TIG welder purchase advice for stainless steel

[slanehouse]

I am an experienced welder but not an expert and not a tradesman welder. I have just been welding off and on for work and personal for 40 years. But I have never welded TIG. So I am not familiar with the terms and lingo, as far a the usage of the machine goes. But will learn that from research, any advice given, and practice.

What I was wondering, is what’s a good TIG machine to weld stainless in commercial kitchen use. Such as sinks/work stations. So 14-16 gauge material. Very specifically a corner weld where the corner was once a bend but has worn through because of usage. There is very little of any gap so a weld should be achievable but obviously the thickness of the edges is to be taken into consideration. I would weld a backing plate on the bottom side firsts.
With that in mind what would be a good machine to use in this situation. My company does maintenance for restaurants and would like to add this to our list of availability to the clients. So portable enough to go into kitchens and ran off of a generator and 50’ of extension cord.
In California and budget up to $2500 but something on the lower end that can get the job done is obviously best. Will be used maybe 10 times a year.
If anyone has or does this type of work, any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Firebrick43]

Tig welding SS is actually probably one of the easiest to do from the TIG welder perspective.

Hard part for beginners is making nice welds, prep, back purge or flux, ect.

Any DC tig welder with 150 amps will do this kind of work. If on site the accessories you want an inverter machine, and want the amps to be controlled on the torch instead of a foot pedal.

Low use like that one of the Chinese inverters would work well and are cheap. Have two, one as a back up?

As a business and if things are time critical you may want a Lincoln or Miller just for the service part of the equation. A Miller Maxstar is in that budget. The diversion is a little over it. Ask if the shop can provide a unit if yours is down for service?

 

[sqznby]

I know a lot of people love the China brands. From my personal experience I wouldn't rely on them from a business point of view. Ours literally popped in front of my face, not once but twice. Two separate new machines. They were green

A popular up and comer are Fronius. They make very nice machines and even the first battery powered mobile tig machine.

I used to carry an old Miller Maxstar 150sth (dual voltage) and Maxstar 200dx (220 only) for this exact reason/purpose, DC only machines for sanitary stainless repair in restaurants. Both very nice machines and even have pulse for the newer welders who need it. If you can find an STH, grab it. They are hard to come by but very capable machines. DX is also a really nice machine.

 

[Jswain]

Commercial use 10x a year is different then hobby use 10x a year. Your unit is going in the back of a service vehicle, potentially being used by different people who may or may not be gentle with it.

Miller maxstar is probably the industry standard for this, can get them with a nice case and they can take a beating and give you a long life.

Showing up and having equipment that don't work is a sure way of not getting called back.

 

[steel 35]

25 years ago I used 120 V Esab scratch start; DC only (Very Portable)
(I Would not use) the Arc and the teeny rods..

 

[theoldwizard1]

If you think you might get into aluminum, you will need at least 200A, probably more.

Lots of options. Lots of controls. Mor sure which are the most important. You do NOT want scratch start/lift arc.

 

[Wamsutta]

I would make sure the machine is on the list of machines compatible with the TIG Button.

 

[sqznby]

Some good points have been brought up. Especially with arc start and controlling. Personally, I carried a momentary switch as well as a pedal. Both machines were compatible for each which made it very easier to work with.
I like a momentary switch (press on/release off) but you have to know how to control your heat and be aware of the materials you are working on and their condition. You can turn a pinhole into a manhole pretty quickly especially with a worn area in a sink.
High frequency start is ideal but lift arc is not bad only if have a pedal. I purged if necessary or had a backer which helps for some of the larger areas or both haha.
Never got into the tig buttons and never ran into a shop who used them, I think they might be suited more for the home shop/hobbyist.

 

[theoldwizard1]

High frequency start is ideal but lift arc is not bad only if have a pedal. I purged if necessary or had a backer which helps for some of the larger areas or both haha.

HF start and purge are good options !

Not cheap but look at Alpha TIG.

 

[slanehouse]

Tig welding SS is actually probably one of the easiest to do from the TIG welder perspective.

