# Is a Precision Tig 275 too much machine for me?



## Tankueray (Dec 10, 2020)

Howdy all, 

Back in March I picked up a Lincoln Precision Tig 275 (ready pak) and an LN-25 Pro at the same estate sale that I bought my Bridgeport at.  I don't think they've ever been used.  I'm just now getting around to figuring out what to do with them.  I am new to welding and only really have experience with MIG and mild steel, and most of that is on a HF Titanium 125 flux core welder.  (A teeny bit on an old Millermatic 200.)  The Bridgeport rebuild is almost done, and I'm building a CNC Plasma table now.  I'm going to need to weld something soon, I hope.  

Although I'm not a fan of Lincoln, from what I understand the PT 275 is an awesome machine, and I'm guessing I can attach the LN-25 to have MIG capability.  But I have questions:
1.) Is this too much machine for me or all the machine I'll ever need?  As in, should I sell it and get separates or an MTS machine; or keep it and use it as a ploy in a, "single woman with truck, tractor, and welder seeking mid-40s man" ad?  I have no idea if I'll ever do fine aluminum work, but I know I'll need to the day after I decide to sell it.  The only drawback I can see from this setup is not having a "smart" MIG.  I'm not opposed to saving up for a better MIG, but this isn't worse than the little 110v HF flux core, right?

2.) Is the MIG suitcase worth messing with?  Is it generally the same as using any other MIG or am I going to hate it?  How do I connect it to the PT 275? Lincoln doesn't have any info in the manuals for connecting either to the other (specifically).  I do believe the stick terminals on the PT can be made hot to run the LN-25, and the LN has a CC/CV switch.  

3.) The most important question - If I keep it, am I going to get machine envy and want to buy something more shiny or will I be okay as long as I stay out of aircraft and ship building facilities?

My usage is mainly going to be welding things in the garage - tube steel for furniture, things I cut on the plasma (up to 5/8" capable), etc.  Some of them may be big (I'm thinking about a tractor grappler) but most probably won't.  Occasionally, I'm going to need to weld on things outside of the garage (hopefully no less than 20ft away), tractor bits, trailers, random fix-its my friends bribe me to do, etc.  Friends may come out of the woodwork to build roll cages and for car mods, they're already asking about the Bridgeport every few weeks, I need to look into a dollar-bill feeder.  It's all hobby-level now, but when I retire in a few years, I want to have the skills and capability to make it a business if I feel like it.

That's about the extent of sounding like I know what I'm talking about, so now for the embarrassingly stupid questions:
3.) I'll need bottles no matter which way I go.  Is there a go-to Ar/CO2 mix or should I just get a bottle of each?  If I weld something maybe two weekends a month, how big should I get?  
4.) I have two, unused but expired, CO2 cylinders (5lb maybe?).  Will the supply house take them for filled trade-out cylinders?  As in, is it illegal or they can if they want to?
5.) I really want to learn to TIG (everything), what add-ons, accessories, etc. can I just not live without?  I've been eyeing the flexible torches and glass cups for a while; is a tungsten grinder worth the money?  
6.) Any ladies (or husbands) out there with recommendations for gear that's particularly awesome for us?  (Lincoln ladies' gear is crap.)

Thanks, 
Mandy


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## DavidR8 (Dec 10, 2020)

Hi Mandy, I'll chip in with few observations from a newbie on both MIG and TIG. 
I have zero experience with your machines so can't offer any comments there.

I have two 125 cu ft bottles; one pure argon for TIG and one 75/25 argon & CO2 mix for MIG. You must use pure argon for TIG. I went with the biggest bottles I can manage by myself.
My local welding supply took in a used 75/25 cylinder and gave me a new one without batting an eye. Individual stores are likely going to have their own policies. 
I find TIG uses more gas for the same amount of welding simply because TIG is a slower process. 
I have a CK Worldwide 17 flexhead torch which is rated to 150 amps. I changed out the standard alumina cups and collets for stubby cups and gas lenses primarily for better gas coverage which can reduce gas consumption.


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## Tankueray (Dec 10, 2020)

DavidR8 said:


> I have a CK Worldwide 17 flexhead torch which is rated to 150 amps. I changed out the standard alumina cups and collets for stubby cups and gas lenses primarily for better gas coverage which can reduce gas consumption.



