Yeah another "Which Tig Machine" question...

[Paul Seaman]

dhdh71: very cool build projects and your attention to detail is evident in the process. I believe with proper technique and practice a mig weld can be a pretty weld. Tig welds are flatter but the reinforcement is added strength as long as it isn't crazy. When I weld tubing I burn in on the sides and quick accross the center and it helps with flattenting the bead profile, also using c25 gas reduces spatter {less clean up post weld}. I am not against tig chassis building but until november all I had was mig so I ran what I had.

If 1/4" is going to be the machines regular diet then none of the machines listed are going to be quite enough as they are all in the 185-200 amp range.
If however you just plan to do a few motor plates along with miles of tubing then the machines listed will be finely suited. I own a dynasty and have used the syncros and the older shopmasters which weld great but they are expensive on power consumption. I believe if you only ever plan to weld steel the maxstar 200 will perform well. But if there is even a glimmer of a possibility aluminum is in your future go for the dynasty its advanced wave form shaping will allow you to change the bead profile at will. The advanced wavefrom ability isn't just an aluminum benefit it will allow you to get a finer {narrower} arc cone and weld inside corners without walking the bead up real high on the sides.

Good luck with the choice, keep us up on the progress of your projsects no matter which machine you buy.

[fun4now]

sweet billds

my vote goes to the 39 dodge you can send it right over when you finish with it ok LOL
actualy i have a 52 GMC i am hopeing to do the same thing to some day

oh ya go for the dynasty even if you think you will never do aluminum cuz it will only take 1 or 2 lil jobs you had to send out and you will be wishing you had AC on youre TIG.

[Blown S-10]

great pics/projects man . i would say the minimun would be either the syncro 250dx, or dynasty 300 dx, water cooled. the dynasty 200dx is nice. but you have some money, don't cheap out on yourself, more power man . i KNOW, it seems like a big investment, and it is. but once you start realizing the benefits these machines would give you, well, your work would move up to a new level.
you don't think you will do any/much aluminum, lol, yeah right.

once you have the machine, and realize its/your potential. the cost of the machine WILL be forgoten. to the point of " how did i ever do without it"


i'm a moderator here. Jess. www.s10forum.com/forum/
mostly in the supercharger room.

[dhdh71]

Thanks for all the nice comments and advice guys. I definitely have some thinking to do about this. Although I have some money from a boat I just sold to fund my tig welder, its nowhere near the amount it would take to get a syncro 250 or dynasty 300. I was honestly pushing it to get a dynasty 200 budget wise,though I could make it happen. I definitely realize the importance of not underbuying a tool. One thing I do realize is that 95% of my welding I do is typically 1/8", and as pjseaman was talking about, my 1/4" work is small pieces like brackets etc. If I can't afford a big dog I may end up with a dynasty 200dx to get into the tig world. If I have something heavier then it is capable of I always have my faithful MM210. I am very pleased with the appearance of the mig welds I can make, they just aren't anything like a great tig weld . If I do go the Dynasty 200 route I think it is something I can always have use for, even if I hit the lottery and can truly afford a big tig unit in the future. It would be way better then no tig at all.
Hey, Blown S-10, I am on the S10 Forum quite a bit, usually in the bag section or body-dropped section. Its a great forum.

Again I do appreciate all the great advice, I gotta give this some thought.

[Blown S-10]

One thing I do realize is that 95% of my welding I do is typically 1/8", and as pjseaman was talking about, my 1/4" work is small pieces like brackets etc.


Hey, Blown S-10, I am on the S10 Forum quite a bit, usually in the bag section or body-dropped section. Its a great forum.

ok then. i'm SURE you would be HAPPY with a dynasty 200dx. don't think about it forever, like i did. just order the thing, really.

cool man. i bet those guys are freakin over your setup

[burninbriar]

My brother always would say "think to long,you'll be wrong".

[burninbriar]

Another option would be a Harbor Freight speicial.That way if it turns out that you stink at tig welding you can blame it on the machine.

[fun4now]

Harbor Freight speicial

get a Harbor Freight speicial and you will stink at TIG

go for the dyn.200DX and you will not regret it.

[fun4now]

dynasty 200 DX

i have never hear any one that was unhappy with the dyn.200 DX

[burninbriar]

get a Harbor Freight speicial and you will stink at TIG

go for the dyn.200DX and you will not regret it.

Good point.Just to clear the air,the Harbor Freight was ment as a joke.

[OldSparks]

I'll add a little confusion. I do a lot of steel tube butt joints and I can't even remember having to do a serious fillet. I was surprised to see the amperage you guys are talking about for 1/4" plate. I just went out and threw a few pieces together. The verticle pieces are 3/8" thick being welded to !/2" plate on the bottom. I ground a 1/8" chamfer on the 3/8" piece. The first picture shows the tack-up, the second is a three pass joint and the third is a single pass joint. All welds were at 170 amps. I really couldn't justify using any more heat and would feel more comfortable with less.. Do people really weld 1/4" steel at 250 amps?
As for your machine selection, I recently spent some time on a 'CST 250' dc machine, valve on torch, no foot pedal. Bare bones but a real dandy stick/tig machine.

[fun4now]

1/2" at 170 amp's

i would have to wonder how much penatration you are getting in the 1/2" plate.
the 250amp for 1/2" is for single pass full pen. it can no dought be doon with less it is also the roule for 1/2" on 1/2" if you are welding 1/8" to 1/2" you would no dought be a bit hot with 250 amp's.

[fun4now]

burninbriar

i figured you were joking, i was just thinking if he got the dyn.200 and didnt like TIG he could just give it to me


hummm i gess he could just keep the Harbor Freight speicial as a large papper wait.

[OldSparks]

fun4now

I thought someone was talking 250 amps for 1/4" to 1/4" plate. I bevelled the bottom of the 3/8" plate to allow a larger bearing surface without needing the extra heat to penetrate to that depth. Doesn't that produce the same results?

[Paul Seaman]

Oldsparks:
In machine capacity nearly everyone will be referring to single pass capacity. Multi-pass is a possibility on many jobs but it isn't generally cost effective in a production tig shop. I know with Helium and multipass and preheat you can weld much thicker than the spec's refer to but these are extra steps. What kind of company would say that a low amp machine can weld 1/2" plate and then in the insurance disclaimer make a hundred prerequsites that have to be met to do it.

I have welded much thicker with my machines that the spec's sheet list but these are known quantities and known process perameters.

As for a 3/8" plate you referred to if someone is looking for a machine to weld a given thickness then I assume they want 100% penetration and the multi-pass may not {and probably wont} get them there, no disrespect intended you are right but not entirely.

Thanks,