Thread: Which welder?

Mate it looks pretty much identical to the Unimig except better duty cycle and half the price without taking into account the footpedal. Tradetools sell shed loads. They dont see them come back. Cheers
Ps. Correction...a third the price.

So i have finally had a chance to try the rig function on my welder. I'm a look new to this I'm literally fiddling with settings until something works.

Here are done pics of my second go. Settings are 60amps, 1.6mm tungsten and filler rod, 1.6mm steel. I'm pretty happy with it for second go. I blew some holes in the corners but could fill them in ok. I also forgot to turn the gas on at the start haha





I also tried the ac function with same settings (no filler yet). Is this sound normal?

Here is a picture of the a.c. tests. They look ok? Dc is much, much smoother. I dont have any aluminium to test with yet.



Provided that a.c. operation is normal for a cheap welder, I'm pretty happy with it.

On a side note, i looked into building a welding cart, but the cost of the steel alone was $150. This cart was $79. Not exactly what I wanted (the bottle is too low) but really sturdy for the price, and easy to throw together. No handle though, so I'm gonna try fab one up

The AC is really for aluminium to get through the oxide layer. For steel DC setting is the way to go.

I have had 3 goes on my TIG 2 of which were laying alloy beads. Happy with welder. Amazing tech for the money.

Cheers

Originally Posted by ozscott

I have had 3 goes on my TIG 2 of which were laying alloy beads. Happy with welder. Amazing tech for the money.

Cheers

That's tidy. Had much practice before this welder? I'm really struggling to hold the torch steady and not touch the work piece or dab the filler on the tungsten. I reckon I sharpened it at least 5 times on the welds above!

Hi mate. About 10 years ago I did a TAFE course in TIG but it was a short one and I couldn't do it very well.at all. I have stick welded for a while which helps in terms of controlling a weld puddle (all at home). The above was 1hz and that helps taking it slow and steady. Plus I used a foot pedal which is so much easier with alloy. Cheers

As for torch steadiness that can be just practice although if it's just not working freehand you can buy a Tig Finger of similar or drag your 2 bottom fingers across the table or a guide block. Cheers

Originally Posted by ozscott

As for torch steadiness that can be just practice although if it's just not working freehand you can buy a Tig Finger of similar or drag your 2 bottom fingers across the table or a guide block. Cheers

I've been trying to adjust stick out so i can drag the cup along the lens piece. I'm much better free hand when I go back over the weld without filler as I'm not trying to do two things at once and can use the other hand to steady the torch.

Burnt a few holes in the handle for the welding cart but managed to fill them in ok. The welds aren't pretty but they're not awful. Ill get some pics tomorrow.

I also dont have pulse so 1Hz is irrelevant for me :bigcry: