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Post by joanlluch on Apr 27, 2018 7:41:08 GMT
Joan, tell us the price please, best wishes Jem It's ridiculously expensive Jem. There's no way the components or the technology in it could justify the cost. You can buy a small new car such as a Ford Fiesta or Renault Twingo for the price of just their cheapest welder. Joan
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Post by ettingtonliam on Apr 27, 2018 8:49:29 GMT
Joan Are the ones on the various links to ebay at about £150 something entirely different then? I might have a go risking £150, but not £15,000!
Richard
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Post by joanlluch on Apr 27, 2018 10:40:46 GMT
Joan Are the ones on the various links to ebay at about £150 something entirely different then? I might have a go risking £150, but not £15,000! Richard Well, Ford Fiestas seem to be slightly cheaper in my Country (actually about 12,000 EUR), but still that's totally shocking to be honest. A normal local bought small tig welder from a recognised brand, with proper technical service, full and fast delivery of spare parts, with everything included but the Argon bottle, can be around 300 or 500 EUR maximum. I would have expected that the micro-spot welder, considering it's a new/niche technology, would cost more, up to 1.5x times or even 2x that amount. But it's about 25x times that amount!. So to be honest, I'm not sure what's in it to justify that. They mentioned "laser" welding for several times as an alternative technology. I think they position their micro-tig welder as an alternative to "laser" welding at a cheaper price. From that perspective, prices may not look that high because apparently "laser" welding technology is really expensive. I suppose they are taking advantage of that, and that's possibly the only reason for the price. About the ones at 130 GBP or 150 EUR, such as in the video posted by Pete (doubletop), I can see the following differences on the one that was shown to me. - Argon is used to flush air around the welding area, in the same way as a normal tig welder, and for the same exact reasons. This allows for performing proper welds. - A stereo microscope is used to perform the weld. The microscope incorporates a synchronised shutter to prevent UV radiation reaching your eyes. - The welding tip quickly and automatically retracts by means of an electromagnet upon performing the weld spot. This is apparently crucial and part of the technology. - There's a safety feed pedal that must be pressed all the time for the welder to work. (said that, the operator that performed the demo had it electrically bridged so it was not required to weld, go figure) - Some cosmetic elements such as digital displays and buttons to select power (%) and arc discharge time (ms), as well as the possibility to store settings in up to 9 memory programs, makes operation more intuitive and practical. Other than that I can't see anything that would justify a price which is 100x times the Chinese one. I would be ready to pay up to 1000 EUR for that, but more than that is totally ridiculous in my book based on what I was able to see. Joan
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Post by doubletop on Apr 29, 2018 9:53:36 GMT
Before going off and buying the cheap Chinese kit that I found please be aware I have no idea whether it is similar to the unit used in Joan's original post or not. However, if anybody wants to buy one and ty it I'm sure we'd all be keen to hear about the results I’d guess the 400W version would be more appropriate for our needs than the 200w
Pete
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jools
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Post by jools on May 1, 2018 23:08:34 GMT
I will consider it on my future shopping list..............now, if I hadn't purchased that Gibson acoustic guitar last night from the USA.............
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barlowworks
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Post by barlowworks on May 2, 2018 7:13:51 GMT
Well, I've gone and done it. 400 