complete novice please help!..

[mat]

hi all

i hope im posing in the correct area!

i am a 100% novice and for the last couple of years ive been promising to teach myself to tig weld! Ive had alittle bif of experiance mig welding but really REALLY want to learn how to tig weld ! ! ive been looking on the net for weeks - the are so many types of tig welders i just dont know where to start! i dont have much money to spend £300ish ..i know its not much ! can someone rec a good "hobby" tig welder to get me started? also can anyone rec a good instructional dvd ? im very new to this and very keen to learn!

thanks for your time

mat

 

[busastars]

£300 budget wont get you far.

For that budget your in the Chiniese range of Tigs. I have the Giant 200A Tig and love the little machine, they can be bought from around £150'ish. While I love my little Tig I am quite aware that it could go bang at any time and I have no come backs.

On top of that you need Argon, I pay around £150 a year for 1 large bottle. Also you will need a regulator and flow meter, around £30 off ebay I think. Then its spares, Tungstens £8, welding rods upto around £30 a box, other bits like ceramics etc £10.

Best thing to do is find someone local who will let you have a little play, if you can pick it up then go ahead and buy one having an idea on what you are doing.

 

[blackjackbrown]

You could look for a 'shop-soiled' R-Tech sold on ebay. They are normally around £300.

Its a 160a TIG machine that runs off a 13A domestic supply. Decent features and full two year warranty that is actually worth something so no worries about it giving up after 10 minutes like some chinese TIG's have (not saying all do mind as the R-Tech is also Chinese albeit sold by a UK company).

As above though you do still need to get some Argon and rods which arent cheap to start with (the machine comes with a couple of tungstens and spare collets/ceramics to get you started along with the regulator/flow meter).

No connection by the way, I just got one a couple of weeks ago and was really impressed with it and the company so far.

 

[heinz57]

You could try your local colleges, night school and the like. I signed up to mine £88.00 for the year at 1 night per week. Good value plus you have tutors putting you right and demonstrating stuff. I'd say this is better value than buying a cheap n nasty box off of ebay plus you could get a qualification, always looks good on a CV. Best of luck mate!

 

[richy_B]

Hi mat,
What do you want to weld with the welder, mild steel, aluminium, what thickness? Have you got a project in mind? If the pro welders know what you are planning they will soon help you out.
ATB
Rich