Constant HF Machines?

[1974Warthog]

Hi All,

I have just finished a course in Tig (Ferrous/Non ferrous) and now would like to get my own unit.

But i have been spoilt at my workplace. The units are 3 phase and way out of my budget!

I have a Budget of £1500 and looking for a Single Phase AC/DC unit capable of Constant HF. I have welded with HF Start and Constant on alluminium. HF Start works well, but if i can get a Unit that has constant for the money?

I think i'll be lucky to get new at my budget though?

Cheers for any advice

 

[astro_al]

Hi Warthog.

Why not just get a Miller dialarc or something? Mine (got 2) have selectable no-HF, HF-start and constant-HF modes.

They come up for around about £1 or £1.50 per amp if you dig around. Often on ebay.

You just need a high amp supply to run it on single phase, but you can do it. If you go for the suffix 'P' model, it has an extra unit which decreases the required current quite a bit.

I'm sure there are other options, but this would be well within your budget. With water cooler, pedal etc etc.

Cheers, Al.

 

[1974Warthog]

Cheers Al,

I have been watching out on Ebay for such machines, but most seem to be 3 Phase though. Some say they will run on Single Phase, but i have always been a little sceptical on if the seller is just trying to widen his auctions audience?

Watercooled and a footpedal.......Now they are good options too!


Cheers

 

[astro_al]

They are single phase machines. I have the manual (I'm going o scan it in a couple of months when I get my PC and scanner sorted...). They just draw a lot of amps.

I run mine on one phase of 415V, but there are jumpers inside to change the voltage setting.

Big though... Attached pic shows one of them filling what little space I have in the workshop, while Mr Moglite (you're that Warthog, right?) loses his Tig cherry). Sorry for the dark pic.

Al.

 

[1974Warthog]

Well you got me thinking now, will have to looki into this option with more detail.

Have never considered them up to now. A keen eye on Flea bay/Forums and maybe a chat to the Welding instructor at work might lead to a good find? Would prefer a good solid industrial unit, rather than the inverter singe phase units anyway.

The size of the unit isnt a problem. That is a good thing, "thieving toe rags" will at least struggle if they want it. Which would hopefully give me time to set the dogs on to'em! LOL

Will have to look at what i would need to do. So i can run high amps, through the Distribution board at home? I would assume that i could run a certain amperage on say the stock 32amp Trip that i run my Single Phase Mig plant on?

Electrickery surpasses my skills!!

Cheers Al

Yeah, im Warthog from LR4x4, small virtual world we LR nuts surf eh!! Bet most LR4x4 members favourites list is similiar?

 

[shenion]

The DialArcs are good beasts (The old millers are referred here as "School-bus welders due to their shape and size.) If you find one, if it comes with a footpedal that is a plus. Footpedals for these are hard to come by cheap. The more complete the setup is, the more it is worth.

I watched ebay for several months before finding mine. Lots available here, but most on the west coast. Shipping 1950 miles on a 450lb hunk of iron and copper is the killer. I finally found one local at a steal.

The Airco, Miller and ESAB old transformer TIGs are all very similar. All basically the same machine and the 3 makers all made them for each other. They are reliable. The only thing that wears out are the HF caps, they can be found surplus from time to time.

Miller is great about providing parts lists and schematics. Makes fixing them easy.

A 250 will run fine on 32A. If I remember right, they want a 64 amp feed. At 32A you should be able to do about 140A. Probably more as they get power hungry at higher settings (more lost as heat.)

I have an Airco beast made by Miller. Miller used the design for the Dialarcs. They are reliable (mine is 35 years old.) They do not have fancy features like square wave or pulse, but do well.

Hehe, "thieving toe rags" will have a real hard time carrying away my 750lb beast

 

[astro_al]

Yeah, one of mine has a foot pedal the other doesn't.

I heard the internal components can be had from Miller - anyone know if its true, I feel like making a few spares and the rest looks easy enough...

Amps on domestic voltage run into 3 figures(!) on full whack (without the suffix P unit). But as Shenion says, you could run it up as high as you can until the trip blows out. I guess you'll not be needing 300 Amps output from a tig anyway, realistically?

Of course, if you can score a pedal, you don't necessarily need to find a unit with the optional pulse etc.

Al.

 

[Wozzaaah]

I bought my (as yet unused by me ) Dialarc 250HF on ebay, didn't set me back much and it came with foot pedal and water cooler. Like Astro_al says, it does need a hefty input current though which is why as yet I haven't used it. The specs state 103A at full current!

 

[malcolm]

Go for it Wozz. My Syncrowave needs 110 amps for max power. When I first got it I tested it out on a 13 amp plug and it was fine on low amps. Now it's on a 40 amp type D breaker which it hasn't popped so far. Though I don't tend to do thick stuff.

 

[astro_al]

Since they are modular, can the power-factor module (the 'P' bit) be found / bought separately to bring the current requirements down on a non-P model?

Al.

 

[shenion]

Yeah, my Airco says 108A at full load.

I just read it specifies a 175A breaker. The main to my house is only 150A.

Mine is on a 50A breaker (very fast trip.) Works fine and have gone to 200A. Every once in a while the breaker trips when I pull the trigger. Will need to find a breaker for inductive loads. The standard breakers here trip in milliseconds.

 

[Drains]

Woz should sell me his Tig. I can hear it crying from lack of use from here!

 

[Wozzaaah]

I have seriously thought about selling it Si, I'd be better off with an inverter. if I do decide to, I'll let you know.

 

[astro_al]

Nah, its too far - thats a hell of a delivery run!

I need a third dialarc. Thats t'HI'rd... :full

Al.

 

[1974Warthog]

Anyone used this company before:

http://www.westermans.com/product.a...l and Start Current 60% Duty Cycle @ 300 amps


Now i believe this is the said machine to go for? Have enquired to see what the price would be? The "P" suffix is the one to go for?

 

[astro_al]

I tried to use them a few weeks back and they basically said they couldn't be bothered to figure out whether they have what I want or not in stock...

I also enquired about some prices of used equipment and it didn't seem very good value IMHO.

Having said that, a mate really rates them, so maybe I was just unlucky.

No, thats not the machine under discussion, but it could be a machine to go for. It'll cost more than a dialarc, but that might be ok for you. There was one of these on ebay (or still is) in the UK, I think with a 1k buy it now price.

I guess 'P' on these is the same as 'P' on a dialarc, but can't promise it! In which case, yes, go for that. Its pretty necessary with your power supply.

Nice welding machine.

Al.