I'm interested in purchasing a tig welder to finish my project. I don't want to spend $1000. I'm not running a business or doing anything major. I just need something to fab my intercooler piping, downpipe and dumptubes. Any of you guys have any helpful info? I'll be welding aluminum and stainless. I also need something that can run off 110 household power. I don't know much about welders so any help in what I should look for would be great. Thanks in advance.

 

Going to throw an honest opinion down here, take it or leave it.

Buying a welder just so you can fab piping, dump tubes, and downpipe doesn't make sense.

Trying to get into a TIG under $1000 is really going to start you off in a bad direction. Reason being is that the welder is just the beginning of the tools you need. You'll need extra consumables, tungsten, filler rod, helmet, and foot pedal at the bare minimum. That leaves you very little choices, I believe the Everlast TIG units may fall in that price range. Should be able to find them on ebay.

Also, being able to weld your materials won't do you much good until you can buy yourself at least a chop saw, and all of the other tools you may need to do fab work (drills, bits, grinders, saws, etc).

I guess what I'm saying is, if you just want to make your own piping yourself to save some money, take it to someone who can do quality work for you, you will pay less in the end. If you want to get into fabricating as a true interest, do some research and save up for the some quality equipment. You will be happier in the end.

 

I'm a driveway kind of guy. I've built every car I've had this way for the past 10 years. I build houses for a living so I have tools to cut, and of course have drills. I've already did my fair share of cutting and drilling on the car. I have a friend who can do what fab work is left. It's just the whole fact of having to take the car to him which is over an hour away, and then have it sit there where it's out of my reach to work on. That may be what happens but I'm a diy kind of guy and in this hobby, theres always so many times you need to weld something. I'd just like to be able to do it myself.

 

Take Sov's advice. There is no such thing as a < $1k tig welder. There's the eastwood model and such but they're a gamble. Once you have a tig welder you still need a welding table, auto darkening variable helmet, tig gloves, electrodes ($$$ believe it or not), filler rod, argon, tank, regulator...

To get all of that with any respectable decent quality around $1k is unheard of.

 

I was simply asking about the welder itself. I'm not completely new to fabrication. I'm building a car that will probably have close to 30k invested in it before the year is up. I'm not a cheap person. I'm just not looking to take away $2000 from what could almost have the car running. Im just seeing if there's an affordable solution for doing things myself.

 

I just got into TIGing about a month ago and Im $2500+ deep already, diversion 180, helmet, gloves, argon tank, filler rod, tungstens, and other misc. and thats just to weld two pieces of metal together, not counting what you need to cut, bevel, groove, sand, and clean... I know it sounds like you JUST need a welder, but all the lil things add up... thats IMO... all my stuff was purchased new, you may save if you find good, used Good Luck

 

If you do all steel maybe go with a mig with gas and save money. The reason is if you are limited to 110 you will have trouble doing any aluminum on 110. Do you have a 220v? There are the machines that can do dual voltage but their performance on aluminum on 110 is not very good....at least my miller dynasty on 110 tripped breaker all the time. That everlast 185 tig I think is dual voltage now , under 1000.

As well with the tig you might be like me where I didn't have anyone to show me how to do it and I spent a couple $100 in gas and filler before I could stick 2 pieces together LOL.

 

All steel won't do me any good. I wished it was that simple. I could pick one up from Harbor Freight for no more than $150 bucks and get the job done if that were the case but 75% of what I want to do is aluminum. It's sounding like it's just not meant to be for me to weld lol. Like I said before,I'm building the car in my driveway not in a garage. Oh well, maybe I'll have to wait til I build a garage to get into welding. Thanks for the help

 

Trust us, we would like to see nothing more for you to pick up a TIG and learn how to weld. We enjoy it a lot and we like seeing new people start out. It's just that it's costly, more so than most people believe. It's not like a MIG where you buy the welder and a small tank of argon and go to town. You can't TIG in a driveway, you really NEED a station to sit at and be comfortable to do nice work. An "ok" welder STARTS at $1200, and that's before you even buy the other stuff you'll need. (which usually is around almost $500, lol), and then you'll need 220 because the 110 just doesn't enjoy life under AC.

We just don't want to see you spend under 1000 trying to fit TIGing in a budget and then hate all of that money spent.

 

I appreciate the advice. The money really isn't the issue. I could spend the money to get the nice equipment since that seems to be the only way to go but my work area just won't be adequate. Oh well I guess it will have to go to the friends shop to be finished.

 

I don't have a garage I tig weld in my basement , driveway , kitchen lol. In cars on cages lying on my back with the pedal in between my knees. Its not ideal but that is what I have to work with. I would go with that 185 everlast but even though it will work on 110 welding aluminum on 110 just doesn't work too well. Your problem is not the money or your workspace it is wanting to do aluminum on 110v.

 

Which leads back to my real problem is my workspace. The only 220 we have is in my kitchen and basement, neither are near where the car is unfortunately.

 

you could make an extension cord for the 220v

 

Make a heavy gauge extension cord. Like 10G or 12G.

Either way - if looking at AC/DC machines the only one I would consider for less than $1k is the Eastwood TIG 200 because Eastwood has such great customer support. That doesn't mean the machine won't have issues because some have and some haven't.

 

Neither is mine I have a 30 foot extension cable that i run from the window to outside. But I rarely weld outside. I measure everything and take the part in my basement where i have a workspace. I unplug the dryer and use that plug. Tack then take it back out , make sure and weld up. If I have to carry a full exhaust up and down my stairs 10 times I will do it lol. Its no fun but that's what i do.

 

lol I like your dedication. If I were to start doing this, I'd be in the exact same boat.