Which model for dedicated aluminum?

[bcnucs]

Hey guys,

New to this forum. I have finally decided on which brand tig to get from all of the reading I have done in the last 3 months. I have been mig welding for over 10 years and deal with boats and marine applications almost 80% if the time. I have always wanted to do tig and even have had some seat time, with a buddy that had it already set up ( hard part). Which tig in the everlast line would you guys recommend? I will be doing aluminum boats, aluminum tubing fab up to 1/4". Also can you put a mig spoolgun to any of these tig machines? Thanks in advance .

Bill

[Rambozo]

Hey guys,

New to this forum. I have finally decided on which brand tig to get from all of the reading I have done in the last 3 months. I have been mig welding for over 10 years and deal with boats and marine applications almost 80% if the time. I have always wanted to do tig and even have had some seat time, with a buddy that had it already set up ( hard part). Which tig in the everlast line would you guys recommend? I will be doing aluminum boats, aluminum tubing fab up to 1/4". Also can you put a mig spoolgun to any of these tig machines? Thanks in advance .

No, you can't use a spoolgun on an Everlast AC TIG machine. (There are some multi-process machines that can, but they are DC TIG only machines MTS)
The PowerTIG 200DX, 210EXT, and 250EX are probably the ones you will be looking at. It all depends on features and abilities.
You might search this forum for posts by fdcmiami. He does a lot of marine work and has a number of projects posted up here using both MIG and TIG.

[performance]

Rambozo has you on the right track. We also have the 225lx which is going to make its rebooted appearance soon with a generous pulse setting.

[bcnucs]

Yeah I just looked him up. So what would be the best machine for my application? I am a noob to tig, but I would like to buy a machine that I will not outgrow. I see some bought lower amp machines and said they should have bought bigger. I am just going to be doing aluminum anodized as well. Any input would be great. Was looking at a synchro wave 250 but I think I can get a stronger machine with more bells and whistles for a tin cheaper here.

[Rambozo]

There is no one perfect machine for everyone. 200 amps will do .250" aluminum without too much trouble, and with tricks you can go a little more. 250 amps gives you that little bit extra that helps on thicker pieces, or larger parts that suck the heat out. Extra power is always nice, but the trade offs are it costs more, weighs more, and you give up dual voltage operation. One real nice thing about these inverters over a transformer like a Syncrowave is they draw a lot less power. I could trip a 100 amp breaker with my Syncrowave 250 even though it was labeled at 98 amps max. These inverters draw less than half that for the same output power.

The 200DX is a full featured lower cost model that is also available in a dual voltage model, so you can do light welding on 120V and then use 240V for more power. That can be a deal making feature for some.
The 210EXT is an all digital multi waveform that I bet would be great for the unusual jobs where the extra features can make a big difference.
The 250EX is the all around champ and can do everything a Syncrowave can and more. 250 amps at 60% duty cycle makes it a real workhorse. You can't go wrong with this. It seems that quite a few people here end up with a 250EX, even if they started with another model, first.
There will be a new top dog coming out soon, the 255EXT. That one will give you the best of the 210EXT and the 250EX, a digital multiwave with 250 amps. But it is still in testing so if you are looking to buy right away, you will have to leave that one out.

I'm not sure if any of the extra features of the digital multiwave models can help with anodized material. I've never had a chance to use anything but pulse to do that, and very little of it. Maybe someone else can tell you more about that.

[bcnucs]

Ok that's perfect, I think I will wait for the 255ext then. Sounds like the one to get. Any suggestions on torch and pedal set up I should go ahead and get? Would a water cooler be good to get as well for aluminum? I could probably get this stuff now.

[everlastsupport]

Ok that's perfect, I think I will wait for the 255ext then. Sounds like the one to get. Any suggestions on torch and pedal set up I should go ahead and get? Would a water cooler be good to get as well for aluminum? I could probably get this stuff now.

Water cooler is a very good idea if you are only doing aluminum. I use both a 210EXT and 250EX. I love the 210EXT, but have hung on to the 250EX for the little extra power (250EX is 3 years old), or I myself might wait on the 255EXT and keep the 210EXT for portability.

But the 250EX is a very safe bet for only aluminum work, it will not let you down.

If it where me based on what you are doing all aluminum. I would get a 250EX OR 255EXT and water cooler. Aluminum is not like steel, bigger is better. Also, maybe search the forum for helium or post my JakeRu. The mix will give you a little extra boost.

[piopio]

Was looking at a synchro wave 250 but I think I can get a stronger machine with more bells and whistles for a tin cheaper here.

it will be in no way a stronger machine than a 250.you cant really compare it to an inverter of any brand

[performance]

About the 255 ext. Most if not all of the first production run is spoken for. Production will be ramped up slowly. Demand is high.
The 250ex has all the features that you could want and more than most people can reasonably use or master.

