Just picked up my first real Tig

[skippyelwell]

Hello all,
I have been welding mig and stick since I was in high school 40 odd yrs ago, I did have a Diversion for a few months but it was buggered up so not sure I learned anything on it. So I p/u a used Dynasty 280DX/coolmate 1.3, I think the whole kit is called a tig runner or something, made in 2014 and seems to only have 5.5hrs on it. Lots of bells and whistles, I probably won't use half of them.

I need to buy all new cups, lens, collets, etc for the water cooled WP 250 torch, I see I can pay $25 for a 59 pcs set on ebay, or as much as $50 for one Furick cup, so I'm looking for recommendations for a decent kit that will get me going and not disintegrate on the first use.
Thanks,
Chris

[Ltbadd]

A 59 pc kit for $25 sounds like it'd be junk, not worthy of a Dynasty

If you watch Jody's Collier channel on YT then visit his store, he only sells high quality parts (like CK for one) or there are several online stores I've dealt with over the years such as Arc Zone, or Welding Supplies From IOC. You'll find quality parts there

Congrats on the 280DX, nice machine, do you have a business you'll use this for?

[skippyelwell]

Well not a profitable business, I rebuild cars for fun but would love for it to pay for itself, maybe with this machine. Thanks for the link.

[ryanjones2150]

I’m kind of in a love affair with the furick cups, to be honest. Outside of those, I like the stubby has lense for pretty much everything.

And I agree on the 59 piece set for $20, it’ll probably make you sad in short order. Also consider forging a relationship with your LWS. They can be of some help and it’s easier to get if you already know them.

[Noel]

I lurk Autobody 101. Seems I get around in my reading?

Doright mentioned, "

I have spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on cups both regular and Gas lens Tungsten etc every thing from .040 all the way up to 1/8 inch

I have bought a few different Gas lens kits and the Pyrex stuff as well.

"

Someone has a lot of money to waste? Hundreds and hundreds? Money well spent I'd say?

Doright mentioned,"

Just a bit of advise stick to the Standard cups and 1/16" or 3/32" Tungsten stuff till you learn your machine a bit and how to weld with it."

Sounds to me like I'd take this advice as a solid. You will probably spend a fair bit of time learning to grind tungsten in the beginning, but really, keep it simple as there isn't a need to make it complicated. As far as the kit goes, while most of the cups will hold little use, the torch caps, gas diffusers, collets and bodies will be useful if they fit your torch.

[ryanjones2150]

It will be much easier for you to learn if you buy quality stuff. Cheap junk does not fit well, will leak because they don’t fit well, and that leak can suck air into your shielding gas. It will do you little good to spin your wheels trying to figure out why your tig welds suck even though you’re doing everything right when it boils down to a simple leak because you bought junk.

Excellent tig welds have been laid down for decades using the regular old collet bodies and cups. I find it easier to see the tip of the tungsten, and will probably help you accelerate in your skills faster, while using a gas lense because you can increase your tungsten stick out.

The Pyrex cups will allow you to see through the cup and may help you see the weld and tungsten better as well. They’re just expensive, generally use special collet bodies and are much more fragile that the alumina or ceramic cups.

Pick your poison, my friend. If it were me starting over, I’d want the best chance for success I could find.

[Noel]

Call your local welding school and ask the question, what do they buy for their students to learn with? I'm sure the response will be they learn with fixed head torches, 1/8" tungsten and ceramic cups. No flex heads, no varity of tungsten, and no gas lense diffusers or pryex glass cups. Why, because it isn't necessary and costs more then it provides in learning GTAW.

But if you have hundreds and hundreds to spend, go for it. But I'd start by buying a decent bench grinder to grind tungsten.

If it was me starting over, I'd look for quality instruction to shorten the learning curve, and ways to reduce my costs not add to them.

[Franz©]

. Cheap junk does not fit well, will leak because they don’t fit well, and that leak can suck air into your shielding gas. It will do you little good to spin your wheels trying to figure out why your tig welds suck even though you’re doing everything right when it boils down to a simple leak because you bought junk.

Ahhhh, Mon Capitan, would ou be so kind as to splain how that SUCK part occurs with a cup screwed onto a torch?

[skippyelwell]

Thank you Gents, Jody's store has all kinds goodies, I ordered the Weldmonger Tig hardware bundle and the Furick #8 pro cup 4 pack, that should keep me going for quite a while. Besides Jody's videos there is a guy called the weld nerd, he really knows the Miller machines.

[skippyelwell]

The coolant in the Coolmate is I presume 5 yrs old but it appears to be very clean and clear, do I really need to replace it every year as Miller suggests?

[OscarJr]

Once is year sounds about right.

[Noel]

The coolant in the Coolmate is I presume 5 yrs old but it appears to be very clean and clear, do I really need to replace it every year as Miller suggests?

Guess that depends, do you look after your equipment or do you work it until it craters and wonder why?

Maintenance is the additional cost to ownership and the cooling system for your welder, like the coolant system in your car, it needs to be replaced to prevent future issues. Corrosion, calcification and deposits come to mind and depending on the water/coolant condition, freeze protection as well as heat dissipation.

[Franz©]

I just add 3 packs of artificial sweetener from the break room to mine every 6 months and stir like he11 for 3¼ minutes.

Not even Dow with all their advertising money can convince users of industrial coolant such as Dowguard the juice wears out.

Please help Miller weldunce division of Interglobal blow past 18 Billion in sales this year, and don't forget to properly recycle the old juice thru a recycler.

[skippyelwell]

Finally got around to building a welding table, now I can get rid on the Mig cart/welding table I have been using and spread out a bit. Still have to install a vice and a few other things, maybe even the Tig welder as it will be a lot harder to steal if it is bolted to the table.

[Franz©]

Finally got around to building a welding table, now I can get rid on the Mig cart/welding table I have been using and spread out a bit. Still have to install a vice and a few other things, maybe even the Tig welder as it will be a lot harder to steal if it is bolted to the table.

Square corners HURT!

2" pipe slotted slips on easy, tacks on easy and grinds off easy if you need it gone. Saves pantlegs too.

Drop a square tube thru the top and make the vise removable or relocatable according to need.