Getting set up to TIG with Miller Shopmaster 300

[snydes]

Hello everyone, I'm new here and this would be my first post. I recently purchased a Miller Shopmaster 300 and am interested in seeing what I would have to do to get started doing some TIG welding. I've done some incidental (or accidental!) tig welding over the years through my job and I would like to get equipped for it at home. I mostly would be doing light ga. metal work (automotive). I read that this welder could tig "scratch to start" without the high freq. arc starter, would that be true?

Thanks,
Steve

[Pro-Fab]

Any DC welder is capable of scratch start TIG welding. Set it up as EN and you can weld any ferrous metal.

[Donald Branscom]

Any DC welder is capable of scratch start TIG welding. Set it up as EN and you can weld any ferrous metal.

That includes stainless steel.

[snydes]

Any DC welder is capable of scratch start TIG welding. Set it up as EN and you can weld any ferrous metal.

Please excuse my ignorance as I'm not up with all the weld terminology yet, but what does set it up as EN mean? So I would need a torch a pedal and some sort of gas control valve and I could get started? This welder does AC so could I also TIG aluminum?

Thanks for your time,
Steve

[trouble007]

Hello everyone, I'm new here and this would be my first post. I recently purchased a Miller Shopmaster 300 and am interested in seeing what I would have to do to get started doing some TIG welding. I've done some incidental (or accidental!) tig welding over the years through my job and I would like to get equipped for it at home. I mostly would be doing light ga. metal work (automotive). I read that this welder could tig "scratch to start" without the high freq. arc starter, would that be true?

Thanks,
Steve

to set up your shopmaster for Ac tig you will need a high frequency box like a miller hf-251-2, a foot pedal, a torch and a tank of argon. o ya and EN Should be DCEN and it means electrode negative.

EDIT: http://www.millerwelds.com/pdf/spec_sheets/AY5-0.pdf theirs a link to an older version of the high freq box.

Hope this helps

Ryan

[farmall]

The canonical scratch-start thread. Get such a rig and you can TIG while hunting the HF and the pedal:

http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?t=38106

[Stick-man]

Aside from the obvious, tungstens, filler metal etc., you will need at least a torch with a gas valve.

You can also use a foot pedal to make it easier to control the heat. I have a Shopmaster, and I was going to purchase a HF unit to do alum. But for the $1000.00, I would rather put that money towards a Dynasty DX, which is a much better tig welder, portable, etc.

[trouble007]

well look what just popped up, theirs a guy in the buy and sell form selling the high frequency box.
Here's the link http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?p=502140#post502140

[snydes]

Thanks for all the help, now I know what I need to look for!