You are welcome John. I've known the theory for a log time but that's the first time I have done the practical measurements like that so it was very informative for me too. Cheers
Fascinating, did not even know I wanted to learn about electrics, trips, and power factors, but clearly I did, well presented, very informative. Just trying to think what you can now weld for me 😜
Hi 18ra, often I don't know myself where these videos are going to lead. I usually make them over several days so you see the journey as I do. I've know about power factor since my days at college but that's possibly the first time I've seen results so contrasting between two devices with the same function (welders in this case). I can probably weld something onto your Norton for a fiver mate. Cheers
Hurrah! I know you're satisfied with stick welding now. Wait until you get into steel with the TIG. Heat concentration; dial in penetration or cleaning; 4130 chromemoly with Crown8 rod. You'll never go back. Watch welding tips & tricks with Jodi. The guy can weld. I learned from Chris Razor, who does a lot of welding for Chrysler & Jack Roush. He taught me how to weld 3/16 titanium. Many happy adventures ahead. Enjoy & learn them all. Cheers.
Hi Robert, I'm finding even switching from AC stick to DC stick has some complexities and new things to learn. And then stick electrodes have developed a lot (my last box was from the 1990s probably and seem better than the new ones I bought recently - 6013s). I had a quick look at Chris Razor's channel and I like it - thanks. He has a nice even voice. I'm putting TIG runs on a bit of steel plate at the moment just to get the basic technique. Once I've got some sort of basic technique going then I will try some Aluminium. And I've at least one job in mind for bronze (a cracked cast iron exhaust manifold). Thanks for your support.
super cool, congratulations on your tig. i think you will find the RUclips community very helpful when you are trying to get up and running so to speak. good luck and have fun!
Thanks Robert, there are often many reasons not to buy like "can I afford it, will I use it enough ...?" but then sometimes you just have to go for it and find out. It's just the joining fee. Cheers
Hello, Very good video... thank you. I have looked at the R-Tech and came to the same conclusion that they would be my pick... I look forward to seeing you using it in the future... Take care. Paul,,
Thanks for the very informative video. I’d really like a decent TIG welder when funds allow. Looking forward to some welding footage. Also a shaper project would be nice 😉
Hi MB, TIG is a new venture for me. I'm hoping some of my basic Oxy skills will transfer. I will make a vid of my effort to weld, the challenge is to make that interesting for viewers. There is a bit of shaping coming in the Vid this coming Friday or the one after. Cheers
Hi John, when researching for welders I began to pick up chat on forums that the R-Tech was a good choice and then I watched a few of your Doubleboost reviews, and then I tested R-Tech sales and support with some queries and that decided it. I learnt from R-Tech that the fan on the 170 runs all the time whereas it shuts off on the 210 between TIG welds (which is one reason why I bought the 210 and not the 170). Cheers
Great machine. I have considered several times diving into TIG welding. But for the time being, it's just gonna be me and my flux core machine...maybe someday
Hi Craig, I've never got on with MIG (gas not flux-core) probably because the bottle was empty :-) but I thought what the heck it's now or never so let's just take the safety lock off my wallet and do it. Cheers.
Good choice of welder, you can weld with the cheapest of welders but they've used cheap parts that won't last long, have you done any gas welding in the past, if so this will give you a better idea of the process, unlike mig and arc where you can join two pieces of metal with pigeon droppings after a couple of weeks and grind it down and paint over it 😁 you have to master the art of tig welding and it can become very frustrating, i'm a retired welder of over 50 years and the one piece of advice i'd recommend to anyone starting out tig welding (it's the hardest of all to master) is do a course, some collages do 2 hours once a week for about 5 weeks, do a course that is dedicated just to tig, having someone telling you what you're doing wrong is worth weeks of struggling.
Hi hetrodoxly, I did a bit of gas many years ago and was not too bad at it on simple jobs. Yes TIG is proving to be frustrating. I'm creating a few vids called "Diary of a TIG welding beginner" and you will see just how much I don't know. Watching TIG vids did not prepare me even for the the very basics like reliably striking an arc or the strange buzzing noises. I think when we are past Covid and physical courses can run again a welding course may be a good idea. Cheers
@@HaxbyShed It's not easy is it, no mater how many times you have to sharpen your tungsten do it you'll not weld with a dirty one, and clean everything as much as possible, don't even think of trying to weld in AC.
