Hi everyone,
I'm thinking of buying a TIG welder, because I'm restoring a car and would like to do of the welding myself. Because I need to do various materials (Steel, SS, Alu) I was thinking of buying an AC/DC TIG. Because of my limited budget I would prefer only to be buying one welder (TIG or MIG)
Now I have never welded before, but I have been watching some instruction videos and reading some guides. My fine motor skills are pretty good, due to being a dental student. Would it be unreasonable of me to expect to be able to do some simple butt welds on 1.6mm steel sheets in a couple of weekends time? It doesn't have to be aesthetically perfect, but it has to be structurally sound. I understand it takes a lot of practise to get right, but I'm willing to put in the work.
The jobs I need to do in the future.
Mild steel 1.6mm sheet metal chassis repair
Stainless steel exhaust manifold and backpipe (1.5mm)
2mm aluminium fuel tanks, oil catch tank and swirl pot
CDS rollcage (3.2mm)
Now the welder I was thinking of buying is a Stahlwerk TIG. This is one of the Chinese TIG welders that you can find on ebay (the mosfets ones), buy they are being distributed by a German company, with their own workshop and repair facilities, and they are offering a 5 year warranty on all the products they sell. I have read some good things about their service so I have confidence in them. The machines might not be the best out there, but if I buy one from them, at least I know I still have a working welder in 5 years time, even if it has to be repaired at some point.
This is their website: http://www.stahlwerk-schweissgeraete.de
Now I was wondering what welder I should buy, is it worth spending a bit more for a pulse function? And what about having a built in plasma cutter? It should speed up my work quite a bit I would imagine.
These are the machines, for an extra €100 (£80) you get a auto-darkening helmet, a foot pedal, regulator and some electrodes and filler rods. I would definitely take this option, because I don't have a helmet yet and I read a foot pedal is a must-have.
TIG AC/DC 200: €569 (£452)
TIG AC/DC 200 + pulse: €629 (£499)
TIG AC/DC 200 + pulse + plasma cutter: €799 (£634)
Which one should I buy?
I know my budget is limited, but this could be OK for DIY use, the 5 year warranty makes it easier to take the leap and buy a cheap Chinese machine.
Any thoughts?
Kind regards,
Serge
I'm thinking of buying a TIG welder, because I'm restoring a car and would like to do of the welding myself. Because I need to do various materials (Steel, SS, Alu) I was thinking of buying an AC/DC TIG. Because of my limited budget I would prefer only to be buying one welder (TIG or MIG)
Now I have never welded before, but I have been watching some instruction videos and reading some guides. My fine motor skills are pretty good, due to being a dental student. Would it be unreasonable of me to expect to be able to do some simple butt welds on 1.6mm steel sheets in a couple of weekends time? It doesn't have to be aesthetically perfect, but it has to be structurally sound. I understand it takes a lot of practise to get right, but I'm willing to put in the work.
The jobs I need to do in the future.
Mild steel 1.6mm sheet metal chassis repair
Stainless steel exhaust manifold and backpipe (1.5mm)
2mm aluminium fuel tanks, oil catch tank and swirl pot
CDS rollcage (3.2mm)
Now the welder I was thinking of buying is a Stahlwerk TIG. This is one of the Chinese TIG welders that you can find on ebay (the mosfets ones), buy they are being distributed by a German company, with their own workshop and repair facilities, and they are offering a 5 year warranty on all the products they sell. I have read some good things about their service so I have confidence in them. The machines might not be the best out there, but if I buy one from them, at least I know I still have a working welder in 5 years time, even if it has to be repaired at some point.
This is their website: http://www.stahlwerk-schweissgeraete.de
Now I was wondering what welder I should buy, is it worth spending a bit more for a pulse function? And what about having a built in plasma cutter? It should speed up my work quite a bit I would imagine.
These are the machines, for an extra €100 (£80) you get a auto-darkening helmet, a foot pedal, regulator and some electrodes and filler rods. I would definitely take this option, because I don't have a helmet yet and I read a foot pedal is a must-have.
TIG AC/DC 200: €569 (£452)
TIG AC/DC 200 + pulse: €629 (£499)
TIG AC/DC 200 + pulse + plasma cutter: €799 (£634)
Which one should I buy?
I know my budget is limited, but this could be OK for DIY use, the 5 year warranty makes it easier to take the leap and buy a cheap Chinese machine.
Any thoughts?
Kind regards,
Serge