No fancy square wave, or wave balance or adjustable frequency. Just a good ol 60hz sine wave with high frequency stabilization...

Anyone still do that? Is it really THAT much harder to do than with fancy new technology? I understand the new stuff will be better but i mean they made aircraft parts for decades with the old school stuff.

The reason I ask is because I just bought that antique tig and I want to at least do some Al charge piping and maybe a sheet metal intake or two. Maybe some ITBs down the road.

 

anybody?

Got any pointers? Should I ball the tungsten? should i switch from 2% to pure or xirc.?

 

Also how normal is it for a water cooled torch's power cable to get toasty warm at ~ 160amps. I have water running through it (garden hose adapter) but the cable still gets pretty warm pretty fast

 

How much water are you running through it? On my big miller 330 bp I have a reciculation tank and it never heats up at 200+ amps. You might need a larger amp torch.

The difference between the miller and my ta185 on alum is significant. Takes a little more practice on the miller and pedal work but all in all works excellent. You just are not able to adjust the freq like the never welders for larger fatter beads. You just do it by heat control.

I got my miller with cart and 240cf tank and water cooler for 400 bucks. So make one to two things with it and you payed for the machine. I like to use my miller for heavy alum since its 400 amp

 

Oh ya with the older machines you want to run pure tung, the green stuff. And ball the end and run a gas lense. I always use 3/32 and 3/32 wire to weld pretty much everything. Just get some practice and you should be golden.

 

thanks for the tips; im not sure exactly howmuch h2o runs through it, it's not a significant amount but after playign with it for a few minutes there is a puddle on the drain side outside. I think maybe its hooked up backwards where water goes into the machine into the torch then out instead of into the torch and out the power wire to the drain.
It's an older linde torch, no model numbers on it but it came with some good gas lenses, collets, cups etc no tungsten though. It's not a bad torch its just the power lead gets toasty warm. Can just hte power lead be replaced easily or economically?

 

I just bought a new 250amp torch for one of my millers at work and it was like 150 bucks with new gaslense and cups. And its a flexible 25ft torch. I do not think you can just replace the power lead on the torch, there is no way to get it out of the body.

 

anybody else?