advice please.pedal or not

[ray63]

Hi all.i want to buy a tig welder to learn on in my spare time .ive seen thermal arc ones cheap with no pedal.or snap on ac/dc , lots of money with pedal..I think I, d have more control with the pedal but its a lot of dosh if it goes wrong.could I buy the cheaper 175te thermal arc one and get an adjustable touch...any help please..about 400 to spend.cheers

 

[Tom Orrow L]

Pedal is really only "necessary" if you're welding aluminium because of how quick it gets heat soaked. If you're only going for a DC only set then you'll most likely not be needing the pedal.

Jasic 180 DC might be an option for you at around £400 budget

 

[Richard.]

£400 doesn't buy acdc tig welders and it will never buy them with pedals . However it does buy DC tig welders and in my opinion with DC only a pedal is a complete waste of money.
The idea of a pedal is on the fly current control. This is useful with aluminium when the part becomes heat soaked and you've broken through the oxide layer because your current can then be dropped a lot to keep control of the pool. On ferritic type metals the heat remains much more local so you need less heat to get a pool going and that heat needed is best kept constant to ensure your fusion and penetration levels are constant. For that reason I prefer a torch switch on DC.

 

[Freddy0309]

£400 doesn't buy acdc tig welders and it will never buy them with pedals . However it does buy DC tig welders and in my opinion with DC only a pedal is a complete waste of money.
The idea of a pedal is on the fly current control. This is useful with aluminium when the part becomes heat soaked and you've broken through the oxide layer because your current can then be dropped a lot to keep control of the pool. On ferritic type metals the heat remains much more local so you need less heat to get a pool going and that heat needed is best kept constant to ensure your fusion and penetration levels are constant. For that reason I prefer a torch switch on DC.

Although I do agree with what you say for me holding the torch button for long periods of time can cause me to shake (nervous system problem) so I use a foot pedal wherever I can but on DC it's simply used as a on off switch

 

[Jim Davey]

I like a pedal too but I'd agree it's not a necessity on DC work but it does open up your options when it comes to how you can hold the torch.

 

[HughF]

my neighbour got one of these to replace a dead esab transformer machine for 2mm alu box work:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AC-DC-TIG...522667?hash=item4890d4fc6b:g:dy0AAOxyuuJR1obK

It arrived, it worked, it still works.... worth a punt at that price.

 

[Richard.]

my neighbour got one of these to replace a dead esab transformer machine for 2mm alu box work:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AC-DC-TIG...522667?hash=item4890d4fc6b:g:dy0AAOxyuuJR1obK

It arrived, it worked, it still works.... worth a punt at that price.

Personally I wouldn't have one thrown at me.
I'm all for budget machines but somewhere a line needs to be drawn.
Yes I'm sure some are successfully working but they are built on the cheapest of the cheap and shipped over here by the pallet load. No uk Qc just shipped again to the end user who will no doubt struggle like hell to get any support once it's gone bang. They can't support it properly it just isn't in the price.
IMHO AVOID.

 

[HughF]

Me neither Richard, but with the benefit of ebay buyer protection and at £389 delivered, I would say that it's worth a shot for the OP if he really is on a low budget and wants to try aluminium.

 

[langy]

my neighbour got one of these to replace a dead esab transformer machine for 2mm alu box work:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AC-DC-TIG...522667?hash=item4890d4fc6b:g:dy0AAOxyuuJR1obK

It arrived, it worked, it still works.... worth a punt at that price.

That's a dead ringer for my old Parweld XTI200 and that was a great machine, looks exactly the same but can't say for the insides ?

 

[norlander]

If you go for AC set I'd personally get a pedal, you need to decide if you really need the AC.

For a DC set, I would get a decent quality switched torch WP9 or 17, and I prefer a flexhead version for my purposes.

The standard torch supplied with the welder is often a bit basic and might be too big-

The Thermal ARC thumbwheel did not suit me.

I set the downslope to about 3-4 secs, let go of the button if in 2T, or press it in 4T, then light up again to full juice if I need to slow things up a bit when on DC,

I would suggest you needto decide whether you really want AC, if so, then personally I would get a pedal.

If DC, I would get a decent switched torch that does not "nod in" when you press the button

Nobody else I know over here uses a pedal on AC, they use a switched torch on 4T Log, or just 2T/4T and stop when it starts to run away. I have done it, but I prefer the pedal.

A decent switched torch won't be cheap though.

A decent pedal aint cheap either, the reason blokes over here don't use pedals is usually because they have bought cheap ones which don't last or perform too well, my GYS pedal is ace but at least double the price of the cheaper ones.

I'd avoid buying from multi tool/equipment/box sellers, and buy from a Trade welding outlet, you may pay a little more, but you will get that back in aftersales advice and support from blokes who use the kit.

Hope that helps.