Aluminium welding - variations on the theme please

[Tinbasherdan]

With regards to the original question by the op, in my experience I've found that you could spend the next week degreasing a part, it will still draw oil out of the casting as soon as you put a torch to it. You can make it better, but you'll never cure it

 

[Chris Stevens]

This doesn't surprise me in the slightest, especially with an expensive machine.

The more a machine costs, the more likely it's going into 'pro' hands. Those hands are unlikely to need a walkthrough over and above how to navigate a menu.

Hobby level machines will just have 'watered down' versions of the pro manuals, maybe with a teeny bit of extra info thrown in at random and often wrongly translated.

Best synonym I can think of is car/motorbike handbooks - the ones I've seen from before the 50s went into detail on how to balance clutch/accelerator to pull away smoothly, how to declutch to achieve a crunch-free gearchange etc. Not so in the more modern ones...

Try reading a Kemppi manual....................

 

[addjunkie]

Try reading a Kemppi manual....................

My thermal arc manual isnt too bad, to be honest, explains the widgets, and what the do quite well.

 

[Richard.]

Rehm manual is ok.
But it's not really needed tbh as the machine is self explanatory.

 

[Chris Stevens]

If you have Kemppi then much is guess work as manual very poor indeed. Panel lay out not good either, but welds very nicely and used tend to retain quite good price............

 

[Richard.]

If you have Kemppi then much is guess work as manual very poor indeed. Panel lay out not good either, but welds very nicely and used tend to retain quite good price............

And yours is the simple panel.
Mine was the all singing dancing one that had more hidden treasures than Aladdins cave. I was consistently guessing with it.

 

[Chris Stevens]

You have to guess even with the basic panel...............not that great to say the least.

 

[Richard.]

They are ok. The panel is the only let down. Once set up they weld as nicely as the best of them. The arc stability is as good as the Rehm I would say. My old 2000 had a slight edge mind.

 

[Richard.]

I'd like to propose that should be incorporated into the TIG Tutorial, last time I looked it had nothing on Ali, but more DIY users are getting AC sets now

It's done.

 

[Jim Davey]

Good idea, as there seems to be nothing of any real help in instruction manuals that come with a new TIG machine, even if its a very expensive one.

Expensive machines come with the worst manuals as in the main they are for the most part bought by operators who know what they are doing. In my experience some of the best manuals come with sets aimed at novices or hobbyists.

 

[Jim Davey]

Cheese mite.

Don't worry Rich, I make a lot of speeling pistakes too.

 

[Chris Stevens]

Expensive machines come with the worst manuals as in the main they are for the most part bought by operators who know what they are doing. In my experience some of the best manuals come with sets aimed at novices or hobbyists.

Not sure who Kemppi manuals are aimed at? MLS one seems not to show how to set amps when a foot pedal is connected? Best manuals seem to be those for USA machines, which I guess is understandable as no need to translate them into English?

 

[Jim Davey]

Miller and Thermal Arc always used to come with decent blurb, not sure what they are like now but EWM manuals only point out what the controls are, there is no application based guide as they all assume prior knowledge from the operator.

 

[Chris Stevens]

You might as well try reading tea leaves rather than Kemppi manuals................they dont even outline the functions properly! Manual for ancient GP2 is a good deal better................

 

[Tinbasherdan]

Thermal arc tend to come with a step by step instructional on how do to everything, base settings the lot

 

[norlander]

My GYS manual is good, if you read French that is, if you turn to the English section it just says "I fart in your general direction rosbif" (ok, I made that up, ).

 

[marechal]

My GYS manual is good, if you read French that is, if you turn to the English section it just says "I fart in your general direction rosbif" (ok, I made that up, ).

Norlander....c'est pas bien de traiter les britanniques de rosbif...!!!!
Nous, nous sommes bien des mangeurs de grenouilles.............................
Brexiter's yes, mais pas rosbif!!!
philippe from Alsace