Gentlemen,

I am looking to buy the AHP AlphaTIG 200X here soon. I have read of people upgrading to a CK torch and upgrading the pedal, are these really necessary? Is there that much of an advantage with those upgrades?
I have ZERO experience with TIG, but I've watched quite a few of Jody's Welding Tips and Tricks videos and am going to a 1 week TIG course for gunsmiths in May.
Other than a good set of TIG gloves, a TIG finger, helmet and jacket, anything else you can think of that would be advantageous to a beginner? Gas lens kit?  Yes I know I still need a cylinder.

And in before the buy a Miller, Lincoln, Harbor Freight guys?  

Thanks,
Zach

Another good channel is ChuckE2009, he does a few Videos about the AHP machine.  While i REALLY Like Weld.com's channel the "Mr Tig" guy is looking to sell "His" branded stuff, so of course he wants everyone to upgrade the torch, and pedal.  The one really consistent thing i HAVE seen though with the AHP machine reviews is the shitty regulator, you might want to upgrade that first...get used to using it with the included torch and pedal, and you can always upgrade as you go along, since the connections are universal now.  The AlphaTig 200 is on my short list too,  Amazon has them on sale every once in a while for under $700

I have a Thermalarc 186 that I bought without the foot pedal...  I bought a pedal within a month.  Its worth it to be able to back off the heat as the weld goes on with aluminum.

I also got a smaller torch with the superflex cable.  Its like a spaghetti noodle compared to the original.  I love it.

IMHO, if you're going to dump several hundred into a new torch, pedal, & reg, why not just get quality to start with?

There are other quality options that are cheaper than Miller/Lincoln/etc

Also as long as you realize this is a basic TIG machine and will give you limited customization on specialized welds. You stated you will be going to a TIG class for gunsmithing. Gunsmithig is certainly going to be a specialized area and may warrant a machine with more features.

AC balance control is a big one for me. You can do so much by changing your AC balance. Another thing to keep in mind is the frequency ranges (pulse and AC); many cheap welders don't give what I would consider a full range. For example, my welder has a pulse range of 1-999 hz in DC, and .1-40 hz in AC; AC freq is (IIRC) 4-400 hz. The varied pulse & AC frequencies control your arc shape; a tighter arc wanders less and gives more penetration. A wider arc makes much wider/smoother filet welds. Does the pulse have adjustable background current & pulse duty-cycle?

If you're serious about doing TIG work I would "buy once cry once" and get a full inverter machine that is NOT made in China or the likes.

European & American inverter machiens range in price from $2k-20k; mine cost $2800 with water-cooler, 25 foot CK 20-series torch and pedal (welder is made in Italy marketed by an excellent US based company with good support). I'm not going to try to push you into something you don't want but if you want more info I will provide it.

I did a little more reading on the AHP. Seems to me they have HORRIBLE customer service. One review I saw stated that he had to pay shipping both ways ($90 each way) to have his machine (that was faulty from the factory) repaired. His review also stated that he was receiving "nagging" calls from the company to take down the derogatory comments about them on his online reviews.

IMHO, that's shitty customer service. To each their own but customer service is important to me.

I called the company my welder was purchased from a couple weeks ago because it appeared some of the features weren't functioning properly. The tech guy was busy at the moment but said he would call me back as soon as he could. 30 minutes later he called me back and walked me through everything I needed to know; nothing wrong with the machine, just the operator.

I was about to pull the trigger on an AHP and the SW TIG 200 came out that day - I opted for the local dealer support network.  The AHP had a few more bells and whistles, but lower quality peripherals and only one importer with no local dealers or support centers.  You'll probably love your AHP, but if there's a problem you'll quickly get up to the price of a machine with local support with shipping and lost time.  If lost time doesn't matter to you than probably don't worry about it.

ETA: I'm used to Lincoln pedals (never actually used a Miller anything) and the AHP pedal felt weird to me.  YMMV but that was going to be $150 to replace, plus a new torch (I understand the 2016 comes with a better torch than the 2015?).

The only complaint I have about the SW200 is the post flow is fixed and a bit on the high side.  Less knobs is also great for my use, though - push a button or two, roll a wheel, and get welding.

If I was trying to push a certain product I'd be telling the guy what make/model he needs to buy. I'm intentionally leaving that info out because I don't want to push a certain product. I'm just trying to relay my experiences and remind him that "you get what you pay for" is most often a very true statement. You can likely get a decent welder very cheap (like this may be) but the cost has to be cut somewhere; often times that is in parts & support and that certainly appears to be the case here.

