Looking For Advice For My First TIG

[Tom Orrow L]

I'm a little confused. Over the time I've been looking for TIG welders, I've seen varying opinions regarding the thickness of materials.

The one that sticks out the most is one manufacturer says 160A for 5mm steel whilst another says 200A for 1/8" (3.2mm)

Which one is correct?

I'm now swayed towards the Parweld XTI 202 at the moment but they haven't been too quick in getting back to me with the info I asked for

Different manufacturers will state different thickness' depending on who their machines are aimed towards, if they're for the DIY user they'll up it a bit as most likely they won't need mass amounts of penetration whereas those aimed at profession will probably understate by a small amount.

What information you after on the Parweld?

 

[Chris Stevens]

I'm a little confused. Over the time I've been looking for TIG welders, I've seen varying opinions regarding the thickness of materials.

The one that sticks out the most is one manufacturer says 160A for 5mm steel whilst another says 200A for 1/8" (3.2mm)

Which one is correct?

I'm now swayed towards the Parweld XTI 202 at the moment but they haven't been too quick in getting back to me with the info I asked for

You will need as high output as you can get for welding aluminium, but rather than going for Chinese if you could find a bit more money there is an MLS2300 Kemppi owned by a forum member on Ebay at the moment for £1700, which is better than Chinese in every way, and will have a good resale value should you need to sell it in the future.

 

[cosmarchy]

You will need as high output as you can get for welding aluminium, but rather than going for Chinese if you could find a bit more money there is an MLS2300 Kemppi owned by a forum member on Ebay at the moment for £1700, which is better than Chinese in every way, and will have a good resale value should you need to sell it in the future.

Believe me I'd love to invest in a Kemppi but as an occasional hobbyist I couldn't justify that kind of investment especially as I've never TIG welded before and I may not get on with it at all. I didn't want to start out too cheap either.
Maybe if all is going well in the future I may splash out

 

[cosmarchy]

Different manufacturers will state different thickness' depending on who their machines are aimed towards, if they're for the DIY user they'll up it a bit as most likely they won't need mass amounts of penetration whereas those aimed at profession will probably understate by a small amount.

What information you after on the Parweld?

All I was after is what equipment is supplied with the XTI 202 but unfortunately they don't seem to want to reply which doesn't really endear me to wanting to buy their products
I got hold of a supplier who tells me it comes with a WP17 torch, gas hose and earth leads. I do find this a little odd of Parweld to supply this as this torch is only capable of 150A DC and 115A AC and the welder is 200A.
As a beginner I can try out this torch and move up when/if the need arises.

 

[addjunkie]

A wp 17 torch is much lighter to use than the bigger wp26 i got with my machine. For most stuff i use a smaller lighter torch, only use the 26 if im messing with thicker ali.

I use the term messing as it usually ends up looking a mess when i do ali.

Or a cooled torch, but thats more money again.

 

[langy]

All I was after is what equipment is supplied with the XTI 202 but unfortunately they don't seem to want to reply which doesn't really endear me to wanting to buy their products
I got hold of a supplier who tells me it comes with a WP17 torch, gas hose and earth leads. I do find this a little odd of Parweld to supply this as this torch is only capable of 150A DC and 115A AC and the welder is 200A.
As a beginner I can try out this torch and move up when/if the need arises.

The Wp17 is a general purpose torch, you wouldn't want to start off with a WP26, with tig welding you generally start with a 17 and then add other torches.
You could of course add a water cooler and then use a WP9 for everything.

 

[Richard.]

Ok well regarding thickness to capability with steel and stainless allow 30-35amps per 1mm so a 200 amp machine should cover 5-6 mm thick welded properly .
Alu is very different. When it's cold you need a lot of current to get through the oxide layer and get a pool going. (45 amps per 1 mm roughly.) once heat soaked mind you can get away with nearly half that if it's a small component.
Torches. A wp17 is good for 150 amps on DC but AC really can kill them off if your spending time above 120amps. Water cooling is the way to go if your taking Alu seriously. Wp26 is capable of taking the current but god they are awfull to manage.

 

[Chris Stevens]

Believe me I'd love to invest in a Kemppi but as an occasional hobbyist I couldn't justify that kind of investment especially as I've never TIG welded before and I may not get on with it at all. I didn't want to start out too cheap either.
Maybe if all is going well in the future I may splash out

A reasonable 200A Chinese set with pedal is going to cost around £1100. The Kemppi for £600 more seems a very good deal to me?

 

[Richard.]

^^^^^^. I totally agree with Chris.
The kemmpi in question belongs to a member on here so I'm sure a deal could be struck to avoid some eBay fees too.

 

[adamss24]

^^^^^^. I totally agree with Chris.
The kemmpi in question belongs to a member on here so I'm sure a deal could be struck to avoid some eBay fees too.

I made an offer on the kempi a few weeks ago and that was dully refused- i did not know that the welde belonged to a forum member then ! Anyway, i am glad the offer was rejected as i have been offered a brand new in the box Lincoln ac dc tig welder with loads of accesories for about half price what They go online ! I will be selling my thermal arc and get a few hundred quid back for my old setup !

 

[Richard.]

Well it depends on the offer made of course. Offering on eBay means he'll still pay a big fee. An offer on here is much more attractive to him and your self.
Remember if he sells that on eBay for £1600 he's only gonna make 1440. An offer of 1500 is to both peoples advantage and trust me they are worth every penny. Especially as there is a pedal included. I have an Mls 2300. They are surprisingly brilliant.

 

[Chris Stevens]

In my view the MLS is a good deal better than Lincoln, but if you can get a brand new one with warranty for half price, its got to be worth going for.

 

[adamss24]

In my view the MLS is a good deal better than Lincoln, but if you can get a brand new one with warranty for half price, its got to be worth going for.

The Lincoln came with genuine dimming mask, regulator, brand new pedal and a selection of gas lenses+ cups and tungstens as part of the deal. No matter how you look at it but a new setup is better than a well used setup regardless if refurbished or not ! Anyway, good luck with the sale and I hope both parties get a good outcome in the end...

 

[Appyasme1]

The Kemppi AC/DC is a class machine