Buying The Right Equipment For The Job

[CEF11E]

I am looking at buying welding gear but do not want to spend a fortune. It will be for general use and will never need to weld anything thicker than 6mm but would also like to be able to weld as thin as 1mm for fine stuff. also the ability to weld alloy would be great.

I have very little to no experience welding. I have used oxy/accetelene and arc years ago but thats it.

I am thinking a TIG is the go. and also not a gassless one.

What is a good price to pay for one and what would you recomend as meing the minimum level of rquipment to get?

can anyone recomend a particular unit to buy? total budget will be under $1000. cun you buy a decent unit for that?

Thanks

[VB-]

does that budget include the mask and maybe gloves? i'd spend up good on these two items in particual, i'd probly buy one of those automatic mask things.

i've never used one but they are supposed to be VERY safe for your eyes, and makes sh*t alot easier. i was always fiddling with those normal masks and lifting em up, putting em down, lifting it up, putting down just to see my work (when i was learning to weld)

also, might pay to do a TAFE course or something so a pro can show you how to weld, dunno if you would include that in your 1000 budget.

as for what unit to buy, sorry mate, no idea

[JAS-25T]

Buying a TIG machine alone for under $1000 may be difficult.

[djr81]

Try the local BOC shop. But a caddy with the tig attachment will be more than $1k.

[CEF11E]

I have seen a few for around $750 at a metal supply place. made by an italian company called boss.

120 amp at 50% duty cycle

[JAS-25T]

hmmm Not bad

[boot_it]

I have seen a few for around $750 at a metal supply place. made by an italian company called boss.

120 amp at 50% duty cycle

that will be just a dc tig if u want to tig alloy u will need a ac/dc tig which u can buy cheap ones around the $2,000 mark but they aint that flash at welding alloy

then u will need to add a mask,gloves,regulator,welding rods,tunstan welding tips,stanless steel wire brush,gas,hose to run from the reg to your welder

the gas bottle u will need to get from boc etc and u will have to pay rent on the bottle dont bother with the disposable gas bottles (well not for tig welding)

when i got my ac/dc tig i had never welded alloy before and all i did was pratice (like most things) u get better

try and stay away from the cheap tigs (for alloy anyway) as it will show up in your quallity of welding (as they pulsate very savage on alloy)

[extreme turbo manifolds]

yeah if $1000 is your budget you are really getting into the deep end here.

not to mention that you wont be running good welds for quite a while and will go through lots and lots of material learning.

[Ol_Mate]

check the classifieds in the paper or put a wanted to buy ad in there. I picked up a near new BOC Caddy with gloves, mask, box of rods and wire brush etc from out of the trading post for less than $500.

[Adriano]

Heaps of dc tigs on ebay for $300 or so, and work well for small mild and stainless stuff, up to 5mm, but 6mm would be fine. They seem to work quite well.

[CEF11E]

Thanks all for the input.

I am going to get a DC tig but am going to wait until after i have done a welding course, it will give me a better idea of what i really need.