Hard part for beginners is making nice welds, prep, back purge or flux, ect.

Any DC tig welder with 150 amps will do this kind of work. If on site the accessories you want an inverter machine, and want the amps to be controlled on the torch instead of a foot pedal.

Low use like that one of the Chinese inverters would work well and are cheap. Have two, one as a back up?

As a business and if things are time critical you may want a Lincoln or Miller just for the service part of the equation. A Miller Maxstar is in that budget. The diversion is a little over it. Ask if the shop can provide a unit if yours is down for service?

Thank you for your response. I am looking at the Miller 161 STH for the reason being it has the HF start and pulsing. Also because it’s a Miller and want to have the ability to get parts easily and it’s not a bad price. They have 500 rebates right now.
So another question is about the pedal and push button. I’m assuming they serve the same function? I would think for my application I would want the push button since I might not have feet on the ground or laying down doing overhead. Like you said. And when you say amps controlled, you just mean turning them off and on? Not adjusting them? Or can it actually adjust the amps up and down buy feathering the button or pedal?

 

[slanehouse]

Commercial use 10x a year is different then hobby use 10x a year. Your unit is going in the back of a service vehicle, potentially being used by different people who may or may not be gentle with it.

Miller maxstar is probably the industry standard for this, can get them with a nice case and they can take a beating and give you a long life.

Showing up and having equipment that don't work is a sure way of not getting called back.

Thank you for the reply. I agree. I was just checking to see if there might be a cheaper one that could convince me to buy a lesser product. I am a firm believer in, buy once, cry once. Especially if the company is buying it. I don’t want to be the one that recommends a machine that might break faster and be hard to service. Looking at the maxstar 161 sth. Just want to make sure I want to get the handle button and not the pedal. I know myself and would have more control using a handle switch than using a foot pedal.

 

[slanehouse]

Some good points have been brought up. Especially with arc start and controlling. Personally, I carried a momentary switch as well as a pedal. Both machines were compatible for each which made it very easier to work with.
I like a momentary switch (press on/release off) but you have to know how to control your heat and be aware of the materials you are working on and their condition. You can turn a pinhole into a manhole pretty quickly especially with a worn area in a sink.
High frequency start is ideal but lift arc is not bad only if have a pedal. I purged if necessary or had a backer which helps for some of the larger areas or both haha.
Never got into the tig buttons and never ran into a shop who used them, I think they might be suited more for the home shop/hobbyist.

I’m lost on the momentary switch. I will have to research it.
As far as the button goes, I’m pretty sure I would need that and would have more control, since I work better with my hands than my feet. Also might not have feet in the ground. Just need to figure out if the pedal/ button, is just off and on? Or if it fluctuates the amps buy amount of pressure given to the pedal/ button?

 

[slanehouse]

I would make sure the machine is on the list of machines compatible with the TIG Button.

I’m pretty sure I want that.

 

[Wamsutta]

I’m pretty sure I want that.

Wait until you see the welds the guy puts out with that button. Amazing. 6061

 

[slanehouse]

I know a lot of people love the China brands. From my personal experience I wouldn't rely on them from a business point of view. Ours literally popped in front of my face, not once but twice. Two separate new machines. They were green

A popular up and comer are Fronius. They make very nice machines and even the first battery powered mobile tig machine.

I used to carry an old Miller Maxstar 150sth (dual voltage) and Maxstar 200dx (220 only) for this exact reason/purpose, DC only machines for sanitary stainless repair in restaurants. Both very nice machines and even have pulse for the newer welders who need it. If you can find an STH, grab it. They are hard to come by but very capable machines. DX is also a really nice machine.

Thank you for the response. I am looking at the miller maxstar 161 STH. You say the STH is hard to come by. Is there low stock? I just started looking. Haven’t checked stock anywhere.
Also how did you shield your sparks in that work environment?

 

[slanehouse]

Wait until you see the welds the guy puts out with that button. Amazing. 6061

Nice thanks for the link. Like I said I’m very new to TIG. Does this button just turn on? Or does it also adjust the amps to help control the heat, buy like adjusting the pressure on the button?

