Which Tig Welder

[RichardAllen]

I want to make up some drawers/shelves and other bits and pieces from 2mm or 3mm aluminium sheet, tubing etc.

I am clear that there are a number of alternative materials and a number of ways aluminium can be made into things, especially rivetting etc, and I could easily get someone to make me stuff. However, I have some experience with MIG and gas welding (including a City and Guilds course) so I am keen to try AC TIG.

So the questions for you knowledgeable chaps out there:

Money is not limitless, so am I better off buying a working second hand set off the Bay from a more reputable manufacturer, or go for one of these new £400 - £500 chinese copies (I suspect) from Cobel or similar ? (I don't mind fixing an old set if the bits are available and it is fairly easy to tell what needs to be replaced)

I am not going to be doing all that much and certainly not hours each day, so is a foot pedal a necessary or a nice to have ?

For the amount of MIG I have been doing, the baby disposable gas bottles work out fairly reasonable against the annual rental for a larger one. Is this likely to apply to TIG, or do I need to factor in renting a bottle too ?

Any other advice graetfully received, including any good links on here I may have missed.

Regards

Richard

[angusb]

I can't offer any advice but you might find this thread useful:

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=6463

[ejparrott]

Is ali MIG welding not an option?

[RichardAllen]

Is ali MIG welding not an option?

ej,

It could be. I have seen a long thread on here (I think) which concluded that Ali MIG was very difficult to do well and that even then the results were not really very satisfactory. For the small amount I do, I could probably live with that, but I do fancy a TIG setup if I can get something reasonable at less than a grand.

Regards

Richard

[ejparrott]

Just wondered, save buying new kit - have to admit i've never tried it.

[LandyManLuke]

I've tried Au MIG welding. It works, but it's very different to AC TIG, especially so on thin stuff. Thicker aluminium is commonly nailed together with MIG, but it's still very different to steel.

I think looking at Mig-welding.co.uk is some of the best advice you'll receive. I'll second the suggestion.

[pitmole]

Hi, I bought a 200amp ac/dc tig earlier this year for doing just the same sort of stuff as Richard from a company called rtech, chinese built but with a decent aftersales service I would say, 2 year warranty inc and I have to say, it welds lovely!

using it in college to take my c/g level 2 ali tig because they don't have enough ac tig sets and the lecturer likes it too.

Now, it may go the distance, it may not, but time will tell I guess, they do a 160 version and ask if they have a shop soiled one if you want to save the vat.

What might be usefull to Richard is that they are in gloucester so he can go along to see them before he spends.

I know this is slightly odd for a first post, but I have no connection with them at all, just a customer.

[mscowley]

hi I'm a welder fabricator by trade, I'm a coded tig welder and by my experiance tig welding ali is not something your going to pick up just like that its bad enough to learn on thick ali let alone 2 3mm ali.

before buying a tig set try and find somewhere where you can have a go and learn on thin gauge stainless where you can see what the malton pool is doing and how to control the torch and feeding the wirer in, cause like with everything not everyone can pick it up.

you'll need to rent a bottle of gas (argon) you can use it for (Dc) stainless, mild steel, brass and Ac ali you a can get half size bottle.

good luck

[zoltan]

I'm self taught with TIG over probably ten years and whilst steel is relatively easy to pick up, especially if you are a competent steel gas welder, ali is difficult. I'd agree with mscowley that to get a go with someones set that is correctly set up would be the way forward.

I have a large old BOC Argonarc 300 set with millions of amps available but without the foot pedal my set is very difficult on thin 2mm sheet work, even with soft start. We mostly use it on steel so it is not too much of an issue. One day I will see one for sale s/h and will grab it with both hands!