Hobby level, but heavy hobby level plasma & tig

[Is this thing on]

Hello.
I am looking to add a tig and plasma to my welding tools.
Hobby level, but needs to be able to work metal thicker than sheet metal.
Would I be better off with 2 machines or get an multi machine.
What units would be good, without breaking the bank.
My garage has 220 outlets on 60 amp breakers.
Will be learning as I go with the tig. Tig to me, having never done it, looks easier than mig. I have a mig now, not a pro by any means but am ok at it.
Plasma looks straight forward.
I understand you get what you payfor, but I don't need a 6k tig machine.
Thanks for your time.

 

[WordMan]

I have the Eastwood Tig 200 and like it very much.

https://www.google.com/search?q=eastwood+tig+200&oq=eastwood+tig+&aqs=chrome.0.0j0i20i263j0l8.3600j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

For a plasma cutter, I have an old Mac Tools plasma.

 

[dr_clyde]

Lincoln SW TIG 200 and a Hypertherm Powermax 30. Done and dusted.

 

[sstec]

We all like our "colors".
I'm Blue,
Miller
Spectrum 375
Spectrum 2050
Dynasty DX 200
Dynasty DX 350

sstec

 

[KSJeff]

Red/Blue/ESAB are all good.

I bought the PrimeWeld Tig 225 and I love it. My mig is a Lincoln. My plasma cutter is a cheap Chinese cut 50 (bought it here on a group buy a while back). All three work well. Most of the time I just grab a stick and use the PrimeWeld stinger.

Might check out the Argon situation around you too. I ended up buying a 150cf tank on Amazon and I can get it swapped locally for about $75. They won't sell anything over 80cf around here. You have to lease big bottles. Praxair is by far the cheapest refill in my area.

Also, wouldn't hurt to hit up your welding shops and see what they have to offer. I've seen some great deals locally.

Good luck.

 

[Bugeyed Earl]

AHP just introduced a new model in their Alpha TIG line, and dropped the price of the 201XD to $600. That's a steal, I love mine and paid a little over $700 last year. Or you could splash out $800 for the AlphaTIG 203XI which has a more modern touchscreen interface (I kinda like the old school controls of the 201, but the new one is pretty intriguing.)

 

[MJD1]

I have the primeweld 225 and the razor cut 45 with the hypertherm style torch. I've got about 1600$ in the both with no complaints. Never been a fan of plasmas that use the cheap consumables that you need to use a standoff type guide. I can get a real nice cut on 1/2" and can sever thru a 1" piece altho 3/4" is more realistic. The primeweld has enough nads to do 1/4" aluminum but takes a while to get a puddle going and a 17 air cooled torch will overheat quickly. Both units have a 3 year warranty with excellent customer support.

 

[fordkid88]

Everlast multi unit. I have the power 206pi works pretty great.

 

[Don1357]

You need to define your requirements a tad better. Any machine out there can do thicker than sheet metal. How thick are you talking about?

 

[MoonRise]

Plasma cutter?

Hypertherm. Done.

Yes, other companies make plasma cutters. Some good, some not so good, some a roll of the dice as to what you get.

But THE plasma cutter is Hypertherm.

(btw, the Miller Spectrum 375 plasma cutter is a Hypertherm that Miller 'tweaked' a bit and made it blue )

Sheet metal thickness and 'rated' up to 3/8" would be a Hypertherm PM30 XP or with a small built-in air compressor the PM30 AIR. They will cut 1/2" steel or sever 5/8" steel.

If you want/need to do a steady diet of 1/2" steel, you should move up to a PM45 though. That one can also pretty easily (in the big picture ) hook up to a CNC system so that you can then CNC plasma cut things.

TIG? If you don't want/need to weld aluminum and will only weld steel, then you could go with a DC only machine.

But that almost guarantees that you would then end up with a want/need to TIG some aluminum (note that not all aluminum is weldable!!!! Looking right at you 7075! Among others.). And then you'd have to go and get an AC/DC TIG machine.

Or avoid the buy twice and just get the Lincoln SW200 and a cylinder of argon for the shielding gas. Done for 'most' hobby welding. Can't do 'thick' aluminum, just because 'thick' aluminum needs more power.

