Honda Spree and Elite 50 Forums

gashead wrote:With out pedal you set heat off machine, like with arc welding for different thicknesses, pedal makes nice for start and stop also for variable temp (rheostat) with bottle, torch, and adjustable arc welder tig welding can be done nicely, not meaning welder with plug in settings.

the most common way, is to purchase a whip with the rheostat built right on the torch head.

you lose the flexability that the pedal provides but man its great in tight confined spaces

po89mm wrote:

gashead wrote:With out pedal you set heat off machine, like with arc welding for different thicknesses, pedal makes nice for start and stop also for variable temp (rheostat) with bottle, torch, and adjustable arc welder tig welding can be done nicely, not meaning welder with plug in settings.

the most common way, is to purchase a whip with the rheostat built right on the torch head.

you lose the flexability that the pedal provides but man its great in tight confined spaces

Hand control would be nice for off-table work. Anyone got a good link on the specifics of this conversion?

Link for a remote torch mounted current adjust.
http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/archiv ... 30146.html

What's your welder model? I've got links for connectors fitting Miller foot pedal inputs, and probably pinouts, but its not hard to find web links for them.

I've had my eye out for a Lincoln AC/DC 220V stick welder for awhile now, so probably one of those...

I've had my eye out for a Lincoln AC/DC 220V stick welder for awhile now, so probably one of those...

One of these or a bigger one?


We might have a couple side threads going on here. Kenny's talking about using a std AC/DC stick welder as TIG, I think when po89mm is saying 'purchase a whip with the rheostat built right on the torch head' he's talking about an TIG torch meant to plug into a TIG power supply.

The link I put in is definitely for someone who has a TIG supply with a connector for a remote current control, and wants to add a hand adjustment to their torch.
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Yep, that's it. Kenny was talking about using a tombstone welder as a TIG; I'm aware that you can do this with the right torch but you'd be scratch-starting and the current is not adjustable. I'm looking for a stick welder; if I thought the TIG conversion was reasonable I might try it.

I realized you couldn't build a hand adjust that could handle the current after reading the article (2W rheostat won't do that), you'd need an intermediate control box (like the TIG box) to control the current.

I have the AC only version of that Lincoln buzz box.

There's a commercial kit out there for the AC/DC buzz box, that is sold as DC only tig. Not much to the kit, but what's interesting is that they provide a 110 adapter plug to your welder. I think to scale back the welder in current range. But I'd guess it makes arc length more critical and starting harder.

http://www.tigdepot.net/products_detail ... ductid=197

But the kit is pricey at $265. Other than that adapter, its just as would be expected a torch, cables, regulator and a video.

One alternative to consider is an AC only 220v stick for big stuff now (cheap new and especially used) and a DC only TIG/Stick inverter welder would cover the next step up. For an example check out used Miller Maxstar 140 and 150's. I ended up buying a 140 in the low 400's. Have so far run DC stick on it, need to buy a tank for the TIG.

scratch starting with tig?

one of biggest plusses of GTAW in the first place is that it inables one to strike an arc w/o ever touching your base metal

scratch start is the old school way, not necessary with real gtaw equipment. hand control is very difficult to use, i know a guy who is paralyzed from the waist down, and still a professional welder, i tried his setup and it would take some time to become proficient at. very hard to hold the torch steady while adjusting amperage on it...

mousewheels wrote:I have the AC only version of that Lincoln buzz box.

There's a commercial kit out there for the AC/DC buzz box, that is sold as DC only tig. Not much to the kit, but what's interesting is that they provide a 110 adapter plug to your welder. I think to scale back the welder in current range. But I'd guess it makes arc length more critical and starting harder.

http://www.tigdepot.net/products_detail ... ductid=197

But the kit is pricey at $265. Other than that adapter, its just as would be expected a torch, cables, regulator and a video.

One alternative to consider is an AC only 220v stick for big stuff now (cheap new and especially used) and a DC only TIG/Stick inverter welder would cover the next step up. For an example check out used Miller Maxstar 140 and 150's. I ended up buying a 140 in the low 400's. Have so far run DC stick on it, need to buy a tank for the TIG.

I think the AC is just to run the gas valves; I don't think it uses it for welding.

That's a good thought on the AC as a short step to a TIG/Stick later. Frankly, if I could find a good used tombstone for a reasonable price I'd just buy it regardless of whether it's AC or AC/DC. Right now I've stopped looking; it looks like we'll be moving soon and it would just be one more tool to pack.

noiseguy wrote:it looks like we'll be moving soon and it would just be one more tool to pack.

Again? Where to now? Transformer welders are very heavy. Loading a 200+ amp buzzbox into a truck needs 2 people if the welder is worth a s***.

scooterwerx wrote:scratch start is the old school way, not necessary with real gtaw equipment. hand control is very difficult to use, i know a guy who is paralyzed from the waist down, and still a professional welder, i tried his setup and it would take some time to become proficient at. very hard to hold the torch steady while adjusting amperage on it...

yea i agree with getting used to the wheel, i just keep it set at a particular spot and go to town myself.