whats a good older tig welder?

[soutthpaw]

For your price range don't expect to get an inverter AC welder.
U can find a transformer or DC only inverter tig pretty easy in your budget.
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[MOE1]

alright guys and i made amistake i only need to tig weld mostly 1/4 tubing. what good size would do basic 1/4 in tubing

[lamename]

Originally Posted by Pavinsteelman

No way they are 460 volt single phase , all tig transformers are 220 volt single phase 50 amps will run most .

This is not true.

[snoeproe]

All our transformer tig machines at work run on 575v 3 phase power. Same goes for the inverters.

[MOE1]

i dont need nothing fancy or special. just something thatll last a while and can do aluminum and scheduled .40 tubing

[Kelvin]

Originally Posted by MOE1

i dont need nothing fancy or special.

I don't think you have to worry about that too much with a $400-$750 budget.

[soutthpaw]

Originally Posted by MOE1

i dont need nothing fancy or special. just something thatll last a while and can do aluminum and scheduled .40 tubing

Here is your problem... "can do aluminum". Requires AC current and a pedal for aluminum. That makes it fancy and expensive. A used transformer AC/DC machine or an Everlast/longevity/chicom are your only real options for your budget. For DC only tig there are plenty of machines available in your budget, both new and used.


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[MOE1]

Originally Posted by soutthpaw

Here is your problem... "can do aluminum". Requires AC current and a pedal for aluminum. That makes it fancy and expensive. A used transformer AC/DC machine or an Everlast/longevity/chicom are your only real options for your budget. For DC only tig there are plenty of machines available in your budget, both new and used.


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fine im good without it doing aluminum theres other ways whats a good tig dc machine to do scheduled .40 with? mostly that size maybe smaller and maybe a lil bigger piping.

[Oldendum]

Originally Posted by MOE1

im looking for sumtin nice and easy to use. between 400 and 750 i guess? if its possible. id like to be able to move it easy tho too, in and outta my truck.

A good older TIG welder that is between $400. - $750 may run you $1. - $2. per pound. That eliminates the "move it easy" part. There are some good deals on some of the old 700 pound welders if you have enough electrical service to run them. Don't forget the cost of the gas and all the accessories.

[B_C]

OK....Let me see here....A GOOD, OLDER, TIG WELDER........How about Sundown III He's old.......lol
Sorry Bro you aren't going to find what you want for what you want to spend.....Save your money and buy something worth a crap or your Aluminum welding will be......well you understand.....

[tanglediver]

I want a dc and ac tig machine, that is easy to move, that cost about $xxx.00, for such and such welding.

How's your tig hand?

Maybe you just want a mig machine with a spool gun.

[j440]

i second the miller abp 330. we have one at our shop and for an old machine i love that thing. i tig aluminum on that bad boy all the time, without a pedal.

[soutthpaw]

Originally Posted by j440

i second the miller abp 330. we have one at our shop and for an old machine i love that thing. i tig aluminum on that bad boy all the time, without a pedal.

X2 on the 330 ABP. I owned one and they weld real nice. They do weigh in at about 850lbs though. Make sure it has a pedal with it. They are pricy to get afterwards. $175 or so from what I have seen.
It's Zapster's machine of choice and u have seen his TIG work.
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[lamename]

Originally Posted by soutthpaw

X2 on the 330 ABP. I owned one and they weld real nice. They do weigh in at about 850lbs though. Make sure it has a pedal with it. They are pricy to get afterwards. $175 or so from what I have seen.
It's Zapster's machine of choice and u have seen his TIG work.
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330 abp? I've had a couple come through and don't think they are anything special. I doubt it's that guys machine of choice, probably just what the shop has. It's not about the machine. Anyway if you want an old tank of a tig message me. I might have what you are looking for with more options than the abp but just as much mass.

[LeLynn]

I managed to get ahold of a VERY decent Hobart Cyber Tig for $400 with a 300cf argon bottle some years ago. It has pretty much all the bells and whistles (hot start, up slope, down slope, pulse) It has been a great machine, needing no repairs at all in the 4 or 5 years I have owned it. I did have to build a torch cooler for it, but otherwise it was compete and came with a bunch of spare parts (Boards, coils, switches, gauges ect). It is a very power hungry machine, drawing 94 or 96 amps (Can't remember exactly) on a 220v single phase service. It also weighs around 800 pounds. Some of the older machines (Mine is a 1986 model) can be great machines and if taken care of can last a VERY long time. Keep your eyes open on craigslist and the local paper. It doesn't take a ton of power to weld schedule 40 steel pipe, but keep in mind that aluminum can take quite a bit of power do to the fact that it will "wick" alot of heat away. Get a machine with more power then you think you will need, that way to are less prone to outgrow it. Another plus for the larger/more powerful machines is that they have very high duty cycles at the low amperages. Good luck with the search.

