Hello all,
I am a beginning welder- I have been welding off and on for about 6 years now with cheapie 220v and 110v Harbor Freight wire feed machines. About a year ago, I picked up a Lincoln Idealarc 250, with a stinger, Lincoln Hy Freq High Frequency Box and a tig torch.
I have used the stick a little to practice with, but sold my cheap wire feed and have been doing mostly thin wall mild steel tubing with TIG. I am happy with the welder, keep the amps down and am slowly getting better at welding- I normally do fusion tacks then come back with filler for the full weld on .030 to .125 or so material. The HF is nice to get a clean start without having to scratch and I am going to play with aluminum and stainless eventually.
We are planning a cross country move, and I'm trying to decide what I want to do as far as a welder. I can take my Lincoln with me, sell it and buy a Idealarc 250/250 TIG machine, which I think is basically the two components I already have in a single box- but with a foot switch. Or, just sell the Lincoln and see what I can find when we get to Maine. A new snazzy machine would be nice, but I am self employed and having old, reliable and bulletproof tools is important to me. If I picked up a used Syncrowave or something, got to using it and and a board went out, I could be down for the count. I use the welder for basic fab, mostly furniture pieces and whatnot, with steel, wood and other materials, but also make some heavier things when necessary, like a forklift fork mounting plate for a FEL on a tractor out of 3/8" plate.
Anyway, my main interest right now is getting bether at TIG, with the thin wall material I am using and wanting to get into aluminum and stainless. How big of a difference does having a foot control make? I'm at the stage that if I am working too hot I either pull off to adjust the machine, add more filler or pull the torch back to spread the arc a little so it's not so concentrated. Probably not the way to go, but I'm winging it and learning as I go. Seems like a pedal would make welding easier, but should I just leave well enough alone and run with what I have and am learning on? Is a Idealarc 250/250 TIG much of an upgrade over the old round top 250 and HF box I have? WHAT about any other welders of that age that are bulletproof and easy to repair compared to modern electronic control$? Or, do I just buy an Eastwood or Longevity Inverter machine or something like that and just try to save for when something craps out in it?
Thanks!
-Michael
I am a beginning welder- I have been welding off and on for about 6 years now with cheapie 220v and 110v Harbor Freight wire feed machines. About a year ago, I picked up a Lincoln Idealarc 250, with a stinger, Lincoln Hy Freq High Frequency Box and a tig torch.
I have used the stick a little to practice with, but sold my cheap wire feed and have been doing mostly thin wall mild steel tubing with TIG. I am happy with the welder, keep the amps down and am slowly getting better at welding- I normally do fusion tacks then come back with filler for the full weld on .030 to .125 or so material. The HF is nice to get a clean start without having to scratch and I am going to play with aluminum and stainless eventually.
We are planning a cross country move, and I'm trying to decide what I want to do as far as a welder. I can take my Lincoln with me, sell it and buy a Idealarc 250/250 TIG machine, which I think is basically the two components I already have in a single box- but with a foot switch. Or, just sell the Lincoln and see what I can find when we get to Maine. A new snazzy machine would be nice, but I am self employed and having old, reliable and bulletproof tools is important to me. If I picked up a used Syncrowave or something, got to using it and and a board went out, I could be down for the count. I use the welder for basic fab, mostly furniture pieces and whatnot, with steel, wood and other materials, but also make some heavier things when necessary, like a forklift fork mounting plate for a FEL on a tractor out of 3/8" plate.
Anyway, my main interest right now is getting bether at TIG, with the thin wall material I am using and wanting to get into aluminum and stainless. How big of a difference does having a foot control make? I'm at the stage that if I am working too hot I either pull off to adjust the machine, add more filler or pull the torch back to spread the arc a little so it's not so concentrated. Probably not the way to go, but I'm winging it and learning as I go. Seems like a pedal would make welding easier, but should I just leave well enough alone and run with what I have and am learning on? Is a Idealarc 250/250 TIG much of an upgrade over the old round top 250 and HF box I have? WHAT about any other welders of that age that are bulletproof and easy to repair compared to modern electronic control$? Or, do I just buy an Eastwood or Longevity Inverter machine or something like that and just try to save for when something craps out in it?
Thanks!
-Michael
