that is the standard for the constuction industry today. I welded a lot of carbon and stainless steel pipe with one. It is not a high freq unit for aluminum but will weld almost anything else. Welding takes practice and pactience. Some people seem to get it right away others have to work at it. Get a welding hood that is confortable to use. I put one of the auto lenses in one of my hoods and it is ok for around the house but would not like it when welding pipe. Welding open but welds the lense would be flashing on and off all of the time. I also saw this problem in my MIG welder when I got behind the torche. Get some metal and practice and have fun and be safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLOZ UP Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 You will definitely need a bigger breaker box BUT your house is wired for 220v...The AC "double pole" breaker is a 220v breaker and thats the same style you will need for your tig. A 220v line is nothing more than a paired set of two 110v lines. Also, there is above post that mentions 2 phase...there is no such thing, just single phase 110v/220v and then you have the 3-phase stuff for big commercial buildings or shops. Oops, he's right. In my defense though, the 2 poles will be 180 degrees off, for a difference of 220v at any point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehelix112 Posted September 23, 2011 Author Share Posted September 23, 2011 Thanks again guys. That's massively helpful, and makes a lot of sense, though my electrical knowledge is terrible so I'll just be paying a professional I think. Thanks again, I'm sure I'll have a lot of annoying questions later on. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLOZ UP Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 Not a bad idea, what with all the building and electrical codes you are supposed to comply with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mario_82_ZXT Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 Sign up for a course on TIG at the local CC. Most places have pre-reqs for the TIG class, but if you explain your situation, they will most likely let you in (hobbyist, have a TIG at home). Nothing beats having someone with years of experience show you how to weld! That and my teacher used to pull up youtube videos once a week on welding and we had to point out what was wrong in the videos! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehelix112 Posted September 27, 2011 Author Share Posted September 27, 2011 Thanks Mario. You are totally right, EMWHYR0HEN has spoken highly of the glendale CC welding program. I would love to check it out, it's just a bit of a drive, and I don't have much in the way of free time. Might be the best bet though. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozzzzz Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 (edited) I bought this same machine about a year ago. Its a good machine. I'm happy with it. Wish the duty cycle was higher tho. Oh well that's what preheat is for. If you have never tig welded before you should take some classes. There's a lot to learn. I took all the classes my local community college had available. Went part time for 2.5 years. 17 years later I'm Still learning. Enjoy. Edited September 27, 2011 by ozzzzz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMWHYR0HEN Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Dave, Your daring for jumping straight into TIG welding! Even in most CC welding courses reading material basically covers saftey and proper use of tools. The actual learning comes by practice, just like anything else. I know your pressed on time these days but I would highly recommend a few courses at GCC. unfourtunately, your going to have to take two other welding courses before you start tig welding. One will cover oxy-accettelene, and another for mig and arc. You might have some luck talking to the instructor about skipping the first course. let me know when your ready to get started at home. If you temp me with beer I'll be more than happy to give you a few pointers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehelix112 Posted September 27, 2011 Author Share Posted September 27, 2011 Hehe, thanks man. I've done a bit of stick welding back home, where I successfully blasted big holes in things. I think I'll do my best with what is available on the internet to at least get some idea about the basics, then it'd be awesome to have you come over and get me started. Beer will most definitely be available. Thanks man! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehelix112 Posted October 4, 2011 Author Share Posted October 4, 2011 Ohhh k. First electrician wants $2200 to get a new breaker box. Yeah, I don't think so. Gunna see if a neighbour wants to let me run a long arse extension cord from his garage to mine. Will also try to get another quote. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwi303 Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 visit Ebay, if it's like here in NZ on Trademe, you'll find a decent 14 to 20 breaker box for around $400... you have a 10 breaker there now, 2 for the main breaker and 8 for the in-use breakers. A bunch of breakers should be around $25 each, then you just pay the sparkys labour rates and ban smoko breaks while you're paying him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.