Miller TIG welder decision

Hey guys I'm looking to buy now and I was hoping you guys could answer some of these questions.

http://www.millerwelds.com/products/...ductguide.html

I've been reading the miller site and I was wondering how important is the Auto Arc feature is, I see the less expensive welders don't have it, the Econotig and Syncrowave 180. Sounds like a nice feature, but I've never TIG welded before so...

I'm looking at the Dynasty 200 SD. Seems like this will tackle most of my tasks. Any input? Seems to be nice and compact and I can add features to it later.

If the AutoArc isn't needed, the Syncrowave SD Runner is my next choice.
Any thoughts on that?

Also, does the Dynasty come with everything needed, hoses, torch, pedal, etc?

thanks for any input,

allen

farmtruc, i use miller stick machines at work a lot and my company has had the same ones for years with absolutey no problems, great reliability. i also am in a TIG class at my union hall (IM a pipefitter) and our hall only uses miller, i think they are worth the money. no work today, but tommorrow ill try and find out about the features you are talkin bout, good luck. :cool:

Allen, I use a Miller Thunderbolt to heli arc with and you have to touch the metal to start the arc. As far as the auto arc goes, it makes for a little better weld start. Either one works well. I crank the amps up as far as I can and weld fast and get a perfect weld everytime. The only disadvantage with heli arc is you have to have the metal very clean where as with a wire feed or stick you don't. When I notched my frame, I used heli arc'ed it and it was a bitch because of the under coating inside the frame. I like the tungsten because it lasts along time. JMHO.........

Thanks for the input guys!

Based on the link to the Miller site above, what welder would you get and why?

I want to use it for exhaust, tubing, light metal welding, flanges, etc.

I do have my MIG welder I've used for a long time, so that will be for non cosmetic stuff, I guess. I just want to be able to weld two pieces of tubing together, be it mild steel or aluminum and have it look very nice with a thin weld.

thanks again,

allen

Allen did you ever use the gas on your MIG? I think it might do much better than the flux core stuff. Might be worth the $100 just to try it. I'm sure you will want TIG sometime, but I thought TIG was more for structural welding like frames and stuff. I need to buy the gas for my MIG machine too. :thumb:

Allen, the machine you're looking at is a very nice. With the foot pedal you'll have full control of the amps you need to weld anything. The TIG welder is awsome with aluminum and thin metals if you use the correct tungsten. You can weld without filler metal and Argon is cheap.

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Originally posted by GMCwantsLS1@Dec 26 2005, 08:36 PM
Allen did you ever use the gas on your MIG? I think it might do much better than the flux core stuff. Might be worth the $100 just to try it. I'm sure you will want TIG sometime, but I thought TIG was more for structural welding like frames and stuff. I need to buy the gas for my MIG machine too. :thumb:

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I wanted a tig for appearance and the ability to weld aluminum.
The mig I have is a decent, small Lincoln mig. I do use the flux core and belive it or not, most of the welds look better than others with gas. I used gas before and it was better, but not that much.

I like the mig because it's cheap to use, easy to weld and does a decent job, just not as good as I'd like.

thanks again,

allen

I have the little lincoln 110v MIG welder with the argon gas kit. It works great and welds clean. I've tried to aluminum weld with it but wasn't successful. Maybe more practice is needed. I've got stainless, aluminum and all the different liners. I tried the flux core welding and I never had a problem with slag. I don't know anything about TIG other than I WANT ONE!!!!

Greg, that's all we use out at BP in our weld shop. They run off of 460V so you can imagine the welds that get done. Mine is only a 220V without a pedal but it gets the job done.

Hey guys thanks for the info, I think I've decided on two welders,

This one: http://www.millerwelds.com/products/...rowave_180_sd/
The Runner welder comes with everthing I need, at least it seems to.
Torch, regulators, pedal, cables, etc. Anything else I need to get welding besides the tank? This one is about $1700 on the net.

OR

Here's the other one:

http://www.millerwelds.com/products/tig/dynasty_200/
I'm looking at the SD
This one has the Lift Arc and other features that seem attractive.
This one is about $2300 or so.

