Lincoln has a pretty good basic TIG manual. I've used it to teach and to help myself sort things out. Here's a link for you. https://ssl.lincolnelectric.com/foundation/item.asp?prodnum=TIG&PID=16
I'm not familiar with your machine Lets ***ume it to be an inverter.They have no need to use green tungsten it will ball on the end and is a dog to weld with.Use orange or red for now that's all you need. Confirm you have gas flow from the torch before you begin to weld.You must have pure argon not argon/co2 mix that will kill the tungsten rite away.1/4" material without a pre heat may be above the machines comfort level.My dynasty settings would be to start balance at 50 to 70 frequency around 120 for a beginner weld. Your settings are close enough to establish a puddle and arc as the electrode shouldn't die like that.Switch back for steel settings and see if it welds if it does then I would think that you have an a/c circuit problem with that machine report back and let us know what it does in d/c mode on steel of co****.How close are you holding the arc gap at..You could bump the argon to 15.
Tig longevity, man, bad subject for me this week. My 17 year old Miller econotig gave it up this week with a bang and smoke, complete with blowing the shops circuit breakers! Of course I was abusing it, trying to weld too thick of aluminum then it was rated for (hint, hint). Plus side there is a brand new bigger Miller in the shop tonight, down side is my wallet hurts.
It does give you set up perimeters for different materials, thicknesses and types of joints being welded.. Electrode type, diameter, electrode tip grind Filler wire diameter, travel speed Recommended cup diameter Gas flow rate, etc......
@ Gary- Thanks for the suggestion i'm definitely going to pick one up. @TIG- The machine i have is an inverter. I was welding with DCEN. I have gas flow. The problem i had (after taking the welder to the dealer) was that there was no amperage control through the control board. he said it was defective. I used all different kinds of tungsten with the hopes one would would better then the other. Orange worked a little better but it would strike an arc when the machine felt it wanted to... The argon was set at 15, welds steel like its no body's business but its own. I was holding the tungsten about an 1/8 of an inch away. Replacement welder should be here on monday.... Just a hint to anyone considering buy one of these machines. THIS IS MY THIRD MACHINE WITH A DEFECT!
Go to your local weld supply house and ask about welders slide charts they have them for Mig and Tig application just a cardboard slide rule you set by material and thickness. If they charge you for one they are only a couple dollars. Miller offers a couple different ones my weld supply just gave me some (regular customer) you just pick your material and thickness from the chart slide the rule to it and read the scale it will give you all the details to weld that item,Gas flow ,gas type,tungsten type and size,wire size, Amp setting and inches per minute you can fine tune to your liking from there.Also always grind tungsten along the length of the rod not around it to point it you want the grinder marks straight from the tip up the tungsten the arc will want to follow the grinder scratches no matter how fine,If the go around the rod it will promote arc ****ter as it tries to follow the scratches radially around the tip.
AC! From a miller syncrowaver. I'm no pro but I do weld OK. Sorry I never heard of a Longevity machine. I could be convinced to go with a miller inverter machine but no others need apply. I had a Lincoln and it was ***s up in 4 months flat...
well to start off with when i went through a four year apprenticeship training at LONG BEACH NAVAL SHIPYARD in Long Beach, calif. we had a variety of welding machines. there was lincoln, miller, hobart, airco, linde, p&h and a couple of miselanious others. we had machines set up for mig, tig, and stick welding. some of the machines were capable of two different processes, especially the tig machines. they were and are capable of tig welding and arc welding in either DC, AC, or DCRP. also they are equiped with HIGH FREQUENCY for arc stabilization when welding aluminum and as a ease of starting the arc when welding in DC mode. when i purchased my MILLER DIAL ARC 250 HF in 1980 i had used every machine the shipyard had. i felt the miller was the best on the market. over the years the people that design this equipment have come out with quite a few variations and many did not have the what the original copper wound transformer with the amenities that the originals had. i bought a plasma cutter off a snap on dealer and it was a can of worms and the replacement parts were not readly availabel because the unit was made by a manufacturer in italy. i just reciently read something concerning a tig machine someone bought from a snap on dealer and it cost him $9,500.00. he was offering it for sale for $3,000.00 and that one also was from italy. there are machines that are sold today by a well known tool store and the stuff comes from china. the major problem today is there is so much out there and folks want to have what production shops have and be able to do at home what they see and read about and decide to buy a welding machine. the buyer figures well i had metal shop in high school and i welded there. others have seen videos and read books and looked at pictures and watch things being built on tv, and think; hey i can do that. adding welding equipment to the ****nal of things one has for doing home projects is quite a step forward. welding is something that should be taken seriously. if something is put together improperly and that thing fails and worst case in point is someone gets KILLED, well there is responsibilty that has to be reckoned with. not having the knowledge and skill to perform what some have gone through years of training to learn and perfect need to do their homework before jumping into something that requires a huge amount of practice to become proficient in. buying a welding machine from one of the big box stores is fine and good the prices are right and the sales people could not find their way out of a paper bag if the side was torn open ahead of time. this holds true for the person that started this thread and is having problems with the TIG machine he is asking for help about here. after being in the trade for better than 30 years including apprenticeship training and as a journeyman welder and being asked to work for a school distric to teach what i was trained for and having my own business and writing articles for magazines, my suggestion is to get with someone that is in the trade to help you or spend some money and take the time to take a welding course and get some knowledge. do your homework learn what you need practice, practice, practice become proficient
Well said Bernie! Just cause you got a good machine don't make you a welder, and you dam sure won't learn on a cheap machine.