Good video and thought process as to why to choose what. In a manner of speaking TIG is like an Electric version of OXY Welding or Brazing that can also be done using an Electric heat source. I think you will adapt to TIG Welding very quickly and enjoy the fine low heat work that can be done, Cheers from John, Australia. PS: the unit I bought has A Plasma cut facility as well so 4 in one, runs from 240V/15A and it has shown to excellent for my needs.
Hi John, thanks. I don't know if I can get a Plasma torch for this one but I will research that. I've tried a bit of TIG on thin steel plate and I see the similarities with OXY - but I'm also learning that the torch handling is quite different and takes more care. Cheers
@@HaxbyShed The one I bought is all in the same machine, so it does 170 A Stick, 210 AC and DC Tig and 50 Amp Plasma. So up to 16 mm steel, not sure how thick in Stanless,Ally or other and came with 5 year warranty so I went that/this way. John.
@@HaxbyShed I reasonably suspect it is an import from China and is named in the guise of TokenTools. He no longer sells these, however still supports service as well as consumables. I purchased from ebay and he is only 50 miles away so like yourself I went to a local supplier. Alusync215 if my spelling is correct and will add that I have two other friends that have the same machine and although I did not know that when I bought mine they are happy as well. I do apologise for my long winded response, however I thought it prudent to give you the best info. John.
Another excellent video If I was in marketing at R-tech, I would be keeping an eye on your progress and possibly looking to link to your videos Has to be worth a voucher or two ?
Would it be possible to share the details of plug-in device you used to measure the input current and power factor. I'd be very interested to make some measurements in my own workshop, particularly the MMA/MIG welder and the rotary single to three phase converter on the Harrison 140. I looked at your video on tinkering with your VFD and wonder if I should bite the bullet and go in that direction. Is yours an Omron unit? Some details of that would also be very useful.
Hi Chris, my VFD on the H140 is an IMO Jaguar Cub 8A 1.5kW. It was quite expensive but there are much cheaper VFDs around that people say are ok. I bought a used Jaguar Cub 5A for my shaper for about £70 and that's fine too. They are made in the UK I believe (one of the few). I will have to check details of the plug in power meter and post that later when I get chance. Cheers
Chris, the plug-in meter says Globaltronics model GT-PM-04. It has an address for a German company. I think it was free from my energy supplier many years ago. But there are many similar devices on the internet - for about £20 in the UK. They are really designed to measure energy consumption against a tariff so they can tell you how much your appliance is costing to run. But it's handy for all sorts of things - especially the power factor measurement.
Get your self a piece of poster board paper with the power off and tig torch set up practice walking your cup, wrap a half round of torch cable on your forearm to support the weight of torch and cable. Set gas shield cup on paper and swing your hand and arm into little half C scallops back and forth in a forward direction until you get comfortable, When you get used to it it will look like evenly spaced waves, because the cup will leave a mark on the paper and it is cheap practice. I did that with a friend that had no welding /machine experience and had him tig welding SS on a assembly he wanted in 30 minutes and it looked decent for a first time arc striker. It will take you sometime learning to grind the electrodes and setting the stick-out of the electrodes, then your arc length , and how to stop your arc so you do not get fish-eyes when you stop (pin holes). Have some fun it is all left to your imagination and welding sciences/engineering practices...do not doubt let me try this to learn techniques.
Hi mongomay1, it's still early days for me. Some things I've understood/absorbed and others I still need to get hold of. I've a bit of experience and insight into grinding, stick out, and gas flow now. I'm still not using the pedal and yep those pinholes/fisheyes are looking at me sometimes. I found that a longer downslope helps but I can't say that with any authority. I need to get back on the seat soon - the summer has been busy with outside jobs and other things. I'll buy or make up a basic welding table soon and I'm beginning to think about a rotator. Thanks for your help, it all goes in my head but I need that seat time to crystallise it. Cheers
@@HaxbyShed yes practice makes us have brain and muscle memory. Try turning the torch slightly sideways as you lift it out at the end of the weld. Using a foot pedal you just lower your amperage by lifting your foot as it cools you will see the eye close.
