austin man
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| posted on 19/7/10 at 10:34 PM |
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tig welding
Looking at buying a cheap TIG, I have done gas welding arc and mig but never tig.
What gas will I need for alluminium and steel wealding and daft as it seems is it rods that are used ie like gas welding
Life is like a bowl of fruit, funny how all the weird looking ones are left alone
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RAYLEE29
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| posted on 19/7/10 at 10:43 PM |
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hi, youll need some argon for ally and an ac set too so not cheap.
for steel you can use an inverter set with just dc, rods should be deoxidised too you might need an active gas for odinary steel something like cougar
or argoshield
make sure you cover all skin when tig welding think instant sunburn (not nice)
Ray
p.s. cleanliness is even more important with tig than any other welding
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NigeEss
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| posted on 19/7/10 at 10:49 PM |
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I use pure argon for steel too as the tungsten deteriorates with the presence
of CO2. Mine's only DC so can't do Ali.
A mate bought a cheap AC/DC one from Scootz's most loathed location, about £400
IIRC, seems to do the job but the duty cycle is poo so big jobs are a no-no.
Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.................Douglas Adams.
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austin man
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| posted on 19/7/10 at 10:55 PM |
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so to do ally does it have to be ac dc??
Life is like a bowl of fruit, funny how all the weird looking ones are left alone
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austin man
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| posted on 19/7/10 at 10:57 PM |
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looking at one of these
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Rockworth-Power-Task-130-AMP-TIG-MMA-Welder-/290435181692?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_BOI_Metalworking_Milling_Welding_Metalworking_S
upplies_ET&hash=item439f492c7c
Life is like a bowl of fruit, funny how all the weird looking ones are left alone
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mistergrumpy
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| posted on 19/7/10 at 10:58 PM |
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Yep. Ally needs AC/DC. Look at Argon prices before you dive in. You may change your mind. It's hugely expensive.
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austin man
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| posted on 19/7/10 at 11:02 PM |
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so is it pure argon for ally ?? what gas for steel and stainless , forgive me if I appear thick on this subject. With my MIG setup I just use Co2
Life is like a bowl of fruit, funny how all the weird looking ones are left alone
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907
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| posted on 19/7/10 at 11:17 PM |
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It's argon for all metals with tig,
but Mr G is right. Look into prices before buying.
Edit to add:-
There are cheaper options/smaller bottles but I rent a size W bottle from BOC.
£110 p/a + £90 for a refill. I use about four a year.
Rods aren't cheap. I keep Supersteel (mild steel), 308 s/s, 316 s/s, 309 (mild to s/s) and Al 5%Si, which covers most things.
At on average £30 a packet that's quite an outlay.
Then when I charge people £15 an hour for welding they look at me as if they've been robbed. 
Sorry if I've put you off.
Cheers
Paul G
[Edited on 20/7/10 by 907]
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MakeEverything
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| posted on 20/7/10 at 06:36 AM |
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I used CO2 with my TIG welder to start with, but it runs too hot. I was welding steel and it works ok, but the weld is black when finished, not
bright. Not so sure about structure either, but it cut open ok with no air bubbles or cracks.
Argon can be used on any metal. Its only a shielding gas. Ali needs a pure environment, so 100% argon is best, but more expensive than 5% CO2 mix
which is the same as BOC's ArgoShield product.
Look around for a cheap hobby gas supplier. Adams Gas, or Weld Air are the only two that i have found that sell 10L bottles of Argon Mix. Im hoping
to get one this week so that i can dig out the TIG again.
Kindest Regards,
Richard.
...You can make it foolProof, but youll never make it Idiot Proof!...
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tony-devon
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| posted on 20/7/10 at 08:30 AM |
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hey 907, £15 per hour, they getting off lightly, I wouldnt even fire up the MIG welder for that LOL
round here the TIG places will charge you £30-£35 per hour for a cash job!
heavy is good, heavy is reliable, and if it breaks, hit them with it
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mistergrumpy
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| posted on 20/7/10 at 09:12 AM |
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£15 an hour seems okay. I once had my CAT welded onto my exhaust and the felle wouldn't let me through the door without £15 in cash for what was
a 3-4 minute job.
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