Does anyone know if the Dynasty 200 SD comes with the pedal, torch, cables, regulator, etc?

How thick of a metal will these things weld?

thanks again,

allen

Is the finger control or foot control better? Is this to control the amperage?

I found this one on ebay, looks like a good price.

http://cgi.ebay.com/MILLER-DYNASTY-200-DX-...1QQcmdZViewItem



thanks,

allen

foot control is nice once you get used to it, it is nice to tig pipe together , if you have square ends you can just butt the pipe togheter and weld it with no filler rod, perfect for intake/ exhaust tubing. if piping is going to be the majority of yor welding i would consider some type of chop saw to get square ends, its hard to get square with a bandsaw or grinder.tig is also very clean,nice work and once you get the hang of it not hard at all. try calling a miller weld shop in your area to get info on what machine comes with what acessories and there recommendations on what kit/machine youll need for comparision shopping. good luck. :thumb:

Hi, Allen.
I use the Dynasty 200 DX and it is great. It is almost as easy to weld aluminum with it as welding steel with my old tig welder. I wouldn't recommend the DX, it was a waste of money, get the SD. The features that the DX have would only be good for production welding.
I paid about the same as the one on ebay from my Miller dealer, with a foot control, too.
Don't get the 180, 200 amps is only good for 1/4 inch aluminum, tops. I need the portability of mine, otherwise I would get a 400 amp model.
But for 1/4 inch and thinner aluminum, this thing rocks. The thinnest I have welded is 18ga. aluminum, was easy to control, no burn-through, and beautiful.( I think 200 amps is good for like 1/2 inch steel, I'm not positive.)
You will use a foot control almost exclusively. I have a finger control, and I have only used it once. It really saved the day, though. I had to lay on my side, under my truck, reaching up to reweld the exhaust pipe into the flange.
Another nice feature is this welder will run on 120 and 240 single phase, and 208/230 and 480 three phase. If you have electricity, you can run it.
It does not come with the accessories that you asked about, but you will get all you need for about $2800- $3200. It is nice to have the dealer help decide how to set it up.
Do I sound like a Miller dealer? I'm sure the similar Lincoln welds just as good, the fact that the Miller runs on 120 sold me.
The main point to take from this post is the quality weld that this unit makes.
Hope this helps, Mike.
P.S. How's that for a first post?

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Originally posted by MikeGyver@Dec 27 2005, 03:12 PM

Hope this helps, Mike.
P.S. How's that for a first post?

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That's exactly what I needed to know!!! Thanks a lot and I'll be buying my 200 SD today with finger and foot control. I kind of like the idea of a finger control, it seems easier and like you said if I'm on my back.

I found a Miller dealer locally, if they can match or come close to ebay listings I'll do it.

thanks again and I'll be posting up next on what gas, filler, etc to use.

Should I get a big ass tank for the welder? I dont have time to fill up small ones.

thanks,

allen

if you own your own welder, how many times have your eyes gotten "burned" or whatever from using it without the eye shield?

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Originally posted by chevy1081@Dec 28 2005, 02:58 PM
if you own your own welder, how many times have your eyes gotten "burned" or whatever from using it without the eye shield?

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Never burned my eyes, not literally with sparks, but I see the spark somtimes, but it doesn't hurt or bother me.
Hell, sometimes you just have to put a spot weld on the metal to hold something and the helmet just gets in the way.

I have a small piece of shield/glass I use sometimes to get in small tight areas, that helps a lot.

I've never burned my eyes either but I always wear a sheild or safety glasses. I am anal about that. NEVER weld with contacts in unless you want to take the risk of fusing them to your cornea! The bright flash is enough to do that. The flash from an electrical short will do that some times, also.