 

[Jswain]

The "Tig button" will control amperage.

Also look at the ck sliders. I have one and like it, would be good for portable use, I forced myself to learn on it then switched to the foot pedal(always in my shop)

 

[JHForman]

Ill throw in here cause im a garage junky that loves welding stainless(no its not pretty lol). Ive been at it for a few years now playing with it when I wanna have a few beers etc. I started off with an Alphatig, welder was great lots of settings you dont get with higher end models. What I found with this welder was lower amperage(30amp and below) the arc would wander in a circle pattern. If you were good enough to be able to keep up with the pattern it would make some cool welds but this is not how it should work. I parted ways with that welder, I purchased and HTP invertig and couldnt be happier. Look up the features the HTP has and price vs some extremely high dollar welders that are missing these settings. Ill admit the cheaper welder prices are enticing but after having a chinese welder and what I would consider a high end welder spend the money now and dont worry about upgrading later. I wish I had spent the money the first time around, but for learning the AHP alphatig, and the primeweld are both great beginner welders and extremely affordable. If youre going to be doing thin stuff(like I wanted to do 16GA) get a better welder, for thicker stuff the cheaper welders work great and 0 complaints from me. I would look up reviews from youtubers like the fabrication series. Justin reviews a lot of welders even though(last I remember) hes sponsored by fronius.

 

[steel 35]

You do NOT want scratch start/lift arc.

Any position food grade SS, on my back upstairs I sure did!
My mama didn’t teach Me, Two guys made big bucks

 

[slanehouse]

The "Tig button" will control amperage.

Also look at the ck sliders. I have one and like it, would be good for portable use, I forced myself to learn on it then switched to the foot pedal(always in my shop)

Nice thank you. I will look into sliders.
Just to be 100% sure. When you say control amps, you mean the button will increase and decrease the amps buy the pressure on the button?
I just don’t want to mistake “control amps” as being controlled off and on only.

 

[steel 35]

I read it controls amp with a dial.
bump it, it will change.

 

[slanehouse]

Any position food grade SS, on my back upstairs I sure did!
My mama didn’t teach Me, Two guys made big bucks

I feel confident that I could run scratch/lift arc. I grew up farming using horrible welders that were so finicky. Welding on combines, up into elevators that were barely big enough for me to squeeze into, arm fully extended, trying to control a puddle. I have a feeling any new machine that I have the opportunity to use will be a cake walk.

 

[Jswain]

Nice thank you. I will look into sliders.
Just to be 100% sure. When you say control amps, you mean the button will increase and decrease the amps buy the pressure on the button?
I just don’t want to mistake “control amps” as being controlled off and on only.

Yes that is what I mean.

 

[slanehouse]

I read it controls amp with a dial.
bump it, it will change.

I see thank you for the reply.

 

[slanehouse]

Yes that is what I mean.

Perfect thank you. Sounds like something I will enjoy using.

 

[Firebrick43]

Thank you for your response. I am looking at the Miller 161 STH for the reason being it has the HF start and pulsing. Also because it’s a Miller and want to have the ability to get parts easily and it’s not a bad price. They have 500 rebates right now.
So another question is about the pedal and push button. I’m assuming they serve the same function? I would think for my application I would want the push button since I might not have feet on the ground or laying down doing overhead. Like you said. And when you say amps controlled, you just mean turning them off and on? Not adjusting them? Or can it actually adjust the amps up and down buy feathering the button or pedal?

Torch mounted controls for site work is important for the reason you stated. Pedals are for bench welding or a cell. Some will squeeze the pedal between their knees but FT

There are several options available. Simplistic is a momentary button, push it the to start and push it to stop. Amperage is set on the machine.

Some have a small pot along with the button. You can change the amps at the torch but not reliably while welding. Again momentary to start stop

There is a spring loaded wheel from CK worldwide that act like a foot pedal, the more you turn it with your finger tip the higher the amps and let go it will rotate back to zero and stop. Miller has a version as well, meh!

I have seen linear pot that functioned the same way, both CK and miller have one, I am not a fan.

