[TheForge] tig setup

[Ries Niemi]

>
> Unless I'm mistaken, not all ac/dc stick welders are suitable for TIG. 
>  I heard once that the welder had to use inverter technology as 
> opposed to the transformer technology that many stick welders use.  
> Does anyone know anything to the contrary?
>
> Ries,
>
> What gas flow rates are used for TIG?
>
> Dave Brown
>

Nope- most tig welders were transformers for many years. Well, actually 
I think there is more to it than just transformers- not being an 
electrical engineer, I cant tell you exactly what else is in there, but 
I suspect scr's and the like. But anyway, ordinary stick welders can be 
used to tig weld. I have done a lot of tig welding with a miller 
trailblazer, which is a gas drive machine sold as a stick welder.
The trick is, you need a constant current machine. Mig welders are 
constant voltage machines, so mig power supplies can not be used to tig 
weld.
Then there are inverters, which are usually both- cc and cv.
As are many of the gas drive machines like the trailblazer.

As far as gas flow- well, it depends on how strong the wind is- but 
anywhere from 15 to 25 cubic feet per hour is normal. 20 is about 
average. Depends also on the size of the cup, the size of the weld, and 
the material being welded- aluminum wants more coverage than steel, for 
example.

ries