# Tig welding sheet metal with 50amps??



## Jim_cellarshop (Oct 4, 2012)

Hi, I need to buy a generator soon and would like to be able to TIG weld. Note that I have a MIG and I have never TIG welded. Wife says some of the larger units are out of budget and I can not really fit one or move it to the back where it will be stored. So I was looking at the Miller Wildcat 200 which is about at the top of my size budget range, but it says welding amps is 50-200, 50 on the low end sounds way too much to TIG weld 20ga sheet metal. I have had some small alloy parts in the past that are just too small to weld with MIG that a Friend TIG welded for me (he has a diff job, is busey & I hate to keep bugging him). At one place the guy recommeded ether a Trailblazer 250 (way too much $$ & too big) or a Honda gen and a Maxstar 200, but that's a bit over budget. And I would most likely have to put off the welder for years. I would like to TIG weld 10ga wire (stainless & carbon) chain mail also (think small steel O-ring looking things). Thanks for any help/advise you can give. Jim


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## oldgoaly (Oct 4, 2012)

We have been running an older Miller 250 syncrowave off a 50 amp breaker, we also have Thermodynamic 185 we run off a generator, the strange part is we need to run a fan to put a load on the generator to settle down the generator as the circuit board in T/D does not like the voltage.


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## ranch23 (Oct 4, 2012)

Why not just buy a generator and then a Lincoln 225 TIG?


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## November X-ray (Oct 4, 2012)

This is somewhat of an ambiguous question.

What thickness of sheet metal are you talking about? 10 gauge sheet metal is almost 1/8" and 50 amps might about right and you may need more if it is aluminum but then you'll want AC with an arc stabilizer of sorts such as a high frequency unit.

What wattage of generator do you need? Perhaps you can find you a generator and a seperate TIG machine that fits both of your needs and fits into your budget. Keep in mind that MIG, TIG, Stick are all "arc" welding and much of this can be done with the same "power source". A engine powered generator/welder can do all of this with the proper attachments but then it is all about how much do you want to spend verses what you already have available. You can TIG weld with two 12 volt car batteries rigged up parallel with some large resistors to choke the current, and this is the purest DC you will get but it does'nt last all that long.


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## Jim_cellarshop (Oct 5, 2012)

I would like to be able to go down to 20ga steel & maybe stainless. I have not ever welded alum but if I wanted to I could set up my MIG for it. I need about 4500watts for house backup, so I am going to get a gen about 5000-6000w continuous just to be safe. I do not want to get any larger, to get better fuel run time. I have to get it down a steep slope & into my basement & then back out into the back yard to run it so the 500lbs Trailblazers are just too big. And my wife has to be able to handle it in case I am away. I was hoping to save some money by combining the generator and expand my welding cap at the same time (& get a welder in under the house budget). I need the generator to be very reliable, but I could get a used welder later.. Any other advise?  Thanks guys!!  Jim.


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## irishwoodsman (Oct 5, 2012)

this is something to think about, military surplus, you can get a 40k for about 800.00 1500.00 most are mounted to skids are trailor and then get you a spool gun setup to run aluminum or steel, i bought one of these back in the early 80s when we had our cabin back in the hills of tennesee and had a small arc welder hooked to it, then the neighbors found out i had it from 10 miles away and seemed i was doing more welding on vacation than i did at home lol, and they last forever if you pull regular maintance on them, just a thought. mac:thinking:


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## Rbeckett (Oct 5, 2012)

Thin section tig on mild and stainless is probably going to be way less than the 50 amp Minimum.  Also a motor drive is way expensive when you consider that they come bare and have to be equiped with leads and everything to do the process you are looking for.  I personally would opt for comething like a miller Diversion 180 with multi voltage, and a good solid house gen seperate and under some kind of cover where the wife could get access to it if needed.  Lugging up and down a set of stairs even with a couple hundred pounds is gonna get old fast.  The diversions are relatively inexpensive new, and that will leave you enough to get a fairly large gen set and still be in budget.  Just my .02.
Bob


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## Jim_cellarshop (Oct 5, 2012)

Thanks for all the info. Yes it looks like I will just buy a generator now and save up for a TIG unit. Thanks for the idea about a surplus gen, but we moved from the country to a development & I don't have the space. I have a walk out basement, so once I get a gen down the steep side yard it can go in the basement & just get rolled a few feet out back. I have already set up an outside power inlet & have a manual swtich gear with 6 circuits on it. Thanks! Jim.