Thanks David, that's exactly the torch I've been looking at.  So the stubby kit gives better gas coverage?  I was thinking about it just because it makes the torch smaller and I have tiny hands, but that sounds like a bonus.


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## pontiac428 (Dec 10, 2020)

You can buy separate gas cylinders and mix your own gas.  I have pre-set gas mixers for 75/25 and for tri-mix.  A company called Smith makes a proportional mixer that you can dial your balance on the fly with.  You just need the plumbing and discrete regulators instead of flow meters.  The mixer is just a box with threaded ports in it, you run the tanks to the mixer, and the mixer to the welder.  That's all there is to it.  I'd recommend most people should just buy pre-mix, but if you're a tank collector like me, mixers make sense.

The 17 series torch is really small.  With a stubby tungsten and end cap, plus the stubby gas cup, it makes a very compact setup.  Small hands should not make a difference in TIG.  You can hold the torch like a pencil, or like a hammer, or anything in between.  TIG makes for delicate work, so there's nothing to apply brute force to.


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## Tankueray (Dec 10, 2020)

pontiac428 said:


> The 17 series torch is really small.  With a stubby tungsten and end cap, plus the stubby gas cup, it makes a very compact setup.  Small hands should not make a difference in TIG.  You can hold the torch like a pencil, or like a hammer, or anything in between.  TIG makes for delicate work, so there's nothing to apply brute force to.



Mixers - yes, that was what I was thinking.  I'll probably get a pre-mix first, and add the Argon on later since I know my first planned projects are going to be MIG.  I know YouTube isn't going to teach me TIG, I'll have to go hang around friend's shops and use up their gas for a while.

I was holding onto a bigger torch with a long nozzle the other day, and it was basically too tall for me to rest my pinky or the edge of my hand high enough to stabilize it in order to do a smooth movement.  Otherwise I was floating in the air and mirroring the same bobbing motion that the wire hand was.  My friend mentioned that I needed a stubby kit while laughing at me, and I'm not allowed to use a hot machine until I can figure out the hand movements. (I don't blame him, I'm very particular with my tools too.)


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## DavidR8 (Dec 10, 2020)

I’ve watched hours of videos by Jody Collier (Welding Tips and Tricks) to understand the fundamentals. But there is no substitute for hood time. 
I try to get an hour a week and more in when I can 


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## lis2323 (Dec 10, 2020)

Your 275 is gonna need around a 100 amp breaker I think. 

It’s an awesome machine. I sold mine last year. 








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## Tankueray (Dec 10, 2020)

lis2323 said:


> Your 275 is gonna need around a 100 amp breaker I think.



Good to know, a 100A breaker for my panel is only $50, but that does change my decision to run the plug to the other wall.  There's a perfectly fine 220V outlet box directly under the panel that's going to get repurposed.  (And of course I already have two brand new boxes of 50 and 60A breakers.   Like 20 of them, and outlets and plugs to match, I just haven't bought the wire yet.)  Of course, I'm sure I can get by with the 60A that's already there since I'm not planning to AC TIG aluminum for possibly ever.  Ugh, now I have to rearrange the garage floorplan. 

Did yours have the water cooler?  Mine's in one of the drawers underneath.


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## lis2323 (Dec 10, 2020)

Tankueray said:


> Did yours have the water cooler? Mine's in one of the drawers underneath.



No water cooler. The previous owner only used the machine for thin walled aluminum tubing.


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## ericc (Dec 10, 2020)

I'm on a tight budget, so I'd lean toward using those CO2 tanks.  You can do MIG with them.  There's a bit more spatter, but it's cheap.  If you are welding two weekends a month, almost any sized tank will do.  You will not be filling all that often.  Those 5 lb tanks will do a lot of MIG welding.  I am not really in to MIG welding.  I have one MIG welder in my garage, and I never use it.  I have an oxyacetylene torch, and I've used it twice.  My go to welders are stick and TIG, and I use these a lot.  I have two argon tanks, in case I run out on a weekend.  That Lincoln TIG welder looks really nice, and it's good you are starting with that instead of a silly Harbor Freight 120V flux core welder that many beginners fall in to.  Don't worry about a tungsten grinder.  Instead, buy one pack of tungstens and sharpen each one.  Then, every time you contaminate your tungsten, put in the next one.  If you are using a stubby torch, you will have to break up a lot of tungstens when you are starting.  I started out with a long back cap.  You don't need the stubby if you are just running stringer beads, which is what you'll be doing a lot of in the beginning.


