T.I.G inverter

[apprenticetom]

Hi ive been learning to tig weld at work now thinking of buying my own welder. I already have my own stick welder and mig but need a new inverter. I would be doing a lot of stick welding in my own time and would also be giving this machine i decide to buy a lot of use. I was looking at this http://www.wholesaleweldingsupplies.ie/index.php?route=product/product&path=69&product_id=1330 but not sure if it would be ideal? Any suggestions on a make and where to buy in ireland?

 

[hotrodder]

That's not a TIG, it's a stick inverter which like pretty much any DC inverter can be used as powersource for TIG. The downside is that they have no gas solenoid so the gas needs to be manually turned on/off via a valve on the torch. While the one in the link offers 'lift start' rather than scratch start* real TIGs have as a bare minimum a gas solenoid and slope control to smoothly wind the current down when ending a weld. They usually offer a hell of a lot more too like HF (non contact) start and a bunch of other stuff

Note that the Parweld in the link doesn't come with a TIG torch, it's an optional extra. If you look under the TIG welders section you'll find (with the exception of the Clarke toy) the real TIGs. They will all offer stick welding too. If you want to be able to weld aluminium with TIG then you need an AC/DC machine and the price goes up a lot. If a DC only machine is all you're after then the Rtech at around ~390 Euros will be cheaper overall than the Parweld you linked to as it comes with a TIG torch, gas regulator and torch consumables as well as a stinger and leads.


* Scratch start is almost an art inself in that it takes a fair bit of practice to be able to manually strike an arc without trashing the tip of the tungsten. TIG using a valved torch on a stick welder means the only way to end a weld is to snap or roll the torch away to break the arc as there's no on/off button.

 

[jonjoe]

if your looking a good tig you need to go for a half decent one dont want to buy one and then have to change it for a better one these are some good ones.

http://www.weldequip.com/tecarc-186i-dc.htm

and

http://www.weldequip.com/tecarc-206i-acdc.htm

or

http://www.weldequip.com/inverter-fusion-tig.htm

 

[apprenticetom]

Thanks for the replys this has helped a lot. Thanks lads at least now i know what to look for