Boosted Falcon

so on my random google visits, i come accross some random shit lol.
tonight i found you can converter an ARC welder into a crude TIG welder.
i always thought it was just a simple process, but didn't think the outcome would be any good...

basically if you have an arc welder sitting around at home, you can buy a tig torch with a valve on the handle, a gas regulator and you're good to go!
you will need to scratch start like you would with a stick weld, but it seems to be alright.

for me, i use a gasless mix at the moment and its aids.
i've got an arc welder but i've never used it as the mig has always been a bit easier for me to use as i've always been welding thinner shit.

so im gonna get together the required pieces over the next few weeks and have a crack .
ill probly end up getting a cheap tig anyway, but this might delay the purchase a bit - how much depends on how well i can weld with it, but if this video is anything to go by, it looks to be a shitload better than gasless mig!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lV4tzg4zn0

I've recently borrowed my uncles cigweld inverter stick welder which has a lift tig function to have a practice with.

I allready had the gas for mig ally. mig welds so much smoother with gas to, I wouldn't go back to gasless unless I was stuck.

so with only mig experience I watched a few youtube vid on scratch start tig techniques then had a practice on some 3 inch stainless exhaust tube, using mig wire as filler rod.

then my mate gave me the challenge of welding his tial wastegate flange to his new 6boost manifold and this is way I came up with.

I was quite happy with the results, and tig seemed pretty easy to pickup

Its always been that way mate .
The only issues is certain machines may not do this .

Well when it comes to getting a tig come down and see me i work at All welding and engineering SUpplies down in Garden Rd in clayton .
I can help you out with anything you after man .

I've recently borrowed my uncles cigweld inverter stick welder which has a lift tig function to have a practice with.

I allready had the gas for mig ally. mig welds so much smoother with gas to, I wouldn't go back to gasless unless I was stuck.

so with only mig experience I watched a few youtube vid on scratch start tig techniques then had a practice on some 3 inch stainless exhaust tube, using mig wire as filler rod.

then my mate gave me the challenge of welding his tial wastegate flange to his new 6boost manifold and this is way I came up with.

I was quite happy with the results, and tig seemed pretty easy to pickup

beign a welder i wouldnt bother fuckign around with that for the price of a dc invertor you might aswell go buy one.

I also wouldnt bother miging alloy unless it was 10mm thick or a big/repetitive job.

Also i'd avoid welding stainless with a scratch tig and MS mig wire unless it was your only choice

I've got a tig torch for my Cigweld inverter mig/tig/arc and still havent used it yet. You hook the gas up separately to the torch rather than through the machine so its probably the same as what you are talking about.

One day Ill splash out on a 2nd bottle rental with some tig gas and have a go. Until then mig ftw.

Pub247 wrote:beign a welder i wouldnt bother fuckign around with that for the price of a dc invertor you might aswell go buy one.

I also wouldnt bother miging alloy unless it was 10mm thick or a big/repetitive job.

Also i'd avoid welding stainless with a scratch tig and MS mig wire unless it was your only choice

What he said ^^^^^^

most arc welders are ac, which means you need to convert it to dc before you can use it to power a tig torch, which is just as expensive as a cheap tig anyway.

so i was looking at welders yesterday to see if i could narrow things down a bit to buy one...
i was looking at DC with pulse and came across these welders...

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-WSM-200- ... 3f1f4c57bb
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-TIG200-2 ... 4ab940072a
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/200-AMP-ARC- ... 4abec6fc43
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/TIG180P-ii-T ... 2ebcf8ad3e

i also found this ac/dc that appears to be stuck at full power, not sure if it would be worth getting it to repair it...
the guy said he'd let it go for $300
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/AC-DC-TIG-AN ... 5aeb36f524

would any of these be worth the trouble?
really only have $400 to spend

the one stuck on high probably just needs a new switch mech
but who knows

yeah that was my thoughts also, but i thought it might be an older transformer as apposed to an inverter as it looks a bit old and is heavy as ****.
i've read that they chew through power and have a less stable arc than inverters, i'm also unsure if it has pulse settings.
for the few times i plan to do alloy, i'm not sure if its worth going for that unit over the newer stuff.

well im hoping to win one of these welders for around the $400-$450 mark all going well.
if not, i can buy one new from china for only $50 more delivered, so no biggy!
if anyone is looking at buying products like this and isn't scared to try the cheaper option, try finding a wholesaler that sells direct online.
the same unit rebranded sells for over $800 on ebay, so its an easy to save some coin!

weldmaster i'm hoping to win for cheap!
http://www.machines4u.com.au/view/adver ... DER/14376/

china one...
http://giantgroup.en.alibaba.com/produc ... CHINE.html