Hiya mongomay1, it's now on 16A wall socket and 16A mini circuit breaker 'B rated'. It's fine at the welding currents I've used up to now but occasionally it can trip the MCB when I power up, with the initial surge I guess with all those capacitors. If that becomes a nuisance tripping on power up my next step would be to go to 16A C rated MCB (slower trip). The wiring to the socket is 4mm2 so I could uprate to a 32A socket sometime in the future if needed without rewiring. I'll monitor over time. The reason I did not go straight to a 32A socket and 25A MCB is I have other items that need a 16A socket and I wanted to share it (i.e. not have one just dedicated to the welder). Cheers
@@HaxbyShed run the 32A and put a small double breaker sub panel with 16mcb stub out your existing 16A on one side and a 32A outlet on the other, just do not use both outlets at the same time. This is a legal option basically it is a cb branch panel.
@@mongomay1 ah yes I've seen those branch panels/boxes with MCBs included with a 32A in and 2x16A out but I take your point about not using a 32A output and 16A output at the same time, if that's how it's configured. Cheers
First of all if you are to present your new welder to the world you should start with its specs and price,. namely Amperage plus and duty cycle. You gave the first one but not the second one, the duty cycle. Like every body around you probably have been scammed by these people. Most machines like yours are sold at 200 A capacity and 20% duty cycle. In reality they are 150 A machines and around 10% duty. Which means that on a 10 minutes welding cycle the machine will shut off in just over a minute if you set the amps around 150. Why is that a problem? First you cant weld any aluminium over 1/8 with 150 amps. too cold. You would need at least 250 to 300 amps. So good by al. Since you are a machinist, and not an auto body repair guy, you will use it on thick steel pieces for resurfacing, cast iron repair, etc.. Again not enough amps, not enough duty cycle. Get yourself a DC amp meter, max your machine and film while you weld. You will feel stupid to say the least. You should have asked the people who watch your vides to give our input on how to select the proper equipment. Lucky for you, you are still young enough to make mistakes.
Hi Bernard, thanks for highlighting these points. I did a lot of research before buying and I spotted many "high current, low duty cycle" models, as you say. The R-Tech welder specs looked good and I watched a number of reviews by people I trust, so I went for it. It cost me £1560 including the trolley, pedal, torch, regulator, delivery and tax, and that's with a no-quibble 3- year warranty (they collect). The max welding currents are 210A for TIG and 160A for stick. The duty cycle is 60% at max currents. I had a number of queries after I bought the welder and I found the customer service to be excellent. I use my hobby welder only occasionally and I have not tested the max currents yet so only time will tell if I made the right choice. Right now I don't have the TIG skills or projects yet to stress it much, but I will do in time. Cheers
@@HaxbyShed Thank you for your answer. You need to stress the machine asap before warranties issues. The total amp capacity should be identical whatever the process. You will need a DC amp meter, run the machine as long as you can by taking note of your welding time in order to verify if the duty cycle is correct. If the machine trips before the 6 minutes shut off time you have been lied to. If the machine cannot deliver the 210 A your meter will tell you then again you have been lied to. For stick you can get extra long electrodes that shorten the time to reload. For Tig I would advise to run beads with the biggest tungsten your torch can handle without using an electrode and keep track of your time. The discrepancy between both process seems suspicious but I may be wrong. If you find out that you paid what you paid and the output and duty cycle are not in par with what you were told, then you paid way too much. 60% is pretty good even for professional use. Happy new year! Bernard
Thanks for the brief explanation of how the power factor of the equipment effects the line power.
You are welcome John. I've known the theory for a log time but that's the first time I have done the practical measurements like that so it was very informative for me too. Cheers
Fascinating, did not even know I wanted to learn about electrics, trips, and power factors, but clearly I did, well presented, very informative. Just trying to think what you can now weld for me 😜
Hi 18ra, often I don't know myself where these videos are going to lead. I usually make them over several days so you see the journey as I do. I've know about power factor since my days at college but that's possibly the first time I've seen results so contrasting between two devices with the same function (welders in this case). I can probably weld something onto your Norton for a fiver mate. Cheers
Hurrah! I know you're satisfied with stick welding now. Wait until you get into steel with the TIG. Heat concentration; dial in penetration or cleaning; 4130 chromemoly with Crown8 rod. You'll never go back. Watch welding tips & tricks with Jodi. The guy can weld. I learned from Chris Razor, who does a lot of welding for Chrysler & Jack Roush. He taught me how to weld 3/16 titanium. Many happy adventures ahead. Enjoy & learn them all. Cheers.