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## erikmannie (Dec 11, 2020)

You are set for machines. For me, it would be an easy decision to keep what you have and become adept at TIG, MIG and stick.

After a lot of research, I chose to run C25 for MIG gas. I would recommend choosing the LWS closest to your home to get shielding gas. If they give you any trouble, move onto the place that is the second closest to your home.

That huge machine will run E6010 like a champ! Stick welders will envy that, for sure.

I use a tungsten grinder; it was expensive, but I have already gotten my money’s worth out of it. I also usually use a TIG pen (about $35 online).

I have never desired glass cups. I am happy with standard cups & gas lenses.

The Welding Tips & Tricks podcast as well as Arc Junkies podcast (I like the new host WAY better than Jimmy McKnight) will hyperaccelerate your welding education.

My favorite YouTube guru is Bob Moffatt.


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## Tankueray (Dec 11, 2020)

ericc said:


> I'm on a tight budget, so I'd lean toward using those CO2 tanks. You can do MIG with them.


They're expired, if I can get the supply to trade them out, great, but the last time I had paintball canisters recertified it cost me a fortune, so they'll become crucibles if that's the case.



> in case I run out on a weekend.


Hmmm.... I have keys to my friend's shop down the road.  I don't know why his cylinders only go empty on the weekends....



> and it's good you are starting with that instead of a silly Harbor Freight 120V flux core welder that many beginners fall in to


You didn't read my whole post, did you?  Titanium = Harbor Freight



> Then, every time you contaminate your tungsten, put in the next one.


I bet I'm going to have to buy a lot of tungsten.  My friend may also have a problem with his tungsten mysteriously becoming q-tipped.  I have a few spare sanders and a pedestal grinder that only ever gets used for the wire brush, and I'm particular enough that I could dedicate a few stone wheels to tungsten.  

So you use stick for the grunt work, what do you use TIG on?  If it doesn't have to be mil-spec, isn't it really time consuming?

Stupid question, can you sharpen both ends of a tungsten rod and flip them around?  How do you "break" them? Score and snap or just hi-yaa!?


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## erikmannie (Dec 11, 2020)

Tankueray said:


> They're expired, if I can get the supply to trade them out, great, but the last time I had paintball canisters recertified it cost me a fortune, so they'll become crucibles if that's the case.
> 
> 
> Hmmm.... I have keys to my friend's shop down the road.  I don't know why his cylinders only go empty on the weekends....
> ...



I never cut my tungsten in half. The only reason that I would do that would be to get into a tight joint, and you will have short tungstens after a bit of welding. If you sharpen both ends, you would put yourself in a position to have a blob of contaminant in your back cap.

I use TIG for aluminum, Ti and stainless, and when I want to minimize smoke & spatter. I use MIG when I am in a hurry, for a spot repair, or for a huge job. I use stick a LOT. You didn’t ask, but I use oxyacetylene welding for really thin steel (less than .063”).

I cut tungsten with these:









						CN-10 Professional Cable and Housing Cutter
					

A shop-quality cutting pliers designed specifically for use on bicycle cable and housing.




					www.parktool.com
				




When you dip your tungsten, you cut off the contaminated ball at the end, and then resharpen. No need to spend your time grinding down contaminant.


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## Tankueray (Dec 11, 2020)

erikmannie said:


> I would recommend choosing the LWS closest to your home to get shielding gas. If they give you any trouble, move onto the place that is the second closest to your home.


There are only 2 in town, and the guys at one think women should stay in the kitchen.  The other one rocks though.  The next closest is 150 miles.  I'm okay if they can't take them, but it doesn't hurt to ask.


> I use a tungsten grinder; it was expensive, but I have already gotten my money’s worth out of it. I also usually use a TIG pen (about $35 online).


That's what I've heard, I might buy one eventually, I can think of a lot more things I could use instead first.  I did order something similar to the pen though, to help with the bouncing.  


