So I bought a Harbor Freight TIG welder (pics)
11-13-2005, 06:16 PM
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So I bought a Harbor Freight TIG welder (pics)
hey guys; sorry it took so long to get pics and **** of this little device; I've been sick since thursday and haven't gotten any better 
i'm going to the doc tomorrow so i wont miss too much work.
Here are some quick pics i took; keep in mind while looking at them i have ZERO tig experience and pretty much just picked up and ran with this after reading only a few articles on the net and it a few books. The uglyness is mostly the weldor not the welder. Cleaning and preperation of the metal was minimal at best; i mostly used just a wire brush; and on the mild steel in the last pic i didnt even bother knocking off the aluminum coating; with more practice and real prep i know this little welder will perform.
Overall i'm quite impressed with this little machine; we nicknamed it the "Rescue Toaster" after an episode of sealab 2021. My friend saw it and didnt think it was worth a **** then i showed him and he used it and named it that
It's really not a bad machine; the scratch start is annoying but i've got to the point where i can start the arc with minimal effort and not get the tungsten stuck. It has a built in gas valve so you dont need to worry about opening and closing the valve on the torch and it has a 2 second post flow once you stop the arc.
For $200 i couldn't be happier with it
i'm going to the doc tomorrow so i wont miss too much work.Here are some quick pics i took; keep in mind while looking at them i have ZERO tig experience and pretty much just picked up and ran with this after reading only a few articles on the net and it a few books. The uglyness is mostly the weldor not the welder. Cleaning and preperation of the metal was minimal at best; i mostly used just a wire brush; and on the mild steel in the last pic i didnt even bother knocking off the aluminum coating; with more practice and real prep i know this little welder will perform.
Overall i'm quite impressed with this little machine; we nicknamed it the "Rescue Toaster" after an episode of sealab 2021. My friend saw it and didnt think it was worth a **** then i showed him and he used it and named it that
It's really not a bad machine; the scratch start is annoying but i've got to the point where i can start the arc with minimal effort and not get the tungsten stuck. It has a built in gas valve so you dont need to worry about opening and closing the valve on the torch and it has a 2 second post flow once you stop the arc.
For $200 i couldn't be happier with it
11-13-2005, 07:12 PM
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Re: (91B16HF)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 91B16HF »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">for $200 that doesn't look too bad for small jobs.</TD></TR></TABLE>
nope
And to all the guys thinking "cool; too bad it'll blow up in a week"... Yea you may be right but the sales guy @ HF was cool; i asked him "so if this thing turns out to be a total pile can I bring it back and get my money back?" and he says absolutely and the talked me into the 1yr warantee that is a free walk-in replacement-refund type deal.
nope
And to all the guys thinking "cool; too bad it'll blow up in a week"... Yea you may be right but the sales guy @ HF was cool; i asked him "so if this thing turns out to be a total pile can I bring it back and get my money back?" and he says absolutely
and the talked me into the 1yr warantee that is a free walk-in replacement-refund type deal.
11-13-2005, 07:37 PM
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11-13-2005, 10:21 PM
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Re: (2SLO)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 2SLO »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">220 or 110? im going to go buy one of these ******* for $200!!!!1</TD></TR></TABLE>
220 but from looking at it and reading in the manual i think you can run it off of 110; dont quote me on that though. Inverter tigs should do fine w/ 110 or 220 as long as its single phase but the fan and other in this **** may not like 110.
220 but from looking at it and reading in the manual i think you can run it off of 110; dont quote me on that though. Inverter tigs should do fine w/ 110 or 220 as long as its single phase but the fan and other in this **** may not like 110.
11-14-2005, 12:11 AM
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Re: (hondaZvic)
looks decent. i woudlnt use it to make manifolds or anything. not enough penetration at 85 amps at all. plus 2 second post flow is not long enough to cover the weld area and keep it from oxidizing.
11-14-2005, 12:26 AM
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11-14-2005, 12:38 AM
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Re: (wantboost)
i find it kinda hard to amke very nice beads with no pedal control to be honest.
on the thinner stuff either youll have a hole or no penetration.
on the thinner stuff either youll have a hole or no penetration.
11-14-2005, 09:16 AM
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Re: (project dc2)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by project dc2 »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i find it kinda hard to amke very nice beads with no pedal control to be honest.
on the thinner stuff either youll have a hole or no penetration. </TD></TR></TABLE>
i've had no problems yet w/o a pedal and i've never used one w/ a pedal so I can't really compare nor would i know how to use it to make a weld
In fact on some of those butt-welds on the stainless I was getting hellacious amounts of sugar on the back and at one point when i added too much filler i got drip through; that was at maybe 2/3 power setting.
If all else fails I can take this thing apart; pull out the current setting pot; take a sewing machine pedal and make my own pedal. You can adjust current on the fly with this unit so making a foot pedal will just require some enginuity. Also looking on the net i've found a billion different plans and ideas on how to make your own hf arc starter; i have a lot of the parts id need to build one so i'm really tempted to do that. I've also heard of people using auto ignition coiles to fire off some energy to ionize the air and get the arc started. Well see though
on the thinner stuff either youll have a hole or no penetration. </TD></TR></TABLE>
i've had no problems yet w/o a pedal and i've never used one w/ a pedal so I can't really compare nor would i know how to use it to make a weld
In fact on some of those butt-welds on the stainless I was getting hellacious amounts of sugar on the back and at one point when i added too much filler i got drip through; that was at maybe 2/3 power setting.
If all else fails I can take this thing apart; pull out the current setting pot; take a sewing machine pedal and make my own pedal. You can adjust current on the fly with this unit so making a foot pedal will just require some enginuity. Also looking on the net i've found a billion different plans and ideas on how to make your own hf arc starter; i have a lot of the parts id need to build one so i'm really tempted to do that. I've also heard of people using auto ignition coiles to fire off some energy to ionize the air and get the arc started. Well see though
11-14-2005, 09:48 AM
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Re: (wantboost)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by wantboost »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">well it has a max of 130amps.....
would you use it for charge piping, bracekts etc... maybe even downpipes?</TD></TR></TABLE>
there is a store in kennesaw that has them!
would you use it for charge piping, bracekts etc... maybe even downpipes?</TD></TR></TABLE>
there is a store in kennesaw that has them!
11-14-2005, 10:47 AM
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Re: (Want2race)
really? i think it woud be good for making small brackets, doing charge pipes and such... i do have access to a free welder but its a drive and i dont have a trailer to tow my car... i might look into one of these
11-14-2005, 11:44 AM
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Re: (xtremeazian)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by xtremeazian »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Kind of a noob question, but what exactly is scratch start? Also, do you know if harbor freight sells the gas/tank?</TD></TR></TABLE>
Basically you have to scratch the material to get an arc going.
Other machines like miller have a high frequency start, so when the torch gets close to the metal, it will automatically start at arc.
The welder does not look half bad ( to have as a back up or a resuce welder like you said ) What thickness can it handle up to ?
Basically you have to scratch the material to get an arc going.
Other machines like miller have a high frequency start, so when the torch gets close to the metal, it will automatically start at arc.
The welder does not look half bad ( to have as a back up or a resuce welder like you said ) What thickness can it handle up to ?
