New welder - scratch TIG?

[Mr Fro]

Hello everyone!

Just so you know, I've spent a good chunk of the last couple of weeks absorbing the fab advice contained in this forum. Brilliant stuff for the new welder! :-)

Now, I'm going to update from my shoddy Halfords buzz box to something far, far better and like most new folk I've been a bit baffled by choice.

The jobs I'm planning on doing include car bodywork and motorbike fabrication stuff on steel and aluminium so MIG would be a good choice. I also will still need to weld thicker steel so it makes sense to go for a combi MMA/MIG inverter - something like the CWS Best MIG 160i (http://www.weldingdirect.co.uk/cws-best-mig-160i-9211-p.asp) at £340. However, my eye has also been drawn by the IFL I-Tech 170 MIG (http://www.weldequip.com/ifl-170-mig.htm) at £570.

The Best MIG has some good reviews including a great write up on this forum but... I do like the idea of having the scratch TIG function for doing exhaust work and tidy little welds. I got to think about what makes the I-Tech scratch TIG capable - is it the current range starting lower or is there some fancy elastic-trickery going on inside? If it's possible to pop a TIG torch assembly on the Best MIG then I'm pretty much sold on that seeing as though it's a good bit cheaper and the figures point to it being roughly as capable as the I-Tech.

I'm also mindful that I want something that I can upgrade my skills on and not outgrow in a few years so I throw it open to your knowledge and experience - Can I use a TIG assembly on something like a Best MIG and is it really worth spending the extra £230 on the I-Tech for what appears to be little extra?

Cheers
Fro

 

[julianf]

£230 would buy you a whole used DC tig, with HF start.

My own unit was £100. I watched an EWM (is that the right letters?) sell, locally, on ebay for £220 the other day. That would be a unit worlds appart from an add-on scratch tig function.

 

[roofman]

ive just bought a lincoln tig and after using it the HF start is a great feature that i would,nt do without

 

[Mr Fro]

Yeah... I gather that HF is more pleasant to use. It was more to have a do at it than anything.

Anyroad, I've plumped for the CWS model - can't say enough good things about the service. :-)

 

[rikrobson]

When I was looking for a new mig I also looked the IFL one. I seen to remember it had some "no Stick" circuitry that was used in the starting of the TIG.

The only one that had proper TIG or at least the lowest cost one was the MTS255S from R-tech at about a grand of your British pounds

 

[julianf]

Yeah... I gather that HF is more pleasant to use. It was more to have a do at it than anything.

Anyroad, I've plumped for the CWS model - can't say enough good things about the service. :-)

Ill be keen on following how you get on with the CWS, as i think im going to spend some money in that direction fairly soon.

 

[Richard.]

Mig for car body is really the only practical process. As for thicker section steel mma takes some beating. And you just want to try and learn a bit of tig and see how your skills develop which scratch start is fine for so I believe your on the right road with a MP machine. Good luck with it and I look forward to the review.

 

[Kent]

Your issue will come working with Ali. If you take away speed and ali there aint much you cant do with a little MMA/ scratch TIG. Its also small to store, highly portable and inexpensive. I think the 3 1n 1 inverters like the Lincoln with euro torch are going to be the future for many hobby, maintenance guys and mobile welders, However a way out of your price range presently

 

[daleyd]

I've been trying a bit of tig recently on my multi process machine - I had a quick go when I got the machine about 3 years ago but since then have mainly used mig, along with the occasional arc job. (It's an rtech mts 210, the smaller brother of the 255 machine)

It's lift tig, as all mp machines seem to be, but for the odd job and as a bit of a taster it's absolutely fine. I'm not going to kid myself or anyone else that ive done any more than tinker with it so far, but even in my novice hands I can strike up an arc and produce a weld of sorts. There are plenty of vids on you tube showing what decent welders can do with this type of machine.

For sure a hf start "proper" tig set would be better, but for my needs it is fine.

 

[Kent]

HF don't make a TIG set proper, on a lot of jobs you cant use HF for interference issues. There were no HF start sets about when I started and still some very good work was turned out

 

[daleyd]

HF don't make a TIG set proper, on a lot of jobs you cant use HF for interference issues. There were no HF start sets about when I started and still some very good work was turned out

I know what your saying, but I think it's generally considered hf start is better in Terms of tungsten contamination as well as easier to initiate the arc than lift/scratch start. What I was really referring to was a dedicated tig set if you prefer.

For what it's worth the point I was making above agrees with your statement exactly, ie you can produce decent stuff on a lift tig set, maybe just not as easily.

 

[Richard.]

If tig is to be taken seriously then a set with BOTH options is really the way forward. You'll find 95% of the time you'll use Hf for exactly the reasons you've stated above. Yes Kent is also right there are occasions when you should turn it off if working around sensitive electronics. For the odd strike up and play what you have is more than capable. I'd be lost without it now mind as it is a real convenience to just point and shoot.

 

[daleyd]

I took it as read that generally most sets come with the ability to turn off the hf?

 

[Kent]

No critic of HF just pointing out the facts

 

[Mr Fro]

Thanks guys - really useful info. You hit the nail on the head when you said it'll be something to tinker with for now. I've got a few jobs to be getting on with that MMA and MIG will be good for but towards the end of summer I'll be knocking up an exhaust system for the track bike (then the OH's Lotus if that goes well) so I'll have a play with TIG then.

CWS review to follow when BOC finally get their fingers out and sort my account...

 

[norlander]

I used a lift TIG set up on my MMA inverter for quite a time, then I got a MIG set which has proved to very versatile, and I welded a stainless exhaust with the MIG using Argon/CO2 mix as I had read on here about that- sorry -I am hopeless at finding threads, so can't link you to it.
So the set up you are going for should serve you well. Gent who posts on here- Doubleboost, has some videos on youtube, one of which he demonstrates welding aluminum with MIG (you would need to use Argon for that of course), I have no experience of that myself but would hazard a guess its ok for thickish ali, but thinner stuff might be tricky-but it needs a more experienced chap to comment on that.
The lift TIG is great for better control of the weld and of course neater appearance for some jobs, I was really glad I got the kit.
Have fun and enjoy the new toys

 

[Richard.]

Y

I took it as read that generally most sets come with the ability to turn off the hf?

Yeah in most cases you'll have a switch or button on the front giving you the option of contact and non contact ignition.