The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest My New TIG

Just bought this Miller econotig today. Bought from original owner's son. Owner ran a home shop autobody and bought it new 10 years ago. His dad passed 7 years ago. Hasn't been touched since. Son says his dad didn't know how to use it but had a friend come over to do any TIG work. Said it was barely used and it looks like he's telling the truth.
I think I got a good deal. Found it on CL. LINK to many PICs

Jay, good sharp eyes my friend. Another toy to play with.............what did you buy Ruth??? LOL

Well I ran the serial number on the Miller website. Looks like seller was wrong about the age of this welder. Looks like 22 years old. Still, from appearances it's hardly ever been used.

I'm using an old Lincoln that is over 30 years old, Jay, and it still works great. Hope you have as good of luck!

Alvin, You know how to TIG weld?

I've got a Miller 300 amp AC/DC/TIG machine stashed away in storage, waiting for the shop to get wired well enough to put it to use. It's got the pump and reservoir for self-contained water cooling and a foot pedal current control. That one should be fun to use. The boom pole on the tractor can just barely lift the machine!
Jerry

I have no idea how to use TIG but the YouTube videos look fun.

Lug,

One thing that makes tig a little easier is substituting gas lenses in place of the ceramic cups. I especially noticed the difference when welding aluminum. Another thing that really helped me was taking a welding class at a local community college. I had learned tig about 40 years prior but then didn't do any because I didn't have a tig machine until recently. The instructor let me skip all the other class materials and go straight to tig.

Lugzy, I have that same model and it is a nice unit. I taught myself how to use it. The internet is your friend. MIG is built for speed. TIG is built for precision.
I feel like I can make Anything with that machine. The best part is no splatter. You need steady hands, and getting into a comfortable and steady position is necessary.
The foot pedal action is very important and takes some practice to get good at it.
Swing on by one day and I'll give you some free lessons.

Gave it a try this weekend. Regulator started leaking badly. Also, a buzzer goes off sometimes. I think maybe the electrode might have a loose connection. We made a few short passes before stopping. I'll get a new regulator and see what I can learn about the electrode.

Lugnutz,

If that regulator is anything like my Victor single stage oxygen and acetylene regulators, what fails is the diaphragm. It's a simple, inexpensive part that cannot be installed incorrectly. The trick is finding a welding supply store that is willing to sell diaphragms. They like the big fees for installing them.

I ordered a Gentec regulator from eBay. I like the flow meter style like I have on my MIG. I have a 1965 era Rockwell floor model drill press to reassemble, a gas air compressor to get running, a shop that needs walls put up so I can have power, a lot of sheet metal to put back on my 1965, and the list goes on . . . . . . I'll rebuild the next regulator! LOL!!!

You sure the buzzer isn't the high freq start?

I talked to a Miller tech. He said the contactor usually makes a buzzing noise but it will still make an arc. New regulator arrived today, so I'll check it again to see if it still makes the noise.

Just tested the TIG. It will not produce an arc if there is any contamination on the tip of the electrode. That is the problem I was experiencing. Pretty sure the machine works fine. Only had 400 of gas in the tank and I ran out of gas experimenting. Seems to work ok. I'll post some photos once I get more argon. I did weld some with it though. I'm making a stand for one of my bench vises.

When I have issues with starting an arc (usually from a less-than-spotless electrode), I find that touching the feed wire on the metal near the location of where I aim the electrode will start the arc. Static electricity is what makes this work, I think.
400 PSI is plenty of argon to weld with. What do you have the regulator set at? 15 to 18 PSI is what I use for aluminum. Less than 15 and it wont start arcing. More than 18 just wastes argon.
With a unit with as much age on it as yours may have a leak somewhere in the argon delivery (fittings, hose). When this happens you will be able to make all of the heat and noise of welding, but nothing will stick together (especially with aluminum).
Carl

I'm not welding any aluminum. I'm only welding mild steel. The buzzing noise only happens if my electrode is a little dirty or contaminated. I figured that part out today and it works fine now.

sorry to say but drag the tungsten on the work without the footpedal or tungsten hot. Or a fine sandpaper. The tungsten gets coated from the hf over time.

Can you explain what you mean by "hf"?

When I grind the tungsten to a point, I found out that it's very important for my grinding wheel to be COMPLETELY free of any contaminants. I need to get a dedicated grinding wheel for just grinding the tungsten.

If you use High Frequency for a start mode it will put a coating on the tungsten and after a while it will not start Just drag it on the work and it will be good for more starts Or sharpen the tungsten. I preferred a long point on mine but some people dont like that. The long point gave me more pinpoint heat needed when doing x-ray welds on pipe. It was also easier to weld with it if you goobered it up Lol

Put the tungsten in a drill and spin it on a dedicated grinding wheel A side grinder in a vise with a new pad works also

I have a stick and a mig, always wanted to learn Tig. One of these days. Congrats on the new toy. :-)