Yeah I want to TiG anyway.

If you can learn to Tig it's super easy to learn to mig anyway

Instead of wasting your money on a crappy TIG, buy a set of oxy/acetylene torches and learn how to braze.  Once you nail that down you'll be able to TIG no prob.  Plus, you can use the torches for other things down the road, a must-have for metal fab.

 

For "budget machines" I've heard good things about Eastwood TIG's.  Prob some rebrand TIG but I've seen what it can do.

no wire with Tig

 Sure there is -- Filler wire is commonly used while tig welding --  you can fusion weld without filler for tig but non critical, and certain type joints

 

that why the welds look shitty. Flux core sucks. I only use it if I have to weld in wind. Shielding gas is the way to go

 

Flux core does not suck -- a properly done flux core weld looks no different than a shielded mig weld

 

If you can learn to Tig it's super easy to learn to mig anyway

 

 

 I personally prefer tig welding over mig welding -- I find tig welding steel easier over mig welding steel

 

everything is slower tig welding, and you have way more control over everything 

 

Mig welding steel, you can get a pretty weld that looks great, but can be structurally insufficient, cold, no penetration

 

Tig welding almost always makes a sound weld,  it won't work without everything melting together, you don't just lay a bead of filler on top of a piece of steel

 

When you think of tig welding you think of that stack of dimes look -- Thats operator pride and skill -- a tig weld doesn't need to be pretty to be structurally sound where an ugly mig weld is almost always trouble

 

 

My 1st welder was a Lincoln weld pac 100 -- not bought from a big box store but a real weld supply -- the box store machines are supposedly made just for them with inferior quality

 

I quickly found that I liked to weld, and purchased a miller 250 G engine driven stick welder -- I bought this new back in the early 90's

 

Over time I outfitted it with a spool gun for mig and High Frequency box for tig welding 

 

Within the last 6 or 7 years my weld pac finally gave up the ghost and I upgraded to a Miller 211 mig -- currently in use

 

I also bought 2 years ago a tig welder for use at my home -- the neighbors don't like the engine driven machine

 

Miller 280 DX inverter machine with liquid cooled tig torch -- this machine is very fun to use with amazing results

 

Point is,  Buy quality equipment -- the HF machine is junk -- If you have never used a quality welder you have no idea what you are missing and how hard you are working to make that cheap POS make poor welds

 

This is where a school or class comes in -- they won't put you on cheap machines to teach you -- It's like trying to learn precision shooting with an AK47

^ I've never ever heard anyone referre to a Tig welding ROD as wire ever but I guess you could call it wire.

Instead of wasting your money on a crappy TIG, buy a set of oxy/acetylene torches and learn how to braze. Once you nail that down you'll be able to TIG no prob. Plus, you can use the torches for other things down the road, a must-have for metal fab.

 

For "budget machines" I've heard good things about Eastwood TIG's. Prob some rebrand TIG but I've seen what it can do.

I braze every day for a living air acetylene, with silver rod. It's true, it's the last form of gas style welding left in common use.

 

 

But they don't even teach gas welding anymore in schools.

I think the Morris County votech in Denville offers adult welding classes.

 

I'm on the wait list now.  488 bucks runs for 12 3 hour session 

I braze every day for a living air acetylene, with silver rod. It's true, it's the last form of gas style welding left in common use.

 

 

But they don't even teach gas welding anymore in schools.

yes they do. I learned to gas weld at Wyotech autobody school. Only 11 years ago.

OK, I just got accepted!

Better stock up on scrap metal will be going through a lot of it very soon LOL

yeah i was just thinking that.  

Bought an Everlast 3 years ago, performs flawlessly. 

 

Did you buy yours at Home Depot or another outlet?  The 185 is AC/DC and it's only 848 bucks at the HD.

Got it online from a firm in California. Shipped same day ordered.  Have to look up the info and let you know.  Was a great price at the time.  It's a larger machine, does all three Mig Tig Stick.  Night and day over the old Lincoln coffin stick.

Watch zoro tools -- an online tool website

 

They generally have "flash" sales during the holidays -- sale lasts for 6 hours or so

 

I picked up my Miller 280 DX from a flash sale that was like 30% off -- quite a substantial savings on a pricey item

OK, Rob, is was a MTS 250S and was shipped direct from the company.