DO NOT LOOK AT THE BLUE LIGHT, THIS IS NOT K-MART! just a safety tip guys! :lol:

glad ur getting one so you can fix me up with the intake for the Whipple. I need to learn how to tig. I can already stick decently well and have played with a MIG a bit but TIG is where its at if you can do it well my buddy can make some beuatiful stuff. Let us know how you like it I will ahve to copy you since you are doing all the research. :laugh:

I finally bought it today! I got the Dynasty 200 SD, thanks MikeGyver, the contractor kit w/ foot control and a cover, it'll be here after the 1st.

Now I need to figure out what I need to weld stainless and aluminum, any suggestion Guys??

thanks for all the input, I'll post some pics of the progress.

allen

Here's some info that I've learned from TIG welding.

Sharper Electrodes
Easy arc starting
Handle less amperage
Wider arc shape
Good arc stability
Less weld penetration
Shorter electrode life


Blunter Electrodes
Usually harder to start the arc
Handle more amperage
Narrower arc shape
Potential for more arc wander
Better weld penetration
Longer electrode life

Allen, Here are the electrodes you will need depending on the material you're welding.

Oxides used are primarily zirconium, thorium, lanthanum or cerium. Additions are usually 1% - 4%. These oxides greatly improve arc initiation, especially when direct current (DC) welding is employed. Thorium oxide (thoria) has been used for many years, having been found effective in terms of long life and thermal efficiency. Zirconium oxide (zirconia) has been commonly used for alternating (AC) TIG welding, normally for welding aluminum.

Here are the color codes if you need them:
RED
2% Thoriated: Best stability at medium currents, good arc starts, medium tendency to spit, medium erosion rate

GOLD
1.5% Lanthanated: Lowest erosion rate, wide current range, no spitting, best DC arc starts and stability

GRAY
2% Ceriated: Low erosion rate, wide current range, AC or DC, no spitting, consistent arc starts, good stability

WHITE
.8% Zirconiated: Balls well, handles higher current with less spitting, better arc starts and arc stability than pure tungsten

GREEN
Pure: Balls easily, low cost, tends to spit at higher currents, used for non-critical welds only

Air gas material chart

Hope this helps Allen.

Let me know if you need any gas lens kits for your torch and I'll send you some. Just let me know what size you need. I've got plenty of new torch parts, insulators etc....

Ive got a lincoln TIG and im extremely happy with it. I learned to weld with it and havent used anything else. Ive done all the welding on my truck with it, and if you have seen pics there is ALOT of welding involved. Its awesome...hell I can turn it down so low that I succesfully sectioned and welded my transmission dipstick (not just the tube the actual dipstick) back together. There are virtually no sparks when you are TIG welding clean metals.
If your planning on doing alot of awkward welding such as laying on your back and welding an exhaust system under a car I would recomend the hand control option. It can get frustraiting with the foot pedal.

I would also recomend getting an auto dimming helmet (make sure its a good one thats rated for TIG welding). Your have to hold the torch in one hand and the filler rod in the other so a flip down helmet can be a PITA. Its also a pain because you cant hold two pieces together to weld them together.

When you are welding make sure you keep your tungsten nice and clean and sharp as it makes things alot easier.

Im no expert but those are some of the things that would have helped me out when I first got started.

Quote:

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Originally posted by MikeGyver@Dec 27 2005, 03:12 PM
Hope this helps, Mike.
P.S. How's that for a first post?

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Hi Mike, I just got my SD Miller Welder and contractor package, thanks for the advice.
I picked up a huge bottle today with argon and co2, I'll try to start welding this week.
I'll probably get a lot smaller bottle for aluminum welding, pure argon right?
I also got me some rods to weld with, I told the guy I was just practicing on 18g steel, he gave me two different sizes, can't remember, but they are small.


Also, thanks again for the video, I'll try to watch it this week and get familiar with everything.


thanks,

allen

Stainless is nice to weld and make parts out if, too, but again you need a different shielding gas.

You're welcome for the video, Allen, I'm glad it'll be put to use. Mr. Tig has a decent web site, http://www.tigdepot.com , has some good products, advise, and an "ask Mr. Tig" column. Another good one, especially for the advanced welder, is the AWS website. This will get you started: http://www.aws.org/cgi-bin/mwf/topic_show.pl?id=7351 .