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## Rbeckett (Oct 5, 2012)

Jim,
Another alternative to stay in budget and keep the wife happy would be looking at one of the Hobart 10K gen/welders and just running the leads and other connections as you save up.  It will be very heavy (not a one man lift), but is already set up for use and storage outside.  Once you get the genset hooked up and have Momma taken care of you can save up and get any number of attatchments that will enable you to do just about any process you would like.  Hobart is tha same company as Miller and makes an outstanding product that will give good service for both uses.  The add on boxes and attatchments can be bought seperately and you could do stick, tig, mig, and arc gouging very easily and do a very nice job too.  The Hobart 10K set ups are available at Tractor Supply and various other retailers and do go on sale from time to time.  Northern tool and a lot of vendors who are close by and in your town can sell you a nice set up and the warranty is good too.  Just a thought.
Bob


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## November X-ray (Oct 6, 2012)

Is that a hog trap I see in that picture, or is it just wishful thinking?


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## killdozerd11 (Oct 8, 2012)

Why do you want to tig sheet steel if you have a mig which is far better to do sheet metal with  ??

I love doing DC tig and i can do AC too i have welded the soda can stack but i like doing stainless better
Though after going to the miller under the hood event and running the dynasty 350 was pure joy compared to the old syncrowave i ran in college 

Don't run an inverter type welder from a generator that does not have a stable voltage supply output it will damage the welder 

If your going to get a portable welder there are several that can run stick / tig like the miller bobcat or the trailblazer
But the tier 4 engine laws are going into effect soon and the prices on portables are going way up

I run a TrailBlazer 302 airpak but i don't have tig capabilities ...never needed it
I run stick or my 12 rc suitcase with the 300 Q gun that gives me Mig and flux core self shield or dual shield capabilities

And if i wanted to i could use a spool gun or push/pull gun for aluminum but doing equipment repair i have never needed it


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## November X-ray (Oct 8, 2012)

killdozerd11 said:


> Why do you want to tig sheet steel if you have a mig which is far better to do sheet metal with  ??



It really depends on what the need is. I sometimes build fuel tanks out of 16 gauge cold roll sheet and would much rather TIG weld it then MIG it, simply a matter of preference but the TIG is so much cleaner and more precise with no clean up afterwards. Just a little abrasive blasting, then primer and top coat! I should mention that this is done with no filler metal, merely align the two sheared edges accurately and walk down the seam. I have yet to have one of these leak when done this way but the very first one I MIG welded leaked in a couple of spots.


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## killdozerd11 (Oct 8, 2012)

oh gas tanks well yes then by all means tig it so much better that way

I thought you were talking sheet metal as in car body sheet metal stuff like that

Though you can mig gas tanks and not get leaks but it takes practice like doing several and getting your settings just right and your fit up has to be real good also

When i first went to college i thought this is going to be easy i already weld real good but i went there to learn
But we had guys come with the idea there is nothing you can teach me also...So my professor had this little test

6 1/4 by 6" by 6" plates and a 1" pipe nipple

Weld the plates in a box cut a hole in the center of the top plate and weld the pipe nipple in the hole...simple....weld it with 1/8 6010 rod...ok

Then fill that when done with soluble oil water mix attach the hand pump and pressurize 

Humm looks like a lawn sprinkler ...are you sure there's nothing you can learn here

My second one held with no leaks and i learned a lot in smaw then tig when you could do the soda can stack you could be considered a tig welder for aluminum

Next class was stainless were you learned about heat input and gas backing real quick to get that nice even color to your weld and no crust on the back

But that's just shop time you still have all that book learning to do and weld symbols  But it's things you need to know


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## Jim_cellarshop (Oct 10, 2012)

Hey sorry I have been sick for a few days.. Thanks for all the info the main reason i was looking at a gen/welder was that I need to buy a generator (approved by the big boss) and I thought that I could combine the costs & get a TIG welder in the process. I do not need portable TIG welding, I have not done stick in years. I used ox/ac before I moved, but now that my shop is in the basement I am down to just my Hobart 140 mig. I want to be able to weld alloy pieces up to 1/4" but also weld sheet metal tabs, about 18ga (maybe even stainless) to the inside of 10ga sheet metal electronic cabinets and 10ga stainless wire into 3/8" welded rings. I looked at the Hobart 10k, it's a bit big for the space I have & I could not find where the TIG access was short of just plugging in a regular TIG unit to the gen. I think I will most likely just buy a generator that my wife can handle & then look for a used TIG machine when I have more funds. I also am going to practice MIG welding more, I am pretty much a rank amateur so I may be able to do some of the things I want w/ more practice & education. Thanks a lot for your help!


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