New Tig Day - Everlast Powertig 255 Ext (18 Pics)

[coolidge]

Franko I have been breaking tungsten's with a hammer but they sometimes shatter jagged with shards flying off. With the new diamond wheel grinder I don't believe grinding off the contamination will be an issue.

 

[mike837go]

Loved you description of going from MIG to TIG!

With TIG, you are part of the welding process. MIG is a glue gun.

 

[melsdad]

I have been reading reviews on the Everlast machines and am close to pulling the trigger on the 250ex model. Thanks for this thread!

By the way nice strong hand table you have there! That is also on my wish list.

 

[Grumpy Gator]

Nice looking rig. If you go to the next size larger cup you can ride the weld and use the gas flow to push the impurities to the sides of your weld....If you use Thoriated Tungsten wear a dust mask when you touch up the tip....That grinding dust is real bad Juju.
When I weld Al and smoke the tip I just reverse the polarity and clean it on a piece of scrap.Just a quick one second arc should do.
If you do a lot of position welding the button on the torch head is a must.
******G******************

 

[melsdad]

So Coolidge how do you like the machine so far? I ended up ordering the 255ext with water cooler also. I also upgraded to a SSC foot pedal and a CK 20 series torch with superflex cables. My welder should be arriving on Monday 1-11-16. I am really excited to start TIG welding! Today I picked up my Argon cylinder from my LWS. I decided to go with the 300 size cylinder.

 

[coolidge]

Love the 255ext, it makes welding so easy. I did pitch the Everlast regulator/flow meter and hose and replaced it with an industry standard Radnor/Harris and hose from Airgas. The machine is pretty tall and long, the cooler is also a behemoth are you making your own welding cart? Pay VERY close attention to properly connecting the hoses on the water cooled torch the knuckleheads did not follow the industry standard color coding, I had coolant shooting out my Argon hose (face palm).

 

[melsdad]

Thats funny in the manual they tell you blow compressed air through the lines to make sure you hook them up properly. Why not just mark them properly from the start.

Brian

 

[CraigB1960]

How are your Everlast PowerTIG 255 EXT TIG's holding up? I am getting ready to pull the trigger on one. Also, I am pricing a 150 cf tank, I see one of you got the 300cf (large!) What cf/hour flow are you typically using?

 

[melsdad]

So far so good for me. I have burned about 5# of filler metal so far. The only issue I had was a fitting failure on one of my water lines. Noticed the line leaking one day. Never seen a fitting fail like this before.

Brian

 

[CraigB1960]

So far so good for me. I have burned about 5# of filler metal so far. The only issue I had was a fitting failure on one of my water lines. Noticed the line leaking one day. Never seen a fitting fail like this before.

Brian

Brian, Thanks! I am torn between the Everlast 255 and the HTP 221. The Everlast is less and perhaps has more features.

Have you had your cover off of the welder? I'm curious how well built it is.