arcmaster 185 anyone own one ?

[eecervantes83]

Just got a hold of a thermal arc arcmaster 185 ac dc inverter tig welder. With all the bells and whistles. Wondering if anyone here owns one that can suggest some good setting to begin with. All other tig welders I've ran didnt give me the options this machine has to offer. Most my aluminum tig welding will be on 14gauge.. to 10gauge. What is good setting that work. .

[Cgotto6]

Don't know any settings off my head but I have ran my buddy's and it's a nice little unit. He has done some phenomenal work with it.

[eecervantes83]

Going to put down some weld tomorrow figured i ask to speed things up a little. If you find out any let me .thanks

[ryanjones2150]

arcmaster 185 anyone own one ?

What settings are you asking about? If you're talking about the AC balance and frequency, then it depends on what you're looking for out of your weld. If you're used to welding aluminum with an older transformer machine, like I am, that frequency adjustment is a huge change. Because I'm so used to the 60 hz, I have a habit of using a similar setting on my inverter machine. Although I have gotten better at trying to use that feature a little more, trying some new things here and there. Grab some scrap and run a few beads while playing with those settings and you'll dial it in pretty quick. That user interface with all the push buttons and LEDs isn't nearly as complex as it first appears.

[H80N]

Just got a hold of a thermal arc arcmaster 185 ac dc inverter tig welder. With all the bells and whistles. Wondering if anyone here owns one that can suggest some good setting to begin with. All other tig welders I've ran didnt give me the options this machine has to offer. Most my aluminum tig welding will be on 14gauge.. to 10gauge. What is good setting that work. .

Think you are talking about the Pro-Wave 185TSW

It is a neat little unit made by Sanrex in Japan and a real gem.. now out of production .... not to be confused with the current Chinese made units...

Here is a link to download the manual

http://victortechnologies.com/IM_Uploads/doclib_8255_DocLib_2662_430429-503.pdf

The only Gotcha on settings is the AC balance...
It is BACKWARDS from the industry norm.... if you set the balance to %65 it will be %65 percent POSITIVE... not negative

See page 27 in the manual


For starters on 10Ga I would try

140amps AC (modualted by pedal)... Rule of thumb: 1amp per thousandth of an inch as a starting point

120HZ Freq

%30 AC Bal (remember it is backwards)

15 CFH Argon

Tungsten-- %2 Lanthanated .. taper ground blunted...

CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN metal

Match filler to alloy being welded

try setting your helmet to 10...

And get your rhythm going...

That should get you into the neighborhood.. adjust from there..

I %100 agree with Ryan.... get some scrap and practice practice..practice..

getting your technique to jibe with the quirks of your model machine might take a little time...

better not to do OJT on welds that matter...

[ryanjones2150]

arcmaster 185 anyone own one ?

Good point about the 2% lanthanated tungsten. There are some, including my LWS, that insist on using pure tungsten for welding aluminum. I believe, with the inverter machines at least, pure tungsten is not indicted any longer. I actually use 2% lanthanated for everything, including aluminum on my transformer machine in the drag shop. The only exception is the thoriated tungsten I still use at home, and the only reason I still use it is because I'm trying to use it up so I only have one kind in the tool box. AND I sharpen the stuff to a point, especially when I'm tacking aluminum, then just let the tip ball up however it wants to on its own. Probably not how most people do it, but it works for me.

[H80N]

Pure Tungsten (green) is for transformers only...

inverters like Lanthanated, Ceriated and Zirconiated....
(Thoriated works also but is last on my personal list)

I prefer %2 Lanthanted for everything myself...

If you have not already done so... download the Diamond Ground Tungsten guidebook.... it will tell you more than you ever wanted to know about Tungsten selection and prep...

http://www.diamondground.com/TungstenGuidebook2013.pdf

Thoriated concern leaflet..

http://www.diamondground.com/thoriated-tungsten-discontinued/

[eecervantes83]

H80N no its not the pro-wave

[eecervantes83]

Here's a picture

[eecervantes83]

Here's a picture can only upload one at a time

[H80N]

Here's a picture

OK here is the correct manual..
(Wave Balance info the same but on page 29 of the PDF)

http://victortechnologies.com/IM_Uploads/DocLib_6426_Thermal%20Arc%20ArcMaster%20185ACDC%20Operators%20Manual_%280-4861%29_Feb2006.pdf

here is the service manual

http://victortechnologies.com/IM_Uploads/doclib_9255_DocLib_4993_ArcMaster%20185,%20200%20ACDC%20Service%20Manual%20%280-4884B%29.pdf

advice from before should still apply

[ryanjones2150]

arcmaster 185 anyone own one ?

Looks like you can adjust the wave form. That's cool. Although I wouldn't know how to use it worth a flip. Figure it out and let me know.

[eecervantes83]

My first project is going to be welding pop cans together. Ill post some pics when I get started

[H80N]

My first project is going to be welding pop cans together. Ill post some pics when I get started

You might find this of interest then....

his settings should be pretty close...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX_sepp9T_M

[ryanjones2150]

arcmaster 185 anyone own one ?

I have never welded cans together, but I have ran a bead around the bottom lip. It's great practice in all areas, torch angle, arc length, etc. You have to have a machine that has a stable arc on low amperage though, that's for sure.

I'm gonna try doing it again using the pulse settings. I have never used pulse on aluminum.