Hello folks,
I'll be brief on my first mail, promise.
For the last 3 or 4 years I've been planning to begin with Tig. I've read up most of this site and found it very helpful, it was recommended to me by a friend who is no longer here, but he always knew what he was talking about, or where to find out what he didn't know - which wasn't much.
After that comes a break of some 18 months, I run a couple of small businesses and have quite a few hobbies which keep me busy, so all I learned here has mostly evaporated. Even so, I began Welding a long time ago as a Student with a Summer job, Bronze Welding and Welding up Wheelchair frames with an Oxy-Acetylene torch. Later came quite a lot of stick Welding and then Mig which I still do on thin(ish) Mild Steel.
Now the aim is to move on to Tig. I'd rather spec a machine to be future proofed (I bet they all say that!) so there's no real budget insofar as the aim is to get the right unit to do all I plan and haven't thought of yet, but on the other hand I don't squander money either. I really like value for money.
Mild Steel is the obvious ting to begin on but Stainless and Aluminium Alloys are on the list too. I'm a little shy on Cheapanese (see, I did learn something here!) but will listen to anything - in fact, a friend's recommendation for a budget Artec 30 Plasma Cutter impressed me quite a lot, it's good value on thin Steel for £350 or whatever it was with a box of tips etc. I'm only an hour or less from Artec's base.
There's no rush at all, I still have a lot to learn but I'm thinking AC/DC, pedal control, watercooled torch etc. etc. and all the other things that ran away with the wind that blew into one Ear and out the other for the last couple of years.
Any advice is welcome and in return I have a lot to give back too, but not on Tig right now!
I'll be brief on my first mail, promise.
For the last 3 or 4 years I've been planning to begin with Tig. I've read up most of this site and found it very helpful, it was recommended to me by a friend who is no longer here, but he always knew what he was talking about, or where to find out what he didn't know - which wasn't much.
After that comes a break of some 18 months, I run a couple of small businesses and have quite a few hobbies which keep me busy, so all I learned here has mostly evaporated. Even so, I began Welding a long time ago as a Student with a Summer job, Bronze Welding and Welding up Wheelchair frames with an Oxy-Acetylene torch. Later came quite a lot of stick Welding and then Mig which I still do on thin(ish) Mild Steel.
Now the aim is to move on to Tig. I'd rather spec a machine to be future proofed (I bet they all say that!) so there's no real budget insofar as the aim is to get the right unit to do all I plan and haven't thought of yet, but on the other hand I don't squander money either. I really like value for money.
Mild Steel is the obvious ting to begin on but Stainless and Aluminium Alloys are on the list too. I'm a little shy on Cheapanese (see, I did learn something here!) but will listen to anything - in fact, a friend's recommendation for a budget Artec 30 Plasma Cutter impressed me quite a lot, it's good value on thin Steel for £350 or whatever it was with a box of tips etc. I'm only an hour or less from Artec's base.
There's no rush at all, I still have a lot to learn but I'm thinking AC/DC, pedal control, watercooled torch etc. etc. and all the other things that ran away with the wind that blew into one Ear and out the other for the last couple of years.
Any advice is welcome and in return I have a lot to give back too, but not on Tig right now!