> The Welding Tips & Tricks podcast as well as Arc Junkies podcast (I like the new host WAY better than Jimmy McKnight) will hyperaccelerate your welding education.


I remember podcasts, before my commute to work consisted of walking to the other side of the house.  I like WT&T's YouTube channel, I might pull up some podcasts in the garage while I'm finishing the plasma build. Thanks.


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## erikmannie (Dec 11, 2020)

I can see why you don’t patronize the LWS where they think that women should stay in the kitchen. I guess they haven’t heard that, statistically, women actually have better manual dexterity. All the more reason to practice a crazy amount and become a very adept welder and machinist.


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## Tankueray (Dec 11, 2020)

It's an oil-field area, there are still a few good 'ol boys loafing around here and there.  They're not used to walk-in customers without a contract account.  That's probably why the other store handles nearly all of the medium and small business and individual accounts in the area, they also have supplies on the shelf, a bigger showroom stocked with shiny things, and a fresh pot of coffee all day.  And they have great discounts and job placement assistance for the local kids in tech school - an all-around great company that sells more than just gas.  I deal with most of the area fabrication companies for my day job, and I often hear how they like the women better and compete to hire them.  Not necessarily because of better skills, but work ethic and attention to detail.  The girls are willing to drive 120 miles round trip every day to start at $80 an hour, some of the boys are too, but many of them fizzle out months out of school and end up as welder's helpers for $15 an hour.  Or they end up in food service, there are an amazing amount of welding school graduates in food service around here.  All the while the area companies are advertising good pay and benefits, tuition and certification assistance, and retirement plans.  (sigh) Kids....get off my lawn.


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## jwmelvin (Dec 11, 2020)

That thing about women’s in the kitchen and not welding made me chuckle. I’ve had a TIG setup for a few years and I think the repetitive dexterity of kitchen knife work translates very well to TIG. Sure, TIG can be challenging in a different way because pausing causes an interruption, so I like to think of it as a blend of knife work and drumming. 

You don’t want to sharpen both ends because a lot of time with a blob on the end you wouldn’t be able to put the tungsten in the front of the collet. And if you put it in the back and blob the other end, you’d have to cut it to remove. Just sharpen a ten pack and that gives you plenty of chances. I use a belt/disc grinder of a diamond disc ($5 on eBay) sandwiched to a bench grinder wheel. 

The furic glass cups can be super nice in some situations. They definitely improve visibility. I try to use mine only when it would make a difference. I generally use gas lenses with the pink ceramic cups. Get good gas lenses and collets (Miller). I bought a used 250A setup with a water cooler so my torch is pretty small (#20, same size as #9).


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## jwmelvin (Dec 11, 2020)

Oh, on gas: I first had a 120V wire feed and converted it to MIG, so I have an 80 cu ft cylinder for Ar-CO2. For TIG, I wanted more ability to practice so I rented the largest Ar cylinder, a 330 cu ft. Around here (northern Virginia) its almost impossible to find a place that will deal with owned tanks larger than 80. I just swapped the Ar cylinder for the first time, three years later.


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## Liljoebrshooter (Dec 11, 2020)

That is a awesome welder but I don't have enough amps to run something like that. 
TIG welding takes some practice.   I have seen some women at work that are excellent TIG welders.  Most ladies have a delicate touch that is required.  Just look at their penmanship. 

Joe


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## ericc (Dec 11, 2020)

Tankueray said:


> They're expired, if I can get the supply to trade them out, great, but the last time I had paintball canisters recertified it cost me a fortune, so they'll become crucibles if that's the case.
> ...
> So you use stick for the grunt work, what do you use TIG on?  If it doesn't have to be mil-spec, isn't it really time consuming?
> 
> Stupid question, can you sharpen both ends of a tungsten rod and flip them around?  How do you "break" them? Score and snap or just hi-yaa!?



I had a funny experience at my welding store.  I brought an old cylinder in, and they talked me through the whole deal, then said that they will swap anything under 120 cf without much fuss.  I then said that I had another old cylinder I'd like to bring in.  The fellow said wait till we get to know you better and you're an established customer, else we'll charge you for hydrotest.  I shut my mouth and filled the tank a few times, then brought in the second one.  They didn't even raise an eyebrow and swapped it out immediately.  Now I bring in all sorts of tanks, and even friend's tanks.  All OK.  Being a regular customer, rather than a looky loo, helps a lot, and I bet it would help in Texas.  

