i got an old big *** AC/DC heliarc welder i was thinkin about tryin to fire up and learn to use it. this thing has everything i need: pedal, tig gun, rods, etc

my main question is where should i start and can quality welds be made from the heliarc's? is there any online reading to do on starting to learn these machines?

i have pretty good experience with mig so i understand the concept of welding but when i look at this heliarc i dont know where to begin with all the ***** and such

anyways..... any help, links, etc. is greatly appreciated! this machine has intrigued me for the past few years and now i cant take it any longer. i want to learn how to use it! and since my grandfather passed away some time ago i dont have anyone to learn from as he was a master welder and was the only one who knew how to use it

thanks
--chris

 

and i may have made myself sound stupid with that post but this thing really confuses me when i look at the *****

and are TIG and heliarc the same?

 

Heliarc is a trade name for GTAW welding. So yes, they are the same.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by cjames235 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">...and can quality welds be made from the heliarc's?...</TD></TR></TABLE>

I am gonna bring a little monkey to your house and have him use your sack as a speed bag....

That's TIG man....hell yes you can make quality welds...the highest quality.

 

LOL you guys are trippin me out......... and i thought they were the same but this thing is old and uses helium.......... i just thought it was different cus tig uses argon right?

or can you use either one?

anyone got some reading i can do? book? video? etc?......... im dyin to learn this thing and i dont even know where to begin with it

 

i know im makin myself look like a dumbass

im good with mig though so i know SOME stuff

oh well you gotta start somewhere

 

http://www.millerwelds.com/education/TIGhandbook/

found this handbook to read after searching for a while........ so ill read it and start from there

this post can be ignored now so it will fall into the depths

 

you can use Ar, He, or Co2 to tig.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by RC000E &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

I am gonna bring a little monkey to your house and have him use your sack as a speed bag....

</TD></TR></TABLE>

ROFLCOPTER!!! You made my day!

 

Its called Heliarc because back in the days they only used helium as a shielding gas. You could use argon with that welder for welding steel, stainless steel, or even aluminum.

 

ok so even though its designed to use helium the other gases could also be used without problems?

which gas is used for what types of materials?

 

Argon is used nowadays for almost everything. Helium is typically used on aluminum when you need a little more heat. Just make sure you have a flowmeter set up for argon and you'll be set.

 

ok well today i fired it up today!....... its already running on argon so no need to switch it.......

its an old AIRCO 250A Heliwelder............ and man does it weld like total ***!!!! i dont know whats up with this thing i got fed up with it so i left it alone because i could barely get it to melt anything

its ac/dc but there is no dc+ or -.......... the **** turns to AC, DCSP, and DCEP............ not sure which dc is the one i want to start on but i was using the SP with the best results with the ground on "work" and the gun on "electrode"....... also have the high frequency turned on.......... can anyone shed any light on this? what would be the best way to set this thing up for a beginner?

and i can tell the pedal is working the farther you push it i can hear the machine working harder and the arc is noticeably stronger just doesnt seem strong enough i guess