Found a good affordable TIG welder

[redfogo]

Feels like an ad but this sub is kinda slow atm so wanted to share that I picked up a Alpha TIG 200 few months ago. I know some folks here have the eastwood and I thought about getting there TIG but this Alpha TIG was cheaper and had more bells and whistles and loads of positive youtube videos. I am new to TIG welding got this in February and its been an awesome addition to my garage.

I mostly got the welder to weld aluminum since honestly to me MIG steel welding is so much faster and more easy for the quick stuff. But this Alpha TIG can do it all + all the aluminum you can dream of and man is it awesome. Has loads of settings,options, and both hand/pedal options. 3 year warranty and I even bought the optional 4 year extra warranty off amazon that kick in after the manufacture warranty for $15 bucks. All I can say if you guys are looking for a affordable TIG and something that seems to have pretty positive reviews online I would defiantly check it out if your in the market.

Biggest project so far with it has been my all aluminum wing mounting set up(minus the frame mounting points) for my 818 almost have that finish and will share soon. I also built an aluminum heat shield /air intake box for my STI.

89063

I am a certified Youtube watcher TIG welder. This is my 1st decent weld shortly after buying the welder and getting settings dialed in.I had never even touched a tig prior to it coming in the mail. While its not amazing its a start. Hope maybe this post might help anyone else looking for a TIG machine its defiantly an awesome tool to have if your in the market.

89064

[NAZ]

That's a good start for someone new to TIG. I can teach nearly anyone to weld with a MIG machine but TIG takes talent as I'm sure you're learning. Yes, for larger projects made from steel MIG is my first choice but for smaller stuff you can do on the bench I usually fire up the TIG welder. It's so much cleaner and I can weld in a T-shirt without worry of weld spatter burns. I used a 200 amp Hobart TIG machine for many years before upgrading to a bigger Lincoln. You'll find that welding larger pieces of aluminum will be a challenge with only 200 amps. Welding the inside corners of .125x2x6 tubing will push the machine to the limit. Welding 1/4" plate will be a challenge but if most of your projects are smaller or thinner you'll be happy with the results. Be sure to use the proper tungsten for aluminum.

Also, since you're welding aluminum read up on how welding affects the strength of heat treated aluminum. It's not an issue with mild steel but for aluminum it makes a significant difference and you'll want to understand that so you can design your projects to account for the loss of strength. Many times I will design aluminum items so that I can rivet or bolt them together even when welding would be easier and look better.

Have fun with your new shop toy.

[STiPWRD]

Care to share what you paid for the welder and what some of the other major needed items were? A tank of gas probably?

Was this the one?
https://www.amazon.com/AHP-AlphaTIG-Stick-Welder-WARRANTY/dp/B076BSD6PG

[redfogo]

Awesome thanks for the tip! Very much appreciated. Keep it all in mind as I continue my build.

[Mike N]

Welcome to the TIG welder club. If you want a good source for learning what and what not to do search for weldingtipsandtricks on youtube. Jody Collier has some really good videos that will help you a bunch with both TIG and MIG.

[redfogo]

Care to share what you paid for the welder and what some of the other major needed items were? A tank of gas probably?

Was this the one?
https://www.amazon.com/AHP-AlphaTIG-Stick-Welder-WARRANTY/dp/B076BSD6PG

Yeah sorry forgot to say I paid 703 shipped. Since it was in February I was on the pre order list for the 2018 models so I got a discount for waiting.

Comes with eveything you need but a tank of gas, tungston and filler rods. But really that's normal for every welder. I didnt do any upgrades or anything like that so eveything I am running so far is all stock parts. There are alot of fancy upgrades you can get for this tig as well from other companies but I'm not good enough to utilise any of it lol. Stock set up seems to work good for me so far.

Had a buddy who has a fancy miller TIG and he felt this unit was just as good as his 200amp miller tig that he paid lots more for.

This runs both 110 and 220. I have only used it at 220v.

[Jacob McCrea]

Looks good. I researched that welder and the reviews were uniformly favorable, especially for the price. I planned to buy one but a friend lost storage space and let me use his Miller Dynasty long-term. When the Dynasty goes home I'll likely buy one of these Alphas, which I am sure can weld better than I can.

[Packer fan]

I have an Alpha Tig and I really like it.

[Mechie3]

I just bought a TIG pen two nights ago. Hasn't shown up yet. Handy little gadget to help you feed tig filler wire without hours of practice feeding in manually. Great for the youtube certified welder who doesn't weld enough to learn but wants good welds. lol.

[Mike N]

Didn't know they made such a thing as a TIG pen. A good pair of kidskin leather gloves really helps with feeding wire.

[Mechie3]

I didn't know until Tuesday when I was trying to find a replacement torch online (broke my gas hose). Saw that and though for $40ish bucks it was worth trying.

[metros]

Thanks for posting up this information. I will probably be investing in welding tools/skills at the end of this year or early next. I appreciate all the resources you guys are sharing as I haven't ever touched welding.

[chmhasy]

I see Harbor freight is selling a new TIG welder. Vulcan, I wounder how it is
https://www.harborfreight.com/welding/tig-arc-welders.html

[Just puttering]

I want a tig and a plasma cutter combo, i would assume a better price than two separate pieces. I have no luck cutting with torches, looks like 1st grader did it!

[JimLev]

I bought the Eastwood TIG about 4 years ago to weld SS exhaust tubing and an electric cutout on my other car. Like NAZ said its not as easy to TIG as it is to MIG. Jody has a lot of good videos that are very helpful.