Looking for TIG welder recommendations

Andrew,  Typically this question opens up a real can of worms.  I used to have a PMA business welding aluminum tanks, now I just do it for homebuilders.  I currently have a Lincoln V205-T and it has all the bells and whistles you could want.  I think it lists for $4,500.  You can adjust the frequency, upslope, downslope, pre and post flow, pulse, etc.  I use all of these features when welding aluminum, they are not just fluff.  The frequency adjust is my favorite as you can adjust the cone of the arc and make the bead smaller and concentrate the heat.  I cut my teeth on a Lincoln Square Wave 175 not much adjustment, but welded aluminum just fine. Miller and the other guys make good units too, I just happen to pick Lincoln to start with and have continued with them as I have not had any problems (MIG too).

Get ready to practice, practice, practice....and spend money too because it is not cheap...argon, tungsten, gass lense, etc.  But it is fun and when you get the hang of it you will feel like you really accomplished something.

Ross

I've been trying for a long time (with sporadic efforts) to learn TIG welding.  In my case the big project is a steel fuselage with all the controls and fittings for a Wittman Buttercup.  I use both gas and TIG and while the TIG sometimes makes really beautiful joints the gas seems more useful for me.  TIG is VERY difficult to learn.  The energy is so concentrated that your puddle tends to run away and burning through your work piece is very easy to do.

I think the Miller equipment is the best around.  It is also probably the most expensive.  You can probably get a full AC/DC unit for $2000 or so while the DC only unit suitable for just about anything except aluminum welding is a bit less.  Of course you can get much larger units suitable for heavy duty commercial activities from Miller and the other vendors.

I know you won't like this, but I feel a need to give a bit of negative advice.  If you are thinking of making one or two fuel tanks you probably would find a better solution than buying TIG equipment and learning how to use it.  Most of the labor cost for this kind of project is related to forming the sheet metal.  The actual welding can be done in a relatively short time by someone who welds for a living.  Paying a pro to do the welding might be the best choice in this case.

Good luck,

Paul

Camas, WA

To take the contrary viewpoint, TIG is NOT difficult. If you can master Oxy acetylene you can easily master TIG. This is an excellent process for making very solid, strong, neat, good looking welds. I personally own Miller equipment and have welded hundreds, if not thousands,  of mild steel, stainless steel, 4130, aluminium, and magnesium parts over the years with great success. While I'm happy with Miller, Lincoln or almost any other name brand will give excellent results. The more "features" you buy, the easier to use, or the more versatile the machine. Talk to a knowledgable distributor for advice on the features beneficial to your desired use.

Although not difficult, there is a learning curve and as Ross mentioned, practice, practice, practice, then practice some more. I personally find "burn through" as mentioned by Paul, much less likely and easier to control with TIG as opposed to other processes. A talented TIG welder with the right equipment can weld aluminium foil together. (I can't but have seen it demonstrated)

The decision as to whether the effort to learn is worth the satisfaction of mastering another skill and whether the return on that investment is justified is yours alone to make.

Paying someone who already has the skill to manufacture the one or two fuel tanks you need will undoubtedly be less expensive then acquiring the equipment and skills to do them yourself, but at the same time, for some, the learning is just as important as the end result. As I said above, your decision.

Bob

Toronto, ON

I have a Lincoln 175 TIG and a Millermatic 175 MIG.  Both work very well.  I purchased the TIG some years back at EAA but have not used it all that much.  A couple years ago I stopped by the Miller TIG booth at EAA and they helped me with some TIG questions, especially the amount the electrode is to extend beyond the cup.  It seemed there was not much reference to this in the materials I had read.  Two things that helped my TIG welding improve.  One is that I now extend the electrode about an 1/8" out of the cup where I can readily see it.  The second is my "welding glasses", with best focus at about a foot so the weld puddle is sharp.  I only mention these because there are many factors contributing to how one perceives the performance of a machine.  I would recommend stopping at the Lincoln and Miller booths at EAA for a discussion and tryout.  My airline oxy acetylene torch worked fine, but I seemed to encounter over heating and popping more than I liked.  I prefer the TIG.  Most of my problems are probably due to lack of expert instruction and practice.

I have done many years of welding, always for someone else.  I purchased the Lincoln 225 TIG welder.  I am very pleased with it.  Use caution about the 175 it does not have the features of the 225 and may not have the power to weld thicker aluminum parts.

Thanks for all the comments, I work on vintage aircraft full time and am pretty sure I will find continued use for a TIG in the future, and would like to add the skill to my resume anyway, as much for the learning experience as for anything else.

I have a Miller Econotig I bought back in the late 1990's.    It has a maximum output of 150 amps at 20% duty cycle, which is a bit weak for production work, but entirely adequate for the occasional job typical of a homebuilder.  It is small, and one of the least expensive TIG options.  I haven't needed all the "bells and whistles" that the larger, more expensive units provide. 

A lot of my sculpture work involves half inch mild steel (solid) rods, and the Econotig is quite adequate for that.  I have done some aluminum work:  an oil tank for my Kitfox out of 1/8 inch sheet, and a toolbox for my camper from 1/4 sheet.  I practiced on scrap for both projects, and both came out well.  I took a class on gas welding many years ago, and many of those skills (puddle control, etc) transfer directly to TIG welding.  Have fun!

Andrew,

Last year I bought the new Miller Diversion 180. It operates on both 110 @ 125 amps and 220 @ 180 amps. I haven't had it plugged into 220 yet and haven't needed too. 110v has done everything I need on the chromo tubing for the fuse. It is an AC/DC inverter power source so I can weld aluminum with any tungsten EXCEPT PURE! ! ! We don't use pure tungsten with an inverter power source because it causes poor fusion. That being said the Diversion 180 has proven to be a very capable welder that will get the job done with excellent results for about 1700 bucks. IN MY OPINION, to buy a chineese welder is to simply throw your hard earned money away because it WILL break down on you, then just try to have it repaired.

Disclaimer; no I don't work for Miller!

Jim

I have a Miller Syncrowave 300 and Lincoln Idealarc Tig 300. Both are very stable power supplies, But the Syncrowave, with all its features, can do everything except turn electrical  energy into matter. However, if you can master the technique, I recommend gas welding aluminum fuel and oil tanks. It produces a much more ductile weld.

I've done it before with very good results. But first I  practiced on scrap pieces, the corn crop was in the silking stage, a good soaking rain had fallen the night before, the barometric pressure was steady, the dawgs were quite, no bills were due and  the moon was in the correct phase. Or, as the accomplished welders I worked with at Piedmont stated, "You've got to get your mind right."