Thermal ARC 185 with lots of accessories

Boswell said:
Just got back from picking it up. The previous owner was fastidious in how he maintained his shop and tools. Everything looks like new. Lots of filler wire, electrodes, a large gas bottle, a very nice custom cart he made. some coupons to practice on. a Tungsten electrode grinder. in other words a complete turn key TUG setup. Everything labeled and stored neatly. I could not be happier. It just about killed me to load it all up in the 102F heat here in central Texas. I am going to wait until tomorrow morning to unload it into the shop. I'll take some pictures then.
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Looking forward to seeing photos of it. You should have a lot of fun with that unit.
 
The ad was down by the time I looked, but it certainly sounds like a great deal. I've told a number of people that the most important thing in learning to TIG is to buy a TIG welder! After a while you'll know what you like and don't like, and if you decide another machine is in order you'll find it a lot easier to pick. With all the extras you really barely paid anything for that machine so there's no way you went wrong! Looking forward to pics and how you like it. TA isn't as well known as Miller/Lincoln/Hobart in the U.S. but they make solid stuff.
 
Don't get frustrated when you start, for me it was like chewing gum, patting my head, rubbing my tummy in a circle, and walking at the same time. :grin:
 
Ive never used one, but guys who have them seem to have nothing but good things to say about them. The TA is a Japanese made machine (Sanrex), so you can probably expect better quality and service from it than from a Chinese sourced unit.


Duty cycle seems a little low at 30% at 185A, but for home work, that's perfectly acceptable. Duty cycle of 100% at 100A. that's on tig.

The model was discontinued in about 2016, but that's not a show stopper by any means.

Looks like it's a 220 machine.

Sounds like a decent deal.
 
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Whereabouts in central TX are you Boswell? I've been enjoying my chilly 90F garage today and avoiding going outside as much as possible :cool:
 
mattthemuppet2 said:
Whereabouts in central TX are you Boswell? I've been enjoying my chilly 90F garage today and avoiding going outside as much as possible
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I am in Cedar Park, a little north of Austin. Thank goodness I have a climate controlled shop. :cool:
 
Oh nice, wish I did. I just have lots of fans pointing at me instead!
 
Got it off the trailer this morning in to cold of the morning (88F) and most importantly, in the shade. Thanks for everyone's feedback. My natural tendency is to go slow when uncertain and it really helped me to move quickly on this. Here are a few pictures. I'm looking forward to getting it setup and get some practice in.

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Now that is a decent setup. I think you did really well, congrats!
 
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