Tig hand/pendant control.. how does it work?

I was messing with the tig welder the other night, using the controls on the welder and the lift start method. It works pretty good.

My question is, I got a hand control with it, and Ben (who I got it from) never used it, so he's not sure how it works, and I'm having trouble fining any instructions on it.

I know how to set the welder up to use the remote control because I have the manual for it, but I don't have any info on the actual hand control. It has a dial and a switch that says contact off/on (something like that)

So is this similar to a foot control? Will it allow me to not use the lift start?

thanks for any info.
nate

 

anyone have any ideas on this? the welder is an esab 350 mpi. it works great, i just want to know if the pendant control is worth using.

 

Hell yeah it's worth it. Scratch start sucks. I learned with a foot pedal but the torch-mounted switch is the way to go. Get your tungsten close, hit that switch, and go. Never melt the tungsten to your part again.

 

that's what i was hoping.. so I hit the contact "on" to start?

 

Yes, get it set where you like it, then hit the button to start. Sometimes you have to hold the button down, sometimes it clicks on and off, not sure how yours is set up.

Instead of having a contact start, the remote button gives it a sudden Hi-freq shock to "jump" the arc from the electrode to the part, so you never have to touch the tungsten to the piece. It's a much easier and cleaner way to weld. Every time you scratch start, you contaminate your electrode. The remote is the way to go.

It'll take a little getting used to the controls, and every controller is a bit different, but it's definitely worth the time to set it up and a little practice.

 

I was messing with this the other night and couldn't get it to do what I think it's supposed to do. I get the power set and get it close and hit the switch and nothing happens. I tried a few different ways, but still nothing. It could be that the pendant is broken, but I want to rule out the very good chance I'm doing something wrong. Anyone else have any ideas?

 

Your welder may have a separate setting for High Freq. start and scratch start. I'd check that. Also, some pendant mount controls are on/off, while others are adjustable.

The adjustable ones are usually a slider-type switch. The way they work is, the setting on your welder is the maximum power output on the slider. So if you click it on, it's putting out virtually no power, until you slide it forward, increasing the power until you get all the way to the top, then it's maxed out.

When using the slider type controller, I used to figure out what my optimal welding amperage was, set the welder to double that, push the slider way forward to get the arc started, then back off to about half power to weld. I hope that makes sense.

Some foot pedal controllers work the same way. Let me know if any of this makes sense to you. I'll do what I can to help.

 

Squablow is right on the money there N8inks.....I tig everyday at work ....and i thought the "scratchstart" method went out bout 20 years ago....HF..or high frequency is the bees knees....no tungsten contamination ...and no ugly arc strikes that you get from the scratch method......as stated....the "slider type" will ramp up or down your amps ......real handy when going over different metal thickness....or when the "fitup" is not the best and things get a bit gappy.....your esab are great welders...and should have a HF setting on the machine as well....as well as the option to "lift start"(scratch).....i have read a lot of post on tig welding on the HAMB.....and it must be the machines in your neck of the woods that have a foot control .....I been tigging for round 30yrs and i have never come across one ...would be like going back to school if I was to .....tig welding is a neat clean way to weld ....and the scollop's look real cool as well once you get in the groove of it ......practice practice and more practice......it is a skill that is more than handy to have

 

It's hard to belive you have been tig welding for 20 years and have never seen a foot control. That is the standard for tig machines here in the states.

I have an optional thumb roller control on my machine that comes in handy when you can't reach the pedal. Works just like the pedal, you roll it up or down to controll the amperage. Comes in handy when weldng inside the car, or where you have to be in an awkward position.

 

never seen a foot controller here either. my TIG has the thumb-adjustment that squablow describes.

N8, you need to set the welder itself to high-frequency start. there should be a switch on the machine...

 

I got a Miller TIG with a hand control, but it doesn't have a high-freq built into it so you still have to "lift" it. Your machine might not have one either?