Tig welding problems (air leak)

[John Taylor]

I purchased an inexpensive Tig welder/plasma cutter from ebay so I wouldnt have to do all my welding at work. I was having difficulty getting as nice a weld as the higher quality Miller welder at work. My bead would look "bubbly" and burned. I also noticed that my argon supply was going much quicker than I expected. After checking for leaks with Snoop and finding none, I left the cylinder valve open for two days and the pressure never dropped. I then opened the case and plugged the gas outlet to the torch. I found a significant leak right after the gas solenoid, replaced the teflon tape and tightened it snugly. This leak would only show up when pushing the trigger on my torch, and it was not noticeable due to the noise of the arc and regular gas flow.

I hope this is of value to others who may have experienced similar problems. These macines are relatively cheap, and seem to work well when everything is in order, but a problem like this can have you scratching your head as it only leaks when you are trying to weld.

After this repair, I believe this welder works as well as the more expensive models that I cant afford.

John Taylor

[Jerry Biehler]

John Taylor wrote:
> After this repair, I believe this welder works as well as the more expensive models that I cant afford.
>
> John Taylor

No, it does not.

My basis, I am a repair tech for welding and plasma equipment and certified by Miller.

[John Taylor]

Not to argue, Jerry, but I should have said it works INFINITELY BETTER than a model that cannot afford and will never be able to afford. I have been TIG welding for many years (actually certified many years ago) and I cannot tell the difference now between this welder and the expensive Miller welders that I can occasionally use at work.

I have less money invested in this welder, including supplies than what I would have paid someone else to weld all of my chambers and associated plumbing and I still own it. It also includes a plasma cutter that is wonderful. I now have the ability to modify any component in my system without having to lug large and sometimes heavy parts in to work. Since I work at a nuclear power plant, it is sometimes impossible to take certain things in to work on (due to security concerns). Without this welder, that is certainly built more cheaply than a higher priced unit, I would just not have any way of welding stainless at home. So this welder is much better for me than something I simply will never have.

Sincerely,
John Taylor

[derekm]

i have one of these cheap tig welders ... and my wifes brother in law(professional fabricator) remarked how well it worked... he put in a day using it.
The concernwith them is reliabilty you have to be careful about dust and damp with them at least with my model. its stop working twice but was easily got going again