Hi Robert, I'm finding even switching from AC stick to DC stick has some complexities and new things to learn. And then stick electrodes have developed a lot (my last box was from the 1990s probably and seem better than the new ones I bought recently - 6013s). I had a quick look at Chris Razor's channel and I like it - thanks. He has a nice even voice. I'm putting TIG runs on a bit of steel plate at the moment just to get the basic technique. Once I've got some sort of basic technique going then I will try some Aluminium. And I've at least one job in mind for bronze (a cracked cast iron exhaust manifold). Thanks for your support.
super cool, congratulations on your tig. i think you will find the RUclips community very helpful when you are trying to get up and running so to speak. good luck and have fun!
Hi Jack, thank you. I think it's a challenge to make welding interesting for viewers but I will try. Cheers
Really learned a lot of grinding techniques when i started tig welding.
Hi chottom, I'm already learning the wisdom of your comment :-) Cheers
It looks like Christmas came early. It looks like you will be having a lot of fun in the future.
Thanks Robert, there are often many reasons not to buy like "can I afford it, will I use it enough ...?" but then sometimes you just have to go for it and find out. It's just the joining fee. Cheers
Hello,
Very good video... thank you. I have looked at the R-Tech and came to the same conclusion that they would be my pick... I look forward to seeing you using it in the future...
Take care.
Paul,,
Thanks Paul. There are also equally good welders in the States and other counties of course but not available here in the UK. Regards
Thanks for the very informative video. I’d really like a decent TIG welder when funds allow. Looking forward to some welding footage. Also a shaper project would be nice 😉
Hi MB, TIG is a new venture for me. I'm hoping some of my basic Oxy skills will transfer. I will make a vid of my effort to weld, the challenge is to make that interesting for viewers. There is a bit of shaping coming in the Vid this coming Friday or the one after. Cheers
Good choice of machine I have the 260 amp version with a water cooled torch
Hi John, when researching for welders I began to pick up chat on forums that the R-Tech was a good choice and then I watched a few of your Doubleboost reviews, and then I tested R-Tech sales and support with some queries and that decided it. I learnt from R-Tech that the fan on the 170 runs all the time whereas it shuts off on the 210 between TIG welds (which is one reason why I bought the 210 and not the 170). Cheers
Great machine. I have considered several times diving into TIG welding. But for the time being, it's just gonna be me and my flux core machine...maybe someday
Hi Craig, I've never got on with MIG (gas not flux-core) probably because the bottle was empty :-) but I thought what the heck it's now or never so let's just take the safety lock off my wallet and do it. Cheers.
Good choice of welder, you can weld with the cheapest of welders but they've used cheap parts that won't last long, have you done any gas welding in the past, if so this will give you a better idea of the process, unlike mig and arc where you can join two pieces of metal with pigeon droppings after a couple of weeks and grind it down and paint over it 😁 you have to master the art of tig welding and it can become very frustrating, i'm a retired welder of over 50 years and the one piece of advice i'd recommend to anyone starting out tig welding (it's the hardest of all to master) is do a course, some collages do 2 hours once a week for about 5 weeks, do a course that is dedicated just to tig, having someone telling you what you're doing wrong is worth weeks of struggling.
Hi hetrodoxly, I did a bit of gas many years ago and was not too bad at it on simple jobs. Yes TIG is proving to be frustrating. I'm creating a few vids called "Diary of a TIG welding beginner" and you will see just how much I don't know. Watching TIG vids did not prepare me even for the the very basics like reliably striking an arc or the strange buzzing noises. I think when we are past Covid and physical courses can run again a welding course may be a good idea. Cheers
@@HaxbyShed It's not easy is it, no mater how many times you have to sharpen your tungsten do it you'll not weld with a dirty one, and clean everything as much as possible, don't even think of trying to weld in AC.