[soutthpaw]

Equipment and farm auctions are good sources if you are willing to risk it... I got my airco branded 330 for under $200 at a farm/ equipment auction. Came with leads, pedal, cooler etc. It wass worth more than that in scrap and parts. The old stuff is loaded with copper... the auctioneer said it cam out of a diesel repair shop and was working when removed... they had a ton of other stuff from the same shop in the sale too.

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[Spar-X]

Yeah, that 300/300 looks like it will move in and out if his truck with the greatest of ease, nevermind all the liquid in the cooler sloshing around....

[LeLynn]

Originally Posted by Spar-X

Yeah, that 300/300 looks like it will move in and out if his truck with the greatest of ease, nevermind all the liquid in the cooler sloshing around....

It is true that the older large machines are not exactly portable. For some it is not an issue, for others it may be. But if he wants a quality machine, cheap, used is his only real option. Sure he can go new and get an offshore built machine, some have tig/stick/plasma capability. And they do come with a "Warrenty" but I'll take my old 800 pound machine any day of the week over one of those new Chinese built machines. I know that some people have had good luck with the cheap new machines, but if it were me, id rather take my chances with an older machine. Most are bullet proof and what repairs may need to be made, can most likely be made by the owner, with a little guidance from members here. I'd love to have a new machine myself, but to get a quality machine that will do as well as my old CybeTig, I'de be looking at dropping a serious penny. some day, but not any time soon. I'll stick with my oldschool beast of a machine and wait untill I can justify/afford to spend that kind of money. And in the end, I'll most likely sell my old Hobart for near what I have into it. Good luck with whatever option you decide to go with, but I would listen to some of the guys here giving you advice. Many are quite knowledgable and experianced. Many have run these old machines and will tell you that with a little care and maintenance these old machines can be passed on to you grand children.

[shovelon]

Originally Posted by LeLynn

It is true that the older large machines are not exactly portable. For some it is not an issue, for others it may be. But if he wants a quality machine, cheap, used is his only real option. Sure he can go new and get an offshore built machine, some have tig/stick/plasma capability. And they do come with a "Warrenty" but I'll take my old 800 pound machine any day of the week over one of those new Chinese built machines. I know that some people have had good luck with the cheap new machines, but if it were me, id rather take my chances with an older machine. Most are bullet proof and what repairs may need to be made, can most likely be made by the owner, with a little guidance from members here. I'd love to have a new machine myself, but to get a quality machine that will do as well as my old CybeTig, I'de be looking at dropping a serious penny. some day, but not any time soon. I'll stick with my oldschool beast of a machine and wait untill I can justify/afford to spend that kind of money. And in the end, I'll most likely sell my old Hobart for near what I have into it. Good luck with whatever option you decide to go with, but I would listen to some of the guys here giving you advice. Many are quite knowledgable and experianced. Many have run these old machines and will tell you that with a little care and maintenance these old machines can be passed on to you grand children.

Nice.
I had 4 Hobart Cyberwaves. They were built tough. Mine we're 3 phase and could punch a hole in 1/4 alum in 2 seconds. But ITW, the parent of Hobart stopped producing repair parts so out the went.

[LeLynn]

Originally Posted by shovelon

Nice.
I had 4 Hobart Cyberwaves. They were built tough. Mine we're 3 phase and could punch a hole in 1/4 alum in 2 seconds. But ITW, the parent of Hobart stopped producing repair parts so out the went.

Well hopefully I won't have any issues with the CyberTig. So far I have a couple hundred trouble free hours on the machine. When I bought the machine, it came with tons of spare parts for it. If something does go wring, hopefully I'll have the parts to fix it. If not, there is always radio shack

[AMC724]

Powcon 300 ss

[b2major9th]

I picked up on Craigslist a Miller 180SD with lots of additional accessories (in addition to the usually supplied TIG torch, stinger, ground clamp and regulator) including an additional TIG torch (17V style so I can use it for scratch start with my Idealarc 250 as well), lots of tungstens, cups, collets, etc., an additional dual regulator/flow gauge, another stinger/whip setup and many other odds and ends as the guy was moving and in a "generous" mood, all for $700. The welder looks brand new, the spark gaps didn't need adjusting and looked like they had never been touched. That's the beauty of buying used: sometimes a lot of other unlisted stuff comes along with the machine!

By the way the 180SD "only" weighs ~ 220 lbs. It does a great job on aluminum as long as you don't need to do heavy structural stuff. But for tubular frames, etc. it works very well.

The deals are out there if you look and are not in a hurry!

Mike

[Drf255]

Check this out
http://newjersey.craigslist.org/tls/3072071128.html