 

[lbpd716]

I'm a hobby level player as well. Sold off some of my other gear and went with the Miller 220 AC/DC and have been more than pleased. Would highly recommend.

After a ton of research, when the time comes for the cutter it's a hyperthermia for sure. Just got my bandsaw today and this weekend starting on my home made cnc plasma table.

 

[txvwnut]

Alpha tig will do everything you need and not max the budget. As for a plasma I’ve got Thermal Dynamics that I rarely ever use. My feeling towards plasma cutters are they are great for a cnc cut table and long cuts on sheet but for things like angle iron or stick type steel I head towards the band saw or the chop saw.

 

[BigMike782]

Might check out the Argon situation around you too. I ended up buying a 150cf tank on Amazon and I can get it swapped locally for about $75. They won't sell anything over 80cf around here. You have to lease big bottles. Praxair is by far the cheapest refill in my area.

Have you asked them to show you in black and white(company policy) why they will not sell cylinders bigger than 80cf?

 

[BigMike782]

(btw, the Miller Spectrum 375 plasma cutter is a Hypertherm that Miller 'tweaked' a bit and made it blue )

Torch?, yes. Power source?, no

 

[Kaizen]

This plasma PrimeWeld 50A Air Inverter Plasma Cutter, Portable Plasma Cutting Machine, Premium and Rugged Plasma Cutter Kit, Automatic Dual Voltage 110V/220V AC with Plasma Torch, 1/2" Clean Cut, CUT50D https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014ECTGIQ/?tag=atomicindus08-20

And everlast multi 251. Not cheap but plenty for any hobby user. Imo a pro machine at great cost.
Tig is super hard. I taught myself mig in a few hours. I have at least 30 on tig and still sucking. Just FYI


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[Is this thing on]

Ok I have some researching to do.
Other than the red/blue brands, what others have ease of replacement parts/ consumables?
Last thing I want is a unit that is hard to get consumables for.

 

[KSJeff]

Have you asked them to show you in black and white(company policy) why they will not sell cylinders bigger than 80cf?

Nah. I generally try to support my local shops, but I'm not going to twist their arm to sell me something when I can get it cheaper online. All three welding shops in town had the same policy, so maybe it's a Kansas thing?

 

[BigMike782]

It pisses me off when people make up arbitrary rules.
Praxair sells up to 150cf cylinders(company policy)....I know because I own some.

 

[lbpd716]

Ok I have some researching to do.
Other than the red/blue brands, what others have ease of replacement parts/ consumables?
Last thing I want is a unit that is hard to get consumables for.

Check out your local suppliers and see what they carry and can recommend. Hit up a few. From my experience when you need consumables you need them now, not tomorrow from the jungle website. A good local shop you can carry a relationship with is one of your biggest assets - especially for the home game player.

 

[dr_clyde]

Check out your local suppliers and see what they carry and can recommend. Hit up a few. From my experience when you need consumables you need them now, not tomorrow from the jungle website. A good local shop you can carry a relationship with is one of your biggest assets - especially for the home game player.

I can’t recommend this enough. Buy local.

 

[latebreak]

Miller Multimatic 220
Hypertherm PowerMax 45XP

Never look back and no regrets.

 

[cvairwerks]

machine.

But that almost guarantees that you would then end up with a want/need to TIG some aluminum (note that not all aluminum is weldable!!!! Looking right at you 7075! Among others.). And then you'd have to go and get an AC/DC TIG machine.

7075 has been weldable since 2019, but it's highly specialized and I don't think the process has been certified by any recognized organization.
For the initial info, look here: https://newatlas.com/welding-aa7075-aluminum-alloy/58449/

 

[Kaizen]

Hobby level, but heavy hobby level plasma & tig

Consumables have a few levels for stuff related to tig torches or plasma heads for all big brands should not be an issue. Tig is pretty interchangeable.
Stuff like drive wheels or machine leads that get damaged will be available but probably a wait.
I’m not doing anything that can’t wait so I’m ok with my choices. Obviously you want to get some extra consumables no matter what you get. With our current online shopping it’s pretty easy.

For starters I’d rent a tank of argon. My yearly rent is like 60 bucks. Get a four foot tank. You’re gonna go through a lot.