I am no proficient TIG welder by trade nor do i claim to be. I started this thread because i was encountering problems with my machine (which has been warrantied out three times now). I wanted to know if any of you guys have had any problems or success with this particular machine (Longevity). So far for me it has only been problems. I've mig/tig steel for the better part of 10 years now. I was looking for some pointers on aluminum. If you don't have anything to add besides your accomplishments then keep em to yourself. This place is about sharing information....Right?
well if you have questions about welding and need answers ask the question directly, don't sound like you havn't a clue as to what is going on. warranties are there for the consumer if there is defects in the quality of the product. if something fails that the manufacturer put in the equipment fails and affects the performance they will fix it. if you have been welding for as long as you say then you should be able to pick up on something that is not right with what you are doing or if there is a problem with your equipment. any welder worth their salt is in tune with what they are doing and should be able to correct the problem immediately. if you are having problems with the equipment and are not sure what it is, pack it up and take it to your local welding equipment repair and have them check it out. they have test equipment that you might not have. if the machine you have is under warrenty contact the manufacturer and ask them where is the nearest repair shop is that will take care of the problem and the manufacturer will pick up the tab. simple as that. you want questions answered about welding! contact me and i will help you as best as i can. there are some good books out there to get that are well written and are great **** house reading material. do not buy anything that has a ***le that says for IDIOTS, because that will not be worth the paper it is wrote on and you may as well use it as expansive clean up material when you get done.
well i just did a quick web search and what i found out about that machine is not good. first thing it is made in china!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the first thing i read said someone did a video and posted it and he was beating the machine to death litterly. the next thing i detected if i am correct it is a inverter unit. well there have been problems with them since their conseption. they are at their best for small jobs in tight places. use them with a load of discretion. if they are used in a shop setting then spend the money and buy a good one that will handle anything you can subject it too. i have been involved with friends that have purchased used equipment and the first thing we did was to weld test the machine. this consists of connecting it to a power supply and turning it on. if it powers up then set it to weld. if it is a multifunctional machine like a TIG/ARC and is capable of AC,DC,and DCRP, then put it through it's paces. if it functions in all settings then buy it. reciently a friend bought a lincoln 250/250 tig machine W/high friquency that is better than 20 y/o. it was purchased from a welding supplier i have been dealing with for better than 15yrs. i have spent a lot of money with them. we went and looked at it and he wanted it and we set up a time to have it hooked up and we went in and i weld tested it and it worked perfect. my friend purchased it for $ 300.00. it came with the basic set up of an older aircolled tig torch, ground cable and a 100 ft. power cord. this was a cash sale, out the door. him and i have welded a lot of things with it and it works as good as any machine i have gotten brand new out of the box. again; do your homework shop around look at reports BUY AMERICAN.................
OH I FORGOT TO MENTION.............. there is a law called a LEMON LAW. this applies to anything........
I finally got the machine back. The AC circuit was not working correctly. When you open the box on the machine there are two prongs which point straight up, on the machine that i had the prongs were damaged. The tool shop i purchased it from doesn't have "specialize" in welding so they are really no use. I had a buddy of mine with a certificate check it would and it just wouldn't hold a steady current. Swapped it out with a new one and haven't had a problem since. Next chore is making a liquid color out of a fish tank pump... leon renaud lit the fire on that idea!
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