Lastly, if you don't like my opinions and experience I've relayed here you can piss up a rope. I've been welding longer than a lot of people on this forum have been breathing. An expert can likely make a good weld with just about any piece of crap welder; but for a newbie to try to learn to weld on a POS it's just going to make it that much more challenging.

You need to get over yourself and get some better reading comprehension skills.

I'm not slamming the AHP; I never said it was a POS, nor did I say I was an expert on the AHP. I've never even seen one, let alone used one. My interest was piqued at the OP and didn't want to be completely clueless on the machine when giving him advice so I did a bit of research on it. I then applied my experience, what features I've found valuable in my years of welding, and gave him some advice. Why are you so butt-hurt over the fact that the AHP isn't the be-all, end-all of welders? Do you need to justify your own purchase by defending the welder and it's capabilities?

I simply stated what it was lacking as far as features and how those features may help somebody that wants to perform specialized welding. Of course, you likely don't know what those features are or how the may help if you've never used a machine that has them. Sort of like an old-timer that doesn't see the utility in having a radio, air-conditioning, power-windows & locks, etc in a car... simply because he's never had them before, why would he need them?

I didn't read just a couple of complaints; I read numerous ratings both positive and negative. A clear pattern developed between them. The complaints from people that actually dealt with their customer service pretty much all said the same thing. If you have to contact the company for anything you can count on having to bend over backward for them, when, in fact, they should be bending over backwards for you, the customer. Every single positive rating I read never mentioned contacting the company. Which makes it pretty clear that the machine itself isn't half bad, the company sucks though. I urge everybody to make the choice for themselves. Weigh cost vs. features vs. company vs. reputation... but don't make a hasty, uneducated choice. Find out for sure what you need or want before you make the purchase.

Regarding the "straight-forward questions" the OP asked, having no personal experience with the torch/pedal that come with AHP, I answered those to the best of my ability in my first response: "if you're going to replace all that stuff at the cost of several hundred dollars why not just buy better quality up front?" I don't know about the ones that come on the AHP, mine came with a CK torch and a good quality pedal... and it didn't cost me all that much more, especially when you factor in all the extras that it comes with.

Get the largest bottle you can move.  I have a 40 cu. ft and it's plenty for hobby welding while still being able to be transported.

Get long leads, 25'.  Torch control is arguably the most important facet in TIG welding (other facet being weld prep), so longer leads will allow you more comfortable/flexible positioning.

CLEAN MATERIALS ONLY.  You want clean, bright steel only in the weld pool.

Use small tungstens.  They're easier to resharpen, easier to start, cheaper to buy.  Thoriated will be fine, save the fancy stuff for when you're not dipping the tip once per pass.

Always have extra consumables and a variety of cup sizes.  You'll break a cup at the wrong time, always.  Similar to endmills- 1 will last a minute, 2 will last an eternity.

Gas lenses are pretty slick, they'll save you some gas and somehow they improved my weld quality.

Have several like tungstens and sharpen them in gangs.  It will help get more consistent tapers, speed up your welding, and decrease your frustrations.  Fire up the bench grinder, chuck the tungsten in a cordless drill and do 5-6 at a time.

Plan your torch path.  You know where your weld bead is going to go, so make sure you have good hand support and enough lead (see above) to smoothly get there.

Be practical in your expectations.  You won't be perfectly walking the cup on 1" pipe for a while, if ever, so keep your expectations reasonable.

Use small filler, 1/16" or smaller.  Bigger rods are easier to handle, but they deposit too much in a dab and it makes the bead harder to control.

Your pool is ready when the eye begins to dance, you'll know it when you see it.


Those are a few things I've picked up over the years, hope they help.

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

Thanks all for the tips, I bought the AlphaTIG last night.  Already bought a set of TIG gloves and a TIG Finger.  Have a auto-dimming helmet, jacket and cap from using it with my MIG.  

Zach

He speaks many great tips^^^

Not much I can add except an explanation why a gas-lens will actually improve weld quality.