As for stick and TIG, I use stick on everything I can.  I hate paying for gas.  It costs about $50 to fill a 55 cf tank, so that's about $10 per hour of welding.  Stick will eat about 1-2 kwh in an hour of welding, which is 50 cents, plus a few garage sale junk rods.  I will also use TIG for custom machine tools where it will ruin the tool if I burn through or weld too far, such as a pocket for inserts.  I also welded a umbrella with broken ribs (kind of as a show-off stunt; it's better than aluminum cans because the umbrella will keep you dry later).  There is no way you can do this with a stick welder.  The sparks would ruin the thin fabric.

I never sharpen tungsten on both ends.  I'm afraid of poking myself, and I really hate it when people grind off the red or purple band, and now you've got a mystery tungsten.


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## General Zod (Dec 11, 2020)

Edited:  missed some info already in the 1st post.

The LN-25 wire feeder is meant to be used with a CV source The PT275 is crazy powerful but chugs electricity.   They both have their uses, but for now the LN-25 can take a cat nap.  Can't use it until you find a suitable CV power source.  At least that's what I can tell from the literature on the Lincoln website.

On second thought, I should be quiet, as I don't think I was looking at the right literature, lol.

Depending on which specific model you have, you can find the manual > Here <


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## Tankueray (Dec 15, 2020)

Thanks for all the replies.  I'm still on the fence about it, but I'm leaning toward keeping the TIG and selling the MIG, and maybe getting a nicer MIG machine down the road.  If I ever become decent at it, being one of the few people in the area, and possibly the only hobbyist, that's capable of thick aluminum could be advantageous.  Plus, I bet aluminum is going to be a lot of what I do on the Bridgeport, so I'm sure I'll have many mistakes to practice TIG on.
And I appreciate that so many of you got the reference, so here's a picture of my tractor.


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## General Zod (Dec 15, 2020)

Capable of ≈ ½" aluminum in one pass, but can weld as thin as 0.032" as well.  It's a bad mamma that unfortunately most people won't get to experience it's utter awesomeness, due it's "lofty" price tag.









Here is the list of synergic programs that it comes programmed with:.  Nothing in the 300A class even comes close.  It is THE MIG to have in the sub-350A class.








I'd let you give it a test drive, but even though we are both in Texas, it's quite a ways from you.  I'll be in the Austin area soon and might visit a fellow acquaintance welder, maybe we can have ourselves a weld-o-rama.  BYOAaS (Bring your own Argon and Scrap)


Fully user-adjustable double-pulse (pulse on pulse).  This is on steel.  Make nice, tight TIG-like ripples......










.... or atomic-blast nuke-like ripples that will smoke your MIG gloves in one single pass if you're not careful.....










...with ZERO gun manipulation.  Just squeeze the trigger and MOVE or you'll smoke both the part and your gloves/hands!


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## Tankueray (Dec 16, 2020)

Austin is still 3.5 hours away from me, unfortunately.  But if you have time while you're there, go check out the ATX Hackerspace and say hi to Danny for me. (Edit: Looks like tours are on hold due to Covid, but there's a video tour: 



 Ooooh, that Tormach is new.  )  The San Antonio and Houston Makerspaces are pretty awesome too.



General Zod said:


> .... or atomic-blast nuke-like ripples that will smoke your MIG gloves in one single pass if you're not careful.....


Lol, that reminds me of a saying from a few former C-130 mechanics I know, "The bigger the blob, the better the job."

HTP and Miller are on the top of my list for an eventual MIG machine, maybe not one that big though.  My expectation is that MIG will get the majority of items that need to be fixed around here (i.e., trailers, implements, structural) and TIG will be for showcasing craftsmanship, or things I can fit in the garage to work on.  In the short term, I'll either learn to live with the suitcase or wait until a decent used machine pops up.  In the very short term, I'll perfect my grinding skills with the flux core...I need an excuse to buy the Kobalt 24V die grinder anyway.


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