Tig Advice

[Wyn F]

Hi
I'm looking into learning how to tig weld and what to buy for home/diy use
Basically I need some advice if poss on what I can use at home with 240v
I would like to be able to weld aluminium and ss/steels if poss mainly for car/bike use
From what I've read I believe I would need a ac/dc machine for this ?
Can someone tell me what power? machine I can get away with at home with 240v
Is there any point in me paying for a more powerful machine, could I use the extra power at home?
Are the more expensive machines more capable of running higher power from 240v, if that make sense.
Also I see some new machines around 1k and others with similar out puts around 3k. As daft as it sounds would a 3k machine be easier to weld with and give better end results (not that I'm buying one)


Cheers for any advice
Wyn

 

[Shox Dr]

There is a raft of information here. Once you've read that lot, come back and ask some questions

 

[chevy2]

If you dont want to go to the trouble of fitting 16amp blue sockets on 240volt assuming your supply is up to it then for welders that use a 13amp plug the new inverter type machines need a smaller input to run them and you'll limited to around a 160 amp tig welder.

 

[Wyn F]

There is a raft of information here. Once you've read that lot, come back and ask some questions

That's why I'm asking, after a reading countless posts I'm getting lost in all the diffo info
Sure it's early days but I can't say I've seen a "how to" or "what's required" section as such?

 

[Wyn F]

If you dont want to go to the trouble of fitting 16amp blue sockets on 240volt assuming your supply is up to it then for welders that use a 13amp plug the new inverter type machines need a smaller input to run them and you'll limited to around a 160 amp tig welder.

Cheers, something like this you mean ? http://www.waspsupplies.com/16-amp-240-volt-blue-panel-socket-3167-p.asp
I take it I remove the std 240v plug socket cover and fit that I could then run a higher output machine on 240v

 

[chevy2]

Cheers, something like this you mean ? http://www.waspsupplies.com/16-amp-240-volt-blue-panel-socket-3167-p.asp
I take it I remove the std 240v plug socket cover and fit that I could then run a higher output machine on 240v

In theory yes, you could run up to around 200 amps with that socket but i'm assuming you're not an electrician so before changing over make sure you get a qualified electrician to check that the cable and supply etc is capable of supplying the additional amperage needed to run a bigger machine.

On most car and bike stuff a 160amp will cover most of what you're likely to do.

 

[Wyn F]

In theory yes, you could run up to around 200 amps with that socket but i'm assuming you're not an electrician so before changing over make sure you get a qualified electrician to check that the cable and supply etc is capable of supplying the additional amperage needed to run a bigger machine.

On most car and bike stuff a 160amp will cover most of what you're likely to do.

Cheers for the simple answers and yes I'm no electrician by trade
Have had a quick look and found an external version which would be a better bet if correct
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/16-amp-3-...ectrical_ET&hash=item4611be8827#ht_1949wt_882
Don't think the mrs would appreciate a 16a blue socket plug in the living room

 

[hotrodder]

Unlike 13A plugs industrial 'ceeform' (aka commando) plugs don't have fuses in 'em so you really shouldn't replace a normal 13A socket in a ring main with them as the ringmain will be fused at 32A i.e. the load that's plugged into it won't be fused approiately and then there's the total leccy load on the ringmain to consider. As said, need to take advice of a qualified spark but they're typically used on their own circuit with appropriate breakers etc

My 200A Lincoln won't pop a fuse running flat out (TIG, not stick/MMA) off a 13A plug and isn't bothered by sensitive RCDs either. It's 14 years old but cost several times more than a cheapnese inverter...
As said above 150 - 160A everything will typically be specced with minimum of 16A 'slow' fuse which typically means a type C or D breaker- these allow a larger leccy surge before tripping. Explained in more depth here... http://www.neweysonline.co.uk/MCBs/Static.raction While they ask for the same supply on paper the top European/US brands are typically more efficient*/conversitively specced than cheapnese stuff and so often find they're far less fussy about what they're plugged into

As said 160A will get a lot done, where it falls short is with aluminium... the very high thermal conductivity of ally means you need throw more amps at it than you do with steel. The size/mass of the weldment plays as much of a role as thickness in that a small 1/4" thick ally bracket won't be an issue with a 160A machine but a 4mm thick casting (big lump) could have it struggling unless you throw loads of preheat at it first


* need to look at ALL the specs when comparing things for example a 230A Kemppi is around 5.7kVA for a 40% duty cycle while a 250A R-Tech with it's 'better' 60% duty cycle is 7.7kVA. OK touch higher output too but the Kemppi is more efficient and half the weight. That's part of the reason why it costs more than double

 

[Wyn F]

Many thanks. That's paints a clearer picture
I would deffo like to weld aluminium so see it that the cooker and 200a would be my max

Wyn