I want a new welder. Advice on inverters/tig capable please?

[pfillery]

I'm thinking of upgrading from my $59 Arlec arc welder to something a little more capable but still on a budget.

I have seen lots of the ads on ebay etc for these DC inverter welders that are tig capable. As I understand it, tig is what you would need to weld aluminium and as a land rover owner there would be a benefit to having this capacity.

My question is - are the simple inverters with tig capability able to do this, I'm not really sure how tig works, and is tig welding something that is hard to learn if self teaching? Are the consumables expensive? Presumably you don't use gas?

Is it worth the bother for the occasional usage or is there something else I should be looking at? I'm a mediocre welder and not doing anything too heavy (hence the arlec has done me proud so far) but if tigging is fairly easy and worth it then that may be the way to go.

Any advice will be taken on board and assist with my potential purchase.

[gromit]

I'm sure someone with more knowledge than me we provide a more complete answer but.....

TIG still needs a shielding gas and for aluminium welding you will end up paying about $1000 for a cheap unit.
The units you've seen advertised will TIG weld steel.

I've been considering purchasing a TIG welder (or combo TIG MIG) suitable for aluminium for some time. Struggling to justify the cost for the amount of use it will get.

Colin

[crash]

The DC inverter welders are great for mild steel. After using a reasonable quality one, I seriously considered getting rid of my MIG and getting one. I rate them higher than my MIG welding gasless, but prefer using my MIG with gas.
I know very little about aluminum welding. My limited research into it highlighted that you need a higher spec machine for aluminum, not all MIGs and DC TIG welders are capable of it. On advantage of a TIG is you can then start welding other material aswell like stainless steel.
Again, I am only a home mechanic and hope someone with more experience than me can put you on the right track.

[steveG]

I'm thinking of upgrading from my $59 Arlec arc welder to something a little more capable but still on a budget.

I have seen lots of the ads on ebay etc for these DC inverter welders that are tig capable. As I understand it, tig is what you would need to weld aluminium and as a land rover owner there would be a benefit to having this capacity.

My question is - are the simple inverters with tig capability able to do this, I'm not really sure how tig works, and is tig welding something that is hard to learn if self teaching? Are the consumables expensive? Presumably you don't use gas?

Is it worth the bother for the occasional usage or is there something else I should be looking at? I'm a mediocre welder and not doing anything too heavy (hence the arlec has done me proud so far) but if tigging is fairly easy and worth it then that may be the way to go.

Any advice will be taken on board and assist with my potential purchase.

For Aluminium you need an AC TIG (and appropriate gas) - so NO - those welders wont do it.

I've got an AC/DC TIG, but have only done a coulple of test welds on aluminium.

For low cost and flexibility for occasional use, I reckon its hard to go past one of the inverter stick welders. Light enough to carry anywhere, can weld stuff as light as 1.6mm tube for exhausts etc. Can weld stainless. No ongoing gas bottle hire etc.
I've used a few different stick welders over the years (as a home welder), but the stick side of my inverter TIG machine is magic to use.

Cheap MIG's make good horizontal surfaces to store stuff on and to turn electricity+wire into frustration - but thats about it.
Good MIG is great if you are doing a lot of welding, but otherwise its a lot of money sitting around doing nothing.
TIG is nice but slow and you need gas and skill to get good welds.

Theres plenty of other info around on here about welder selection if you have a search.

Steve

[pfillery]

Thanks for the advice. I had seen a few of the cheaper inverters with tig capability that claimed they could weld aluminium so that was the reason I was asking. sounds like they are full of crap!

I've used an inverter welder and agree they are great, able to weld thinner stuff with ease for a mediocre welder like myself. Although in saying that I've managed to weld a muffler tailpipe back on using my arlec with a 3mm rod on a lower amperage so it can't be half bad. Does tend to burn through thin plate etc though.

Any brands or types to go for and any to avoid? I was thinking of spending a couple of hundred or so, maybe up to 300. I don't use it all the time but would be nicer to use a better machine than the one I've got.

And what is the reason for using gasless dc tig on steel? Is it better somehow than stick? What applications as examples would I use this function generally? considering most of these inverters don't include the tig torch (optional extra) there may be no benefit to buying one.

[uninformed]

TIG is a real art and hard to do properly it really depends on what you are going to weld. A good quality MIG will weld Steel, Stainless Steel and Alluminuim. You will need the appropriate sheilding gas for each, But as an example, I run and E class bottle of Argosheild for all my normal steel welding. I have a small bottle of pure argon for S/S and could also use this for Alu. With a mig you also need the appropriate filler wire for each steel. I buy the 15kg rolls of mild steel and just the little 5kg rolls of S/S. For Alu you will need different rollers to feed the wire as the standard type will crush the wire. Most will say you also need teflon liners for the gun but I have a mate that tried that and had more trouble than just running a standard liner so he went back to that.

A TIG that will weld Alu will be dollars for a decent unit.

A very good quality Stick/tig (NO Alu) will go for about $1000

A good singel phase MIG (Kemppi/WIA/Esab/Lincon) will go for upto $2500, this being the biggest you can run on single phase, but you should still have a dedicated circut, with MIN of 25amp (I run 32) circut breaker.

NOTE, ANY of the welding process can be done to a extreme quality level or just a pile of scrap crap sitting on the surface. Oxy Acet, is used from copper (plumber) right through to exotics in aircfraft and auto racing. As is TIG and MIG....suprising alot of stuff on NASCAR is only mild steel and MIG...

what ever you go for, go do a night course and get the correct basics.

[Tote]

I am almost finished doing a year of TAFE learning to TIG weld, some of my exploits are in the series 1 forum under "Welding Birmabright" (http://www.aulro.com/afvb/series-i-land-rover-enthusiasts-section/138067-welding-birmabright.html) thread. The welders we use at tech are these New Cigweld Tig Welders for sale - TRANSTIG 300 AC DC Limited Time Sale Price, 29630 (http://www.machines4u.com.au/view/advert/TRANSTIG-300-AC-DC-Limited-Time-Sale-Price/29630/)

It has a single phase version , the TRANSTIG 200 but these are often as expensive as the 300..

From my research one of these or its many chinese bretheren is probably what I'll end up getting when I can no longer use TAFE facilities for welding up old Land Rovers.
New Magnum Welders Tig Welders for sale - Tig200P AC DC , 36506 (http://www.machines4u.com.au/view/advert/Tig200P-AC-DC/36506/)

Regards,
Tote