And there is the TIG button which gives you more amps the harder you push. I have not tried this one, many like it however.

I don’t like any of them (I like pedals) but when I did have to TIG in crazy places when working in the factory I preferred the CK rotary for light welding. It was impossible to manipulate with heavier gloves on. Heavy stuff I just used a momentary switch and yelled at the FNG to turn it up or down.

 

[Wamsutta]

Nice thanks for the link. Like I said I’m very new to TIG. Does this button just turn on? Or does it also adjust the amps to help control the heat, buy like adjusting the pressure on the button?

He says the amperage increases with an increase in finger pressure. I've never tried one so I can't give you a 1st hand opinion. I would guess the button is easy to push and has a significant amount of travel if it's going to work like he says it does. He only uses that button with a Miller W-310 water cooled torch. He says it will fit any torch but I've only seen him use it with the W-310.

 

[slanehouse]

Torch mounted controls for site work is important for the reason you stated. Pedals are for bench welding or a cell. Some will squeeze the pedal between their knees but FT

There are several options available. Simplistic is a momentary button, push it the to start and push it to stop. Amperage is set on the machine.

Some have a small pot along with the button. You can change the amps at the torch but not reliably while welding. Again momentary to start stop

There is a spring loaded wheel from CK worldwide that act like a foot pedal, the more you turn it with your finger tip the higher the amps and let go it will rotate back to zero and stop. Miller has a version as well, meh!

I have seen linear pot that functioned the same way, both CK and miller have one, I am not a fan.

And there is the TIG button which gives you more amps the harder you push. I have not tried this one, many like it however.

I don’t like any of them (I like pedals) but when I did have to TIG in crazy places when working in the factory I preferred the CK rotary for light welding. It was impossible to manipulate with heavier gloves on. Heavy stuff I just used a momentary switch and yelled at the FNG to turn it up or down.

Wow great information. Thank you I appreciate it.
I will have to decide what style I would want to go with. I also don’t know how much I would need it. I feel like I would want to just get it set to the perfect setting and just rip. But maybe there is more involved. I will look into it. Thanks again.

 

[slanehouse]

He says the amperage increases with an increase in finger pressure. I've never tried one so I can't give you a 1st hand opinion. I would guess the button is easy to push and has a significant amount of travel if it's going to work like he says it does. He only uses that button with a Miller W-310 water cooled torch. He says it will fit any torch but I've only seen him use it with the W-310.

Thank you. Makes sense.

 

[Jswain]

Wow great information. Thank you I appreciate it.
I will have to decide what style I would want to go with. I also don’t know how much I would need it. I feel like I would want to just get it set to the perfect setting and just rip. But maybe there is more involved. I will look into it. Thanks again.

If you get a welder with ramp up/down you can adjust them and use just an on/off button at the torch.

You press and hold(or if it is 2t/4t could press and release) and the welder will ramp up the amps over your desired time to the preset, then when you release(or press again) the welder will ramp the amperage down.

I think this will be harder to master for a beginner though.

Whatever you get will require practise.

 

[sqznby]

I’m lost on the momentary switch. I will have to research it.
As far as the button goes, I’m pretty sure I would need that and would have more control, since I work better with my hands than my feet. Also might not have feet in the ground. Just need to figure out if the pedal/ button, is just off and on? Or if it fluctuates the amps buy amount of pressure given to the pedal/ button?

It is just like the tig button but only controls on/off. No settings can be dialed with it. Set it on 80 amps hit button you get 80 amps.
Another option would be a finger control to get the heat adjustments desired.

Thank you for the response. I am looking at the miller maxstar 161 STH. You say the STH is hard to come by. Is there low stock? I just started looking. Haven’t checked stock anywhere.
Also how did you shield your sparks in that work environment?

