-
Spring 2024 meetup in Calgary - date Saturday, April 20/2024. discussion Please RSVP Here to confirm and get your invitation and the location details. RSVP NOW so organizers can plan to get sufficient food etc. One week to go! More info and agenda
-
We are having email/registration problems again. Diagnosis is underway. New users sorry if you are having trouble getting registered. We are exploring different options to get registered. Contact the forum via another member or on facebook if you're stuck. Update -> we think it is fixed. Let us know if not.
Bought a TIG
- Thread starter DavidR8
- Start date
I'm still very much in learner mode but am making progress. Definitely helped when I switched torch hand!
SimonM
Active Member
I bought a Primeweld this spring as well. Love it and how you can control your weld vs Mig welding.
My biggest issue has been fillet welds in aluminum. I solved that with an 8’ chunk of 4”x1/8” flat bar that I cut in coupons.
Switching hands for better welds is a catch 22, we all weld better with one hand but with Tig, there will always be a time when you use the other one unlike stick or mig.
My biggest issue has been fillet welds in aluminum. I solved that with an 8’ chunk of 4”x1/8” flat bar that I cut in coupons.
Switching hands for better welds is a catch 22, we all weld better with one hand but with Tig, there will always be a time when you use the other one unlike stick or mig.
Absolutely agree on being ambidextrous. I’m practicing using both but feeding with my right hand is definitely better than with my left hand.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Downwindtracker2
Well-Known Member
TIG welding for me is a pat your head and rub your tummy coordination thing. I find gas welding a little harder, even.
Hey @David_R8, I finally got my hands on a PrimeWeld machine and wired my garage up with 240v. I haven't used it yet and just turned it on but I notice that the fan is fairly loud. It's on par or louder than my 60fb air compressor. Is yours the same and just to be expected? Of course this is my first machine and just want to make sure I didn't get a lemon and this is normal. Hope your TIG adventures have been going well!
Awesome news!
Yup mine is the same. Funny thing is that the fan in my Millermatic MIG 130 is always on too and about the same volume and I never noticed it.
It would be nice if it came on when needed but honestly I barely notice it now.
Tom Kitta
Ultra Member
Fan in my TIG is lauder then in my stick - with stick having 2x the power. More expensive welders have variable speed fan or a fan that is not the cheapest you can get per unit of air flow. It seems cooling is where the cuts are made.
Not as laud as my compressor but close. Like a small jet taking off.
Not as laud as my compressor but close. Like a small jet taking off.
Interesting. According to link 68dB. I thought I read a review once where they measured black, red, blue & green & the were all similar. Hadn't realized that.
Yes. Always ON. 2 X 150mm fans on the back. DB measured at 1 meter (3Ft) 68 DB from the front of the welder. Definitely you know it is running but you can hold a conversation without yelling.
https://www.amazon.com/ask/questions/Tx1VGGSU796BFYS/ref=ask_ql_ql_al_hza
Yes. Always ON. 2 X 150mm fans on the back. DB measured at 1 meter (3Ft) 68 DB from the front of the welder. Definitely you know it is running but you can hold a conversation without yelling.
https://www.amazon.com/ask/questions/Tx1VGGSU796BFYS/ref=ask_ql_ql_al_hza
I've only once in 10 yrs. had the fan in my Millermatic 252 kick in. I was welding a bunch of 1/4" tubing and I didn't know what it was when it came on.
Scared the flux out of me.
No, not at all. It really comes down to amps and machine size. A MIG 252 is a much bigger machine and more industrial than a smaller TIG. Bigger components don't heat up as fast. And because I rarely run mine at close to full power or long enough, the fan almost never needs to kick in. But a smaller machine will heat up faster at even 30% of max power, thus the fan kicks it sooner and more often.
Last edited:
Additionally, because of the increased electronics in inverter based machines (such as smaller TIGs), the fans either kick in sooner, longer, or are always on. This is compared to a large transformer-based TIG machine such as a Miller SyncroWave 200. Actually, the fan in my SyncroWave is quieter than my big MIG.
The price and offerings of this package was well worth it and I wouldn't have changed the decision based on db alone. Having said that, the DB does bother me and this is why I have a relatively quiet air compressor and also motorcycle helmet that perform better in high wind speeds. Eventually I will look into replacing the fans or hope there's someone that will post on Youtube how to do it. I would have spent an extra $50 easily if came quieter!
I did see a post somewhere by a guy who made the fans operate on demand.
I’ll find it and post it.
Glad you are happy with it. Before looking at changing out the fans, investigate the baffle first. A big part of fan noise is the baffle on the case designed to protect your fingers. I learned that years ago with a modem. Otherwise you risk buying new fans and having the same issue.
Dabbler
ersatz engineer
My experience is the same as @CalgaryPT - My Miller MIG fan has come on once in 20 years; in my big Miller TIG, the fan has never come on. The 'EconoTIG' as it is called is an old-school transformer type.
Although these old machines are workhorses that will outlast me, they lack things like pre-flow, pulse, AC balance, and other things that guys expect today. It takes a lot of work to get a nice weld from them.
The welder that @CalgaryPT has is about 15 years newer than mine, and has some sweet features. The newer inverter welders are very sweet, but the fan noise is what you pay for all those features!
Although these old machines are workhorses that will outlast me, they lack things like pre-flow, pulse, AC balance, and other things that guys expect today. It takes a lot of work to get a nice weld from them.
The welder that @CalgaryPT has is about 15 years newer than mine, and has some sweet features. The newer inverter welders are very sweet, but the fan noise is what you pay for all those features!
Downwindtracker2
Well-Known Member
At my age my hearing isn't too sensitive. So any comments on loudness have to be taken with that. My KMS Magnum TIG has thermostat controlled fan. It does kick on but isn't annoying. It runs after shutdown for awhile.