Good video and thought process as to why to choose what. In a manner of speaking TIG is like an Electric version of OXY Welding or Brazing that can also be done using an Electric heat source. I think you will adapt to TIG Welding very quickly and enjoy the fine low heat work that can be done, Cheers from John, Australia.
PS: the unit I bought has A Plasma cut facility as well so 4 in one, runs from 240V/15A and it has shown to excellent for my needs.
Hi John, thanks. I don't know if I can get a Plasma torch for this one but I will research that. I've tried a bit of TIG on thin steel plate and I see the similarities with OXY - but I'm also learning that the torch handling is quite different and takes more care. Cheers
@@HaxbyShed The one I bought is all in the same machine, so it does 170 A Stick, 210 AC and DC Tig and 50 Amp Plasma. So up to 16 mm steel, not sure how thick in Stanless,Ally or other and came with 5 year warranty so I went that/this way. John.
@@joandar1 What was the make/model of your welder John? Apart from the plasma it sounds like the same spec as mine.
@@HaxbyShed I reasonably suspect it is an import from China and is named in the guise of TokenTools. He no longer sells these, however still supports service as well as consumables. I purchased from ebay and he is only 50 miles away so like yourself I went to a local supplier. Alusync215 if my spelling is correct and will add that I have two other friends that have the same machine and although I did not know that when I bought mine they are happy as well. I do apologise for my long winded response, however I thought it prudent to give you the best info. John.
Really useful, thanks!
You are welcome Skysurfer.
This welder is a capacitor banked welder with igbt power switching.
i had an old oxford oil cooled welder before i went over to rtech machines the plug used to get really hot when u pushed it a bit
Hi Secretsix, I remember those old oil-filled welders, Pickhill comes to mind for me.
Another excellent video
If I was in marketing at R-tech, I would be keeping an eye on your progress and possibly looking to link to your videos
Has to be worth a voucher or two ?
Hi Seamus, I have sent the video to R-Tech and they were kind enough to comment but no social medial superstar discount unfortunately :-(
Would it be possible to share the details of plug-in device you used to measure the input current and power factor. I'd be very interested to make some measurements in my own workshop, particularly the MMA/MIG welder and the rotary single to three phase converter on the Harrison 140. I looked at your video on tinkering with your VFD and wonder if I should bite the bullet and go in that direction. Is yours an Omron unit? Some details of that would also be very useful.
Hi Chris, my VFD on the H140 is an IMO Jaguar Cub 8A 1.5kW. It was quite expensive but there are much cheaper VFDs around that people say are ok. I bought a used Jaguar Cub 5A for my shaper for about £70 and that's fine too. They are made in the UK I believe (one of the few). I will have to check details of the plug in power meter and post that later when I get chance. Cheers
Chris, the plug-in meter says Globaltronics model GT-PM-04. It has an address for a German company. I think it was free from my energy supplier many years ago. But there are many similar devices on the internet - for about £20 in the UK. They are really designed to measure energy consumption against a tariff so they can tell you how much your appliance is costing to run. But it's handy for all sorts of things - especially the power factor measurement.
Get your self a piece of poster board paper with the power off and tig torch set up practice walking your cup, wrap a half round of torch cable on your forearm to support the weight of torch and cable. Set gas shield cup on paper and swing your hand and arm into little half C scallops back and forth in a forward direction until you get comfortable, When you get used to it it will look like evenly spaced waves, because the cup will leave a mark on the paper and it is cheap practice.
I did that with a friend that had no welding /machine experience and had him tig welding SS on a assembly he wanted in 30 minutes and it looked decent for a first time arc striker.
It will take you sometime learning to grind the electrodes and setting the stick-out of the electrodes, then your arc length , and how to stop your arc so you do not get fish-eyes when you stop (pin holes).
Have some fun it is all left to your imagination and welding sciences/engineering practices...do not doubt let me try this to learn techniques.
Hi mongomay1, it's still early days for me. Some things I've understood/absorbed and others I still need to get hold of. I've a bit of experience and insight into grinding, stick out, and gas flow now. I'm still not using the pedal and yep those pinholes/fisheyes are looking at me sometimes. I found that a longer downslope helps but I can't say that with any authority. I need to get back on the seat soon - the summer has been busy with outside jobs and other things. I'll buy or make up a basic welding table soon and I'm beginning to think about a rotator. Thanks for your help, it all goes in my head but I need that seat time to crystallise it. Cheers
@@HaxbyShed
yes practice makes us have brain and muscle memory.
