Been lurking around here and there looking for whats out there, not trying to spend a ton of money, just something to play with...
I am NOT a welder, i have never welded but like anything else, i think i can learn how to weld on my own given some practice and pointers from the pros...
came across this...
http://winstonsalem.craigslist.org/tls/568559280.html
those who know welders, what do you think, is this worth the time and money it would take to aquire? let me know, i may pick it up this weekend depending on your input

Thanks,
Dan

 

This tells you nothing about the machines at all. I seriously doubt you'll get a tig that is more than a paper weight for $250.

If you are planing to do aluminum you'll need an AC/DC unit with lots of power. If you are budget minded, go for a mig welder.

 

just pick up a cheapo MIG from harbor freight to learn on, thats what i have and have been practicing on two pieces of stainless, but i've gotten too good to snap them apart after the welding so time for more metal

 

i have access to a MIG, i just wanted a cheap TIG to see if i can get any good with it and decide wether i should weld my own ****...

 

Wow, I've never seen welders like that.

My TIG185 has, well 185 amps. Enough to do log manifolds in steels and tack 1/4" aluminum, welds 1/8" aluminum decently.

If you just want to do exhausts or I/C pipes, ~.065" steels, ~50 amps is ok. I set mine to 45 and I don't think I press the pedal all the way.

 

talked to the guy, says its a ARC250, but will call me back once he is near it to give all the info of the tag...he thinks its a 250 amp. but we'll see

Tim, i would just do .065" no AL, just steel (mild or SS), think this would be OK? if it works, lol

 

If it has a method to control amps, yeah I guess so. I don't see where the gas tank goes though. You want an argon tank attached.

 

I don't think that's a TIG welder. From the picture and name it appears to be nothing more than a standard stick welder. No gas hookup, no DC, no on-the-fly current control, just a big variable transformer.

 

so its ****?!?!
the guy didnt know anything about it, so i think its safe to say that i should stay the **** away...he thought it was a DC machine??? anywhoot
if someone runs across something else on the cheap and its worth a crap, let me know

 

I wouldn't say it's ****- it looks like a hell of a robust arc welder and would be great for repairing farm implements or welding patches over ship's hulls while underway. But it's no TIG welder.

If you really want to play with TIG, you're going to need something with both AC and DC output, gas control, and preferably an on-the-fly current control.

This, for instance, is a pretty cheap entry-level TIG machine: http://cgi.ebay.com/200Amp-Inverter-Tig-Welder-RILAND-TIG200ACDC-w-foot-opt_W0QQitemZ180216071176QQihZ008QQcategoryZ113743 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

/crawls back in his hole...

thanks Joe
one day i will get one...just not a priority now to spend $700 on it

 

When you do, don't cheap out. When I bought my MIG welder I didn't want to spend a lot of money so I bought one that had no provision for a gas hookup and required flux-core wire. Every time I use it I regret not spending the extra $200 or so it would have cost for me to get a decent gas-feed setup.

Kinda the same reason I've never taken the leap and purchased my own TIG unit. I know that if I bought a cheap one without a foot pedal and such that I'd regret it, and yet I just can't justify spending $1000+ for a new welding setup given how infrequently I actually need it. I'll just keep on laying down ugly, spatter-covered MIG welds for the non-precision stuff, and taking the delicate pieces to the guy down the street.

 

i could have stolen you an AC/DC TIG welder off the back of a trailer in the LOWES parking lot today if i had read this before going there

 

damn, i feel almost loved, lol

i got a call back from the guy, i'm surprised he knows how to answer a cellphone...anyways, he says that its a 'straight DC adjustable voltage and current and you can MIG and Stick with it. think its a linc arc250 and dont know if it has the tank, may have to get that separate'
wtf does that mean?

 

its not what you want. Its a stick welder, which can do tig but it would be suckkkk

 

It means he knows just enough welding lingo to be dangerous, but not enough to be helpful. If what's in the picture is all he's got, then all you can do with it is stick. It's nothing more than a big variable transformer with a rectifier on the output. If you need to weld submarine hulls together then buy it, but using that monster for small TIG work would be like swatting flies with an anvil.

You could use it as a power supply for a MIG process, but you'd need an external wirefeed / gun / gas system. That sort of setup is common in big industrial welding systems, but pointlessly complex for the home user.