by LikkerSheWillLoveIt » Mon Apr 12, 2021 10:27 am
I weld most of my stainless between 27 and 50 amps, if I’m welding really thin (0.9mm) I’ll go lower, but not many people weld that thin. For doing a boiler I would probably set and forget around 45amps, but I’ve been fabricating for 15 years, so I don’t really need to change my welder settings around that much, I just move my hands faster or slower.
You aren’t going to need to worry about duty cycle. My little unimig has never shut down due to duty cycle, that basically means the machine needs to cool down, I’ve only ever had one welder shut down on me due to duty cycle (Kemppi 200amp AC) and I was begging for it to shut down because I was ready for a break. A home hobbyist will never push modern TIG welder to shut down from duty cycle, ever!
I would go to a brand known to make welders. The cheap ones UniMig, WIA, CIG and BOC all make a good entry level machine that will see you happily welding stainless, mild steel and brazing copper for years to come. I am not a fan of multi process machines, if one thing fails, you need to replace everything.
Sure, you can go and spend money on more expensive brands like Kemppi or Fronius, but you will be wasting your money.
Helmets. I have 2 Miller Elite helmets, worth over $450 each. I don’t use them, I much prefer the $200 WeldClass helmet from tradetools. It has a much truer colour and a big screen. The head harness isn’t as comfortable as the Miller, but even wearing it hours a day, it’s not uncomfortable.
Unimig now have a range of clear Pyrex cups, once you use them you won’t go back to pink ceramics.
Tungsten, 2% Thoriated (red) for stainless. Much more stable at lower amps. I’d be going to 1.6mm and 2.4mm. I probably weld with 2.4mm more though.
Gas. Your cheapest option, unless you want to open a BOC account is to go to Bunnings, outlay $300, and walk away with an argon bottle that you don’t need to pay rental on the bottle, it will cost you $99 to exchange your bottle, and you get your $200 deposit back (if you keep your original receipt) when you decide you don’t want a bottle of argon anymore. The best thing about this is I can get Argon and 5:00pm on a Saturday, can’t do that at BOC or a welding shop.
Stainless steel filler wire is bloody expensive $30+ a kilo, a kilo will last a very very long time. Don’t buy a 5kg tube, and you want 316L filler.
I’m pretty sure that is everything