Is it worth it?

[cumbriasteve]

This is probably not an easy one to answer but opinions would still be very welcome.

I was going to sell my virtually unused R-Tech 140 MMA but friend is trying to convince me to get a scratch TIG set up for it at a cost of £70, I can get Argon easily too.

So..I have MMA, a good MIG set and I just wonder if it will be worth it and is scratch TIG any good.

My welding is just hobby work, no car work, just odds and sods.

I know nothing about TIG at all..totally zero or even less than that.

Would it be a 'nice to have' or do you think it's something that would end up being an unused 'sounds fun' purchase.

My main work is light to medium ornamental steelwork.

The only use I can see is the rare fine detail project I may do and would scrath TIG be any good for that.

I certainly don't have the work for a £1000 set up.

Cheers folks and Happy New Year

 

[Shox Dr]

Scratch start is only the method of starting the arc. It has no effect on the welding process. It is however not an easy method to master. And unless the add-on is capable of converting to AC then it will only be good for Ferrous metals

 

[cumbriasteve]

This is the machine and the link to the TIG kit is near the bottom

http://www.r-techwelding.co.uk/welding_equipment/Arc_MMA_Welder/Arc_Welder_R-Tech_MMA140M

 

[Shox Dr]

All standard stuff, price is about right. DC only

 

[cumbriasteve]

All standard stuff, price is about right. DC only

Cheers...may be worth having..I am a sucker for stuff to play with

 

[Tigman]

Scratch start isnt too hard to master , I have it on my inverter and have done a few successful jobs on site with the Tig !

I would Go for it !

 

[cumbriasteve]

Scratch start isnt too hard to master , I have it on my inverter and have done a few successful jobs on site with the Tig !

I would Go for it !

Well in my youth... which does seem like another world, I was known as s..t hot with the old oxy acet welding, I must have welded half the cars in Cumbria in the early 70's and only set serious fire to one of them and the technique looks similarish..sort of..bit like etc..so yep, think I will give it a bash and just hope it does not tempt me to another costly machine for the man cave.

 

[Tigman]

I was a bit of a dab hand at oxy /acety welding , done many cars with it ! You will find the process quite easy once you have the settings right it is very similar just a bit quicker !

 

[gavuk]

Have to agree ,o/a to tig is a fairly painless learning curve,if your work could benefit from using welded stainless then go for it ,if its for mild steel its trickier to justify ......its a great skill to have and a most rewarding process to master

 

[KemppiFrog]

I justified a scratch start TIG on the strength of an insurance job on SS stuff after a storm damaged a boat. I found that after I finished that job, I mostly used it for stick work on site because it was so light compared to my shop MMA. And, if I had known, a HF start would have been a required feature. It went kaput a couple of years ago and I don't feel the need to replace it. My MIG does the SS about as well, and doesn't need the pure argon. Since bottle rental is a racket here, one less is a bonus.

As for o/a, I taught myself that by flush seaming a Mini, talk about an innocent to the slaughter... That lead to frequent pulls by plod, who couldn't figure why it looked strange.
KF