Second hand tig/arc set for under £400?

[$ilver]

Hi all my first post

Well I have been mig welding at work now for a while and i'm beginning to wonder about tig and arc.

I’m only looking for a small machine to use at home, something portable to use on domestic power supply that has some real world practical use too.

I was wondering if it is possible to get a second hand set for under £400 but looking around on eBay and stuff it’s beginning to look very unlikely

Any advice would be appreciated

*waves to everyone*

$ilver

 

[oddball90]

Got a Draper 160 amp inverter here with hf start and a x size boc bottle of Argon would want £400 for it. Don

 

[$ilver]

Got a Draper 160 amp inverter here with hf start and a x size boc bottle of Argon would want £400 for it. Don

Ok please bear in mind I havent got a clue about tig welders so dont roast me if I ask silly questions

How old?
All leads etc included?
Has it been used much?
Could you post some specs like duty cycle etc?
Is it AC & DC (ac for ally and dc for steel correct?)
Does it do arc too?

Pm or post

Many thanks

 

[oddball90]

pm sent. Don

 

[$ilver]

Still looking for a set if anyone is selling....

 

[aero]

GYS make very good TIG/ARC inverters. http://www.gys.fr/. The one I'd go for is £500 complete and ready to weld, with 2 year warranity.

You can get cheaper but there are some things to consider. Really you want HF start. Sounds like a gimmic but its actually very important. With out it you are reduced to scratch start, which contaminates the weld with tungsten from the tip. With HF start the tip should not touch the work peice at all thus avoiding this weld fault. One of these inverters will not weld ally, you need AC for that and you are talking a lot more cash.

I think you should do some more investion on TIG welding first. I have done a beginner's guide to choosing equipment, but as is for publication by a small magazine I don't want to reproduce this here until its been printed.

 

[malcolm]

There are loads of DC TIGs on eBay for less than £400. I was on there last year looking for a cheap TIG just to see what TIG welding was like. One of the ones I bid on sold for £120. Not so many amps.

AC TIGs that run on single phase seem to be very sought after. Lucky to find much decent for less than £700. Mine cost £600 and is enormous. In hindsight I'd have been better off buying a new one for £1k. If you are new to TIG and have a second hand machine you are never sure if it's you or the machine that's doing the wrong thing.

Probably research is best done on the forum, and the buying thing best done on eBay. Wanted ads are advertising which are against the forum rules, but talking about buying a TIG within a budget is very much OK.

 

[$ilver]

Ok thanks for the info guys

 

[$ilver]

GYS make very good TIG/ARC inverters. http://www.gys.fr/. The one I'd go for is £500 complete and ready to weld, with 2 year warranity.

aero where can I buy those from? I have been on the website but there are no prices, is there a UK dealer?

Cheers $ilver

 

[aero]

I use Fowlmere Engineering as they are on my door step, but weldequipe might be able to supply as well.

 

[weldequip]

I do the British made Inverter Fusion machines www.inverterfusion.com They have market leading duty cycles/specifications & have proven to be very reliable. The GYS machines use Chinese electronics & are not made in France (badged up there maybe!) & the UK's largest wholesaler has recently dropped them, so what does that tell you?!
weldequip