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[Will S.]

O/P- I've got a Thermal Dynamics plasma cutter, which has been amazing, and have had zero issues with it. Consumables are long-lasting, and the unit just works.

For my TIG welding, after much research and sorting through the choices, I bought a PrimeWeld 225, and it is a solid machine. Built well; controls nicely labelled and easy to adjust. A LOT of machine for not a lot of money, and their warranty includes all P&L and free round trip shipping if you do need a repair. (which I have not).

 

[lbpd716]

Re: Hobby level, but heavy hobby level plasma & tig

For starters I’d rent a tank of argon. My yearly rent is like 60 bucks. Get a four foot tank. You’re gonna go through a lot.

For the hobbiest, I still recommend getting your own tank. You WILL go through a lot of gas, but around here at least - they add the cost of the tank hydro into the cost of the gas. Nothing to win by renting. Score a good tank without a collar marking on it from a metal recycling yard (under 60) and just do exchanges in that size.

 

[chevy3100truck]

Re: Hobby level, but heavy hobby level plasma & tig

For the hobbiest, I still recommend getting your own tank. You WILL go through a lot of gas, but around here at least - they add the cost of the tank hydro into the cost of the gas. Nothing to win by renting. Score a good tank without a collar marking on it from a metal recycling yard (under 60) and just do exchanges in that size.

Agreed - buy tanks, don't rent..... My most recent was a 110cf tank, purchased for $270CND, that's less than 3 years lease payments on one, certification is good for 10 years, and re-cert (for my last tank anyhow) was under $50CND for another 10 years. Makes no sense for a hobbiest to lease a tank. Filling it is about $70CND for argon.

As for the questions - I have an ESAB 215, mig welds great, TIG weld is steel/stainless only (DC), but does good for someone who is just starting with TIG welding. I'll probably eventually get a dedicated AC/DC tig setup.

Cutter - I have an older Miller 625, it'll cut anything, but is a massive air hog with no built in compressor. I'd highly recommend one that doesn't require a separate air source.

 

[Kaizen]

Re: Hobby level, but heavy hobby level plasma & tig

For the hobbiest, I still recommend getting your own tank. You WILL go through a lot of gas, but around here at least - they add the cost of the tank hydro into the cost of the gas. Nothing to win by renting. Score a good tank without a collar marking on it from a metal recycling yard (under 60) and just do exchanges in that size.

Not knowing the op it’s what I recommend to get going. If he likes tig I agree buy a good tank.
I bought a little 2 foot tank and it was stolen. Then bought a used tank that was out of date and had issues getting certified.


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[Is this thing on]

It pisses me off when people make up arbitrary rules.
Praxair sells up to 150cf cylinders(company policy)....I know because I own some.

Sells to who?
A business account or joe blow off the street?
I know when I got my mig and my gas wrench . I could buy the 3 foot tall cyl. but not the 5 foot tall one (sorry don't know the "size/volume") .
But I could rent the bigger tank. Same with my gas wrench. I could buy the 3 foot tall tank, but the 5 foot ones rent. As I was not a business account.

 

[Is this thing on]

I can’t recommend this enough. Buy local.

Yes . I plan on that. I just like to know a least some basics before I walk in and start asking questions, looking at what is available.

 

[bigguns69]

https://inboxq.com/miller-211-vs-215/
https://store.cyberweld.com/weandplcu.html

 

[BigMike782]

Sells to who?
A business account or joe blow off the street?
I know when I got my mig and my gas wrench . I could buy the 3 foot tall cyl. but not the 5 foot tall one (sorry don't know the "size/volume") .
But I could rent the bigger tank. Same with my gas wrench. I could buy the 3 foot tall tank, but the 5 foot ones rent. As I was not a business account.

Sell as in you give payment they give you a cylinder. Makes no difference if you have an account or not.
I have an account. I am a hobbiest user. It’s COD. I have it to keep history of what I buy. Having an account also shows the vendor how much I buy and helps me get a better price.

 

[lbpd716]

gas and consumables are always the easiest parts - its the skill thats difficult to get

 

[teal95]

From reading the article about welding 7075 it seems it just is a special filler rod, no special process or other equipment.