Try turning the torch slightly sideways as you lift it out at the end of the weld. Using a foot pedal you just lower your amperage by lifting your foot as it cools you will see the eye close.
It's called argon because if you forget to turn it on you'll probably say, "argh."
Jim I've already discovered that one. Why is there a hole in my metal? Why is my tungsten cooked and blobby ? Opps. :-)
Set your self a 25 amp circuit 120 volts or 240 volts with appropriate wiring size dedicated to the welder.
Hiya mongomay1, it's now on 16A wall socket and 16A mini circuit breaker 'B rated'. It's fine at the welding currents I've used up to now but occasionally it can trip the MCB when I power up, with the initial surge I guess with all those capacitors. If that becomes a nuisance tripping on power up my next step would be to go to 16A C rated MCB (slower trip). The wiring to the socket is 4mm2 so I could uprate to a 32A socket sometime in the future if needed without rewiring. I'll monitor over time. The reason I did not go straight to a 32A socket and 25A MCB is I have other items that need a 16A socket and I wanted to share it (i.e. not have one just dedicated to the welder). Cheers
@@HaxbyShed
run the 32A and put a small double breaker sub panel with 16mcb stub out your existing 16A on one side and a 32A outlet on the other, just do not use both outlets at the same time. This is a legal option basically it is a cb branch panel.
@@mongomay1 ah yes I've seen those branch panels/boxes with MCBs included with a 32A in and 2x16A out but I take your point about not using a 32A output and 16A output at the same time, if that's how it's configured. Cheers
First of all if you are to present your new welder to the world you should start with its specs and price,. namely Amperage plus and duty cycle. You gave the first one but not the second one, the duty cycle. Like every body around you probably have been scammed by these people. Most machines like yours are sold at 200 A capacity and 20% duty cycle. In reality they are 150 A machines and around 10% duty. Which means that on a 10 minutes welding cycle the machine will shut off in just over a minute if you set the amps around 150. Why is that a problem? First you cant weld any aluminium over 1/8 with 150 amps. too cold. You would need at least 250 to 300 amps. So good by al. Since you are a machinist, and not an auto body repair guy, you will use it on thick steel pieces for resurfacing, cast iron repair, etc.. Again not enough amps, not enough duty cycle. Get yourself a DC amp meter, max your machine and film while you weld. You will feel stupid to say the least. You should have asked the people who watch your vides to give our input on how to select the proper equipment. Lucky for you, you are still young enough to make mistakes.
Hi Bernard, thanks for highlighting these points. I did a lot of research before buying and I spotted many "high current, low duty cycle" models, as you say. The R-Tech welder specs looked good and I watched a number of reviews by people I trust, so I went for it. It cost me £1560 including the trolley, pedal, torch, regulator, delivery and tax, and that's with a no-quibble 3- year warranty (they collect). The max welding currents are 210A for TIG and 160A for stick. The duty cycle is 60% at max currents. I had a number of queries after I bought the welder and I found the customer service to be excellent. I use my hobby welder only occasionally and I have not tested the max currents yet so only time will tell if I made the right choice. Right now I don't have the TIG skills or projects yet to stress it much, but I will do in time. Cheers
@@HaxbyShed Thank you for your answer. You need to stress the machine asap before warranties issues. The total amp capacity should be identical whatever the process. You will need a DC amp meter, run the machine as long as you can by taking note of your welding time in order to verify if the duty cycle is correct. If the machine trips before the 6 minutes shut off time you have been lied to. If the machine cannot deliver the 210 A your meter will tell you then again you have been lied to. For stick you can get extra long electrodes that shorten the time to reload. For Tig I would advise to run beads with the biggest tungsten your torch can handle without using an electrode and keep track of your time. The discrepancy between both process seems suspicious but I may be wrong. If you find out that you paid what you paid and the output and duty cycle are not in par with what you were told, then you paid way too much. 60% is pretty good even for professional use. Happy new year! Bernard