A guy i work with has a thermal tig welder i was thinking about buying cheap. Ive never tig welded before but i wanna learn, Please give me some input

 

What model? They are great machines from personal experience. I use a Arcmaster 300 at work.

 

I have the thermal arc 185 in my garage.

 

Thermal Arc 185 is THE best personal use TIG for automotive use based on price and perforamance

 

Is it strong enough to do sch10 or 12? When you say "personal" what do you mean? Can i weld a roll cage into my car, or weld my intercooler up? How about any aluminum?

 

He has model 161s i think. What all can i do with this

 

Can definitely do everything you mentioned. I mean personal use in that it is not really meant for long term production work. Although, every shop near me uses them without any issue.

 

It can tend to struggle with thicker aluminum (thermal arc 185 - .25" aluminum) if it is a larger piece. Heating the piece up definitely helps.

I have had no problems with mine so far for 4+ years. It came with a 5 year warranty and was made in Japan.