[Kempy]

To check if it is anodized aluminum you use a ohmmeter put both ends on the aluminum if you get a reading it is not anodized, anodized aluminum surface is hard and when welding it you must put the ground clamp on a piece that is not anodized or you will have to grind it off to get a good ground. The new Everlast PowerTig 255EXT with advanced square wave welding might be the way to go. Anodized aluminum is tricky see Jody comments below and the Everlast forum.

http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/...-aluminum.html
http://www.everlastgenerators.com/fo...light=anodized

[performance]

Kempy,
ALL our units are the equivalent of 'Advanced' square wave. It simply means it's a truer square wave, not as soft.

[jakeru]

Any TIG machine with AC/DC and high frequency arc starting (like any of Everlast's AC/DC TIG inverter offerings) is going to be able to basically handle welding aluminum. If doing a lot of aluminum (especially on anything very thick, or very large (like boats!)), get as much current output and duty cycle as you can swing for the needed setup portability and budget.

I would start out by giving some thought to whether you will need a "portable" welding setup (e.g., your mention of boats, especially if they will be out on the water, seems like it would demand portability), or a setup that will remain in one place for the most part (and have the items being welded brought to it.)

If you need something portable, I'd suggest to decide on an aircooled torch setup, and design the rest of your setup around that. IMO, carrying/dragging around a watercooler is impractical. CK Worldwide Trimline 210 is the best aircooled torch I know for aluminum, able to do 200 amps and with a superflex cable and flex head, is still pretty nice to use in terms of maneuverability. Not sure if a 225 amp@60% duty cycle machine or higher (like 225LX or 250EX) would just overwhelm it.

Think about whether 120V support in a machine would be of benefit in some scenarios (but don't expect to handle very large aluminium when it's hooked up to 120V power). If 120V operation is useful, put that requirement on your machine features list. A 200 amp inverter machine like the 200DX can run off a 20-30 amp 240V circuit, (e.g., electric clothes dryer circuit) and can be fairly portable and lightweight. Look at machine box size and weight, if you'll need to carry it around. A helium mix can make up for not having quite the biggest machine, but is more expensive than argon. If you'll be dedicated aluminum, consider a light helium mix like 25% or so. It can certainly give you the "edge", but is not necessarily a requirement.

Another thing to give thought to is current control mechanism. If you'll be sitting at a table, a footpedal works great. If most welds will be out of position (kneeling, on back, etc) you might consider a torch-mounted current control (although just a simple torch switch like comes with any Everlast TIG setup can be very effective and versatile, if you are OK with taking just a bit of time to "dial in" the current and slope settings, when switching to different weld joints, etc.)

If you've decided that you don't need a portable setup, go for a higher amp machine and basically the more metal melting power, the better (250 amps+) and definitely with a watercooler, and use a torch capable of running the full-tilt output of the machine (current & duty cycle rating). Heavier and bigger machine is OK. No benefit I can think of to having 120V capacity on this kind of setup. If the shop that you'll have it in has 3-phase power already, I'd probably go with using that to get a more powerful machine output (rather than just a 1-phase 240V machine).

Best of luck!

[bcnucs]

Thanks jakeru, that's exactly what I was looking for. The pretty much gave me the answers. I will be mainly working on anodized tube for boats, building poling platforms, cooler mounts, etc. occasionally I will be doing work on Jon boats and fabrication of Jon boat parts. Their thickness is in the 18-24 gauge range or 1/8 inch I think. I have been migging this stuff so long now that its time to start doing it right. I have fit my Lincoln mig fully setup and runs a decent bead on raw aluminum but I always would ruin the anodized stuff. I have read the welding tips posts and the pulse setting might be the answer in the tig. The 120v does not I intrest me one bit. I have have a full shop with a dedicated 60amp for this thing. .
I have no desire to make it portable, but I could have both air and water cooled setups right? The air comes with it and eventually get the water cooler and torch later. Need to get seat time and figure out settings first. Just want a machine that can "eventually" accomplish my goals. This is a really helpful forum. Thanks again guys. So from what I gathered the 250ex is pretty much a no brainer and if I would like more bells and whistles the 250ext is coming but have to wait. Hmmm. Decisions decisions. Lol

[Kempy]

Kempy,
ALL our units are the equivalent of 'Advanced' square wave. It simply means it's a truer square wave, not as soft.

Using a friends 210EXT on Advanced AC and on my 250EX weld different and sound different at the same settings same tungsten same gas flow so do the EXT's use a different wave then the EX.

[performance]

For one thing, it's not possible to compare the two exactly unless on a scope because one is analog and the other is digital. There is some difference, but not much. Both are considered advanced wave form. The 255ext should be nearly identical in wave form to the 250EX.