It's a great machine for maintenace, but won't do aluminum.

 

What do you mean it won't do aluminum?I'm pretty sure that I read that it advertises that it does? If that is the case what machine would you recommend? it has to be relatively portable.......Thanks

 

Maxstars won't do aluminum. No AC. Dynasty would be my choice for stick and Tig.

 

It looks like you have the same welder so if you don't mind me asking you what are the benefits of the Maxstar 150 STH? I am thinking I should hold off and review this situation. I would appreciate it if someone would point me in the right direction............
Thanks much

 

if you need to do aluminum thinner than like 3/8" the maxstar won't do it..you can stick weld aluminum when it's thick, with varying degrees of success...if you wan't to go this route...get the dynasty.

it sounds like you are used to MIG...there are multiprocess machines which will do all three processes...

 

Miller has good resources online. Check out this link and you'll find enough info to get you started. http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/improving-your-skills/tig/ In the 200 amp class the Miller choices are a Syncrowave 200 and the Dynasty. The Dynasty is a more advanced machine with more features. New you are looking at about 2 grand for the Syncrowave and around 3 grand for the Dynasty and then a bottle of gas and some filler.

 

So the answer is the dynasty or save the cash then? I mean I dont have a mig at work either so I would rather have that then a stick welder which the maxstar 150 sounds like....What machine does all 3 processes??

 

Do you know what you want? Do you know what types of welding you will be doing? Thickness? Alum or steel or both?

Sounds to me like you need to do some thinking. Decide what kinds of work you will be doing and post that info. It will be much easier for us to help spend your money then.

 

So true.



A multiprocess machine would be something like Millers XMT 304/350. It makes the Dynasty 200dx look cheap. Thats just the power source. You'd still have to add stick leads if you wanted to do stick, a wire feeder to do mig, an adapter and spoolgun to do alum mig, and a tig torch to tig Steel and SS. Have you run out of funds yet? :laugh: Oh and the machine is DC only, so you still can't do Alum tig. There's really no multi process machine that gives you AC tig in a decent brand that I'm aware of.


My guess is you'll probably end up with a 220v mig and possibly a spoolgun if you want to do medium thickness alum. The MM211 is a nice all purpose unit you might want to look at.

As said you really need to make a list of what you seriously want to do. Some things like thin alum just are not all that practical for someone with out the propper skills and training. Getting a Dynasty 200dx is great, but don't expect to pick up the tig torch and start tigging alum intercoolers by Saturday. You might be able to possibly do SS exhaust pipe in a couple of weeks with decent practice. They'd look like cr@p but work. Alum is way harder than steel hands down, regardless of the process. I'd hate to see you convince your boss to get a machine that you'd need 6 months of intensive training to use well. That's probably what you are talking about at a minimum with tig alum, and taking FT classes.

 

Yepper,

Welding 101 starts here next Monday.

BTW. If I'm not here, please start without me.:dizzy:

 

Here's the deal I will honestly say that 98% of the time I will be doing all metals except aluminum. It would have been nice to have the option but it sure looks as though it wouldn't be cost efficient.
When you ask do I know exactly what I want I will tell you I honestly don't. That is why I came here to hopefully get pointed in the right direction. Above all guy's I want to be able to use this welder for small fab jobs...

 

Thickness?

 

Having a welder (the machine) doesn't make you a welder.

Based on your questions/comments, you're setting yourself up to look the fool.

Getting the boss to spend good money to buy a welder, and then finding out you don't have a clue what you're doing, is not going to impress him at all.

Pick up a few welding books and read them, or take a basic welding course at the CC so that you can at least discuss the process intelligently.

 

I agree with DSW, get yourself a nice MIG machine like the 211, it can run on 110V and 220V, can go up to 3/8" steel and 3/8" Al if you get a spoolgun. The MIG will be somewhere in the $1000 neighborhood and the spoolgun (when you need it, don't bother getting it until you do) will be an add on of $200. It is a relatively cheap way to go and keeps you in a process that you are already familiar with. No learning a new process on a new machine that you had to convince your boss to buy.

Maybe MIG isn't as sexy as TIG but it will get you in the game a lot quicker.

 

I have a mig machine at home and there are multiple miggs on sight if I need to use them in fact there is a water cooled Syncrowave Tig machine also on sight that I can also use if necessary. Honestly I am beginning to lean towards my original choice of the maxstar because most of the welding will be light gauge and very seldom aluminum,besides I figure I can just use the big machine if I have to do aluminum. So now the big question I have is should I spring for the maxstar sth or don't worry about the extra bells and whistles and just get the ST I believe the two machines are similar but the south has some other desirable features which I know nothing about?? What do you think Guy's? In the end I will be doing mostly steel possibly some stainless and mostly never aluminum. I was told today that aluminum can be Arc welded when prepared right is this correct?? Oh and Guy's this maxstar 150sth how does this machine work when fabricating tubing? As in header's roll cage typ work??etc..??
Thanks

 

That info helps. From the first post we got the impression that you didn't have any welder to use. The Maxstar 150sth has high frequency start for tig. The stl is lift arc which means you have to touch the tungsten to the material to initiate the arc and risk contamination. I would love to have an STH for the steel and stainless tigging I do, but I have a sync 200 handy so it isn't really necessary. And here's some more food for thought. The Maxstar 150sth is $1600-1800 and is great for portability. If portabillity isn't a big issue, you could throw another couple hundred buck in and have a sync 200 which would get you aluminum...

 

All right Guy's I feel like I'm beating this to death but I want to be sure to get what I need because the Boss's famous last words on expensive tool's is This is not the gift that keeps on giving! So I love the idea of the pulse technology but the smith machine does not appear to come with what I will need? What would your recommend I get with the Maxstar STH? Or will I be happy with the St machine? Again Guy's once I buy the well will go dry with the exception of consumables.....
Thanks again R

 

lincoln has a invertec v 155 i am upgrading to 1 of these 2 machines but do mostly steel and no alm i am going with the basic pckg if i need to do alm i am in pretty good with the inst at ndscs and have acess to a tig machine and ive done some checkin and i can get a new machine basic pckg for 800.00 buks