A lot of times the gas flow in a standard cup can become turbulent. In certain arc conditions, as the turbulent gas flow makes it's way past the edge of the cup it can pick up oxygen and flow over the puddle. Because there is only a small bit of oxygen it doesn't always give the obvious signs of oxygen in the weld. A gas lens makes the flow more laminar which means only the outside "layer" of shield gas picks up oxygen and that outer layer never gets near the puddle. You must watch gas flow rate & arc conditions with a standard cup; gas lens makes it a bit more fool-proof.

Thanks.  The turbulence you speak of can be seen with a cigarette.  Hold it by the cup on a regular collet body and you can see the smoke being pulled into the argon stream, gas lens greatly reduces that.

Next step- https://www.arc-zone.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=10_235_574&products_id=4672

That thing has to be the easiest cup ever to smoothly walk, but they're definitely fragile.

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

I'm not a big fan of them because they don't buy you much. Your arc isn't in the cup, it's in front of the cup. The only thing the "clear" buys you is the ability to look THROUGH the cup to the other side. Problem is, you get a fish-bowl effect and everything you see through the cup is distorted so it's nearly useless anyways.

Those are just my thoughts from "trying one out". I've never seen the need, nor had the desire to spend my hard-earned money on one...

Not tried one yet.  I figured it was easier because of the large cup diameter.

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

I didn't fully clarify what "trying one out" meant above; it was my intention I just didn't do it. I used one for all of about 45 seconds on another guy's rig one time. He was doing some work at a shop I visited, I asked if he minded that I try it out. It worked ok. I just didn't see the utility in the type of welding I do.

Large diameter can be a blessing and a curse. Welding butt-welds on flats it's no problem. Start talking about filet welds and that big thing is more of a curse because it restricts how close you can get to the work and how well you can get into corners.

Don't get me wrong, it likely has it's place, but I think a lot of folks probably buy it because it looks fancy and they find out that for general usage it has far fewer uses than they expected.

Agreed on all your points.  I should have noted that I had pipe welding in mind when I said it.  Thick(ish) walls and plenty of room to move.

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

Can anyone comment on whether or not the Blue Demon brand of filler from Amazon is any good?

Zach

I've never used it.  ER70-S2/6?

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

Among others, to include ER4043 and ER308L.

308L is good to stock.  Edited- I'm a dumb.

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

That may true, but I do a lot of aluminum work with my mill and lathe, so I thought the ER4043 would be good, is there a better option such as ER5356?

Zach

Get both, they both have their advantages: http://www.esabna.com/us/en/education/blog/should-i-use-4043-or-5356-filler-alloy.cfm

I've read your post a couple different times and I'm not sure I understand what you are saying. I've come up with several different possibilities to what you may be trying to communicate.

Are you trying to say that the Blue Demon Brand ER70-S2/6 is good but the Blue Demon brand ER4043 is just "meh"?
Are you trying to say ER4043 is just a "meh" rod alloy and that ER70-S2/6 can cover what ER4043 would do?

FWIW, ER4043 is an AL filler rod and ER70 is a low carbon steel filler rod. I don't think ER70 will cover what ER4043 will do.

As for rods that the home guy should stock it's hard to say because it's hard to say what they will be welding. Definitely some ER70-S2 or S6 (plain steel welding rod). If you plan to weld carbon steel (4140, 4340 etc) then get some of that rod. For AL, I think you should have both 4043 & 5356. Stainless 308L is a good general purpose filler because a great deal of SS welding is done on 300-series but if you weld other alloys you really should have a filler meant for that alloy; IE, 17-4 etc...

Ya, I had a brain fart.  I was thinking it was an alloy steel filler.

My apologies!


Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

I have an AC/DC crackerbox with a separate HF unit. It is adequate for my needs. Whole rig was cobbled together for around 800 bucks.

Alright, so a couple questions regarding set up rules of thumb/tricks

1.  Start Amps - Any good rules of thumb here?
2.  Main Amps - 1 amp per .001" of an inch?  i.e. .010" = 10 amps, .125" = 125 amps
3.  End Amps - Any good rules of thumb here?
4.  Pulse Freq (Hz) - Rule of 33?
5.  Pulse Amps (Pulse Base) - Rule of 33?
6.  Pulse Time On - Rule of 33?
7.  AC Freq (Hz) - Any good rules of thumb here? 120 Hz? Adjust as needed?
8.  AC Balance  - Any good rules of thumb here? Adjust as needed? 65%?  
9.  Post Flow - 1 Sec per 10 amps?  I've read quite a few people saying it seems anything over 5 is just plain wasteful, thoughts?