I have been looking for a 151sth because that's what I had and have been looking for another. Great little machine.
The 161sth are great as well. Really any STH is what you are looking for. STH models have HF and pulse, that is why I suggested them. And there bad mamajamas

 

[WWheeler]

I don't TIG myself, by hand anyway, but I do pretty regularly run a machine that welds stainless sheet metal continuously at a rate of 30 - 36 feet a minute all day long. I typically can get about 4 hours of runtime on an electrode before I need to replace it with a new sharpened tungsten. Probably could get longer than that, but it's just easier to replace it when changing out a new coil of material. The weld seam is 100% monitored for any failures by an Eddy current system and I have to do intermittent destructive checks all day long, cutting, polishing, etching and then looking at the weld seam to ensure we're maintaining proper penetration.

 

[Beerhippie]

Lots of good (if conflicting) advice here.

Just a heads-up: I weld for a brewery. Almost 100% of our stainless is either 304L or 316L. These are probably the easiest stainless steel--or metal of any kind--to weld.

Unless the metal is very thin and/or you're going for 100% penetration, you rarely even have to back-gas it. I don't back-gas for any metal thicker than about 1/8" unless it's a 100% penetration ****-weld.

Unfortunately, the stainless used for most kitchen sinks and counters IS NOT. It will usually require copper backplates, Solar flux, etc. Back-gassing might do the job on thicker parts, but I doubt it. I struggle with it every time I have to do some welding on a sink or counter. Not only is VERY hard not to just blast through, but it warps far worse than any other SS I've worked on.

Any exposure to air on the back side of the weld will result in a weld made entirely out of "sugar".

Practice on the same material you plan to weld. I can usually find old SS sinks at the dump or cheap used. Pick up a couple that you don't care about and try your hand.

But maybe it's just me....

PS: I would also strongly advise the finger-controls on the gun. I've used them and my machine has a pedal--I know which I prefer (but can't justify).

 

[quinny qfab]

I am an experienced welder but not an expert and not a tradesman welder. I have just been welding off and on for work and personal for 40 years. But I have never welded TIG. So I am not familiar with the terms and lingo, as far a the usage of the machine goes. But will learn that from research, any advice given, and practice.

What I was wondering, is what’s a good TIG machine to weld stainless in commercial kitchen use. Such as sinks/work stations. So 14-16 gauge material. Very specifically a corner weld where the corner was once a bend but has worn through because of usage. There is very little of any gap so a weld should be achievable but obviously the thickness of the edges is to be taken into consideration. I would weld a backing plate on the bottom side firsts.
With that in mind what would be a good machine to use in this situation. My company does maintenance for restaurants and would like to add this to our list of availability to the clients. So portable enough to go into kitchens and ran off of a generator and 50’ of extension cord.
In California and budget up to $2500 but something on the lower end that can get the job done is obviously best. Will be used maybe 10 times a year.
If anyone has or does this type of work, any advice would be appreciated.

It doesn’t matter what welder it is it’s the bloke holding it that makes the difference for thin gauge corners that have worn through put aluminium plate on the back of the open corner and weld over it unless you are a competent tig welder you will just end up with a huge mess

 

[quinny qfab]

Some good points have been brought up. Especially with arc start and controlling. Personally, I carried a momentary switch as well as a pedal. Both machines were compatible for each which made it very easier to work with.
I like a momentary switch (press on/release off) but you have to know how to control your heat and be aware of the materials you are working on and their condition. You can turn a pinhole into a manhole pretty quickly especially with a worn area in a sink.
High frequency start is ideal but lift arc is not bad only if have a pedal. I purged if necessary or had a backer which helps for some of the larger areas or both haha.
Never got into the tig buttons and never ran into a shop who used them, I think they might be suited more for the home shop/hobbyist.

A foot pedal is only useful on aluminium unless you are a pretend expert on tig welding and have to have a pedal lol the are annoying having to drag them around the floor when the button works fine

 

[dnschmidt]

The machine discussion is relatively irrelevant as almost any TIG will weld stainless. The challenging part is the back purging and the avoidance of sugaring which is the bane of stainless welding. The hoops you must go through to avoid this unique to stainless (and titanium) problem will be far more difficult and is independent of the machine you pick. If I were to pick a machine it would be the Primeweld but, as stated, that's not the problem as any decent TIG will do.