welding

[MMW]

I figured I would start this thread since questions are being asked from time to time about welding & thought having a place to put them all would be good.

Place your questions, comments, techniques here. Anything including mig, tig, oxy/acet or anything related.

[MMW]

Tig remote amperage controls. The most common is the foot pedal. Basically a rheostat that is operated with your foot. It controls the amperage from zero to whatever the maximum the machine is set to & anything in between. If you have the machine set at 100 amps the foot pedal would then go from zero to 100 depending how far you push it down. Set the machine to 30 amps, then the pedal would go from zero to 30 amps.

Hand/finger controls. Three types are available, momentary, east/west & north/south.

Momentary is an on/off switch. Sometimes a button you push once for on & again for off. Sometimes spring loaded that you need to hold it down for on & release for off. No variable amperage control with this. When switched on you get the max amperage that is set at the machine, no in between.

The east/west & north/south work the same just different directions. They are both variable like the foot pedal. Usually they get strapped to the tig torch & worked with your finger or thumb. They would plug into the remote outlet on the machine, same as the foot pedal. Each has a thumbwheel that you move to vary the amperage. With the north/south control you would move the wheel in line with the torch. The east/west control you would move the wheel side to side or perpendicular to the torch handle.

In general terms for guys like me who learned with a foot pedal it seems switching to a finger control is difficult. I have both the n/s & e/w & struggle with both. Most agree that the n/s is the better of the two but it is personal preference. The momentary switch is better for tacking & short welds though I have never used one.

[Don C]

Mic,
I found using a "lens" collet assembly gives a better shield to the weld area than the plain collet assembly. You can also turn your gas flow down some and still get complete coverage. The only drawback is the larger ceramic cup needed. Also they won't work with AC for aluminum as the screen burns up.
"lens" on left. Plain collet on right.

[Phil Planck]

Here is a whole web site dedicated to welding:

http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/

Phil

[MMW]

Congrats on the new tig welder Justin. The Syncro 250 is a workhorse & will give you many years of trouble free welding. One issue you may come across is it is power hungry. They usually require a 100 amp circuit for input. A lot of home users get by on a 50-60 amp circuit as they are rarely running them at the upper limits.

Parts if ever needed can be had online at Miller4less. A good source for torch parts is Arc-zone. Of course if you have a LWS that stocks a good selection I would recommend them.

I prefer "red" tungsten (2% thoriated) on Syncrowaves for everything including aluminum. Since it is a transformer machine you can't use the same type of tungstens as the inverter machines like Dynasty's & Maxstar's.

[JTR70]

Thank you Mic and thank you for the tip concerning the tungsten. I'll be sure to look for a pack of red versioned as you suggest. In what ways does it perform better on syncrowaves? Thank you also for the heads-up concerning its power demands. The shop I'm now is commercial and on 3 phase power so there should be no issues there. Really nice to know we have some resident experts here on this subject because I know I'll have more once it gets here. Thank you again! Justin

[JOP]

MIG/MAG welding is really easy to start out working with none previous experiance.
I have given private lessons to help people get started.
There is a hugh diffrences between the various machines you can buy..... Usally a good brand is a good start but there is also how good you can adjust them......you would think they all act the same but I dont feel that way on the various machines Ive tried.

Also a good tip with the MIG welding is to use a piece of coppar on the backside of your weld!
It will not build up as much extra weld for you that you need to grind down. ( I dont always us it....)
I also have a pipe of coppar that I can hold on the backside if it just is a hole that needs a filling with the MIG.
Hmm, I will need to post some pictures later.....didnt have any on my Ipad.
/Per

[JTR70]

Guy's, What gas do you recommend for TIG-ing? Straight Argon or an Argon/CO2 Mix? Thanks! Justin

BTW: It shipped out today so I should see it by Tuesday next week!

[DG58INNM]

Justin,
Argon only for TIG. The CO2 mix will make problems.
DG

[JTR70]

Okay, Thanks David! On a side note I tried Argon/CO2 mix with my MIG and I really didn't like the way it behaved as I laid down the beads. I soon went back to straight CO2 and never looked back. Thanks again! Justin

[MMW]

Yes, straight argon only.

If it doesn't have a plug & you want to vs. direct many people use the standard 50 amp plug, 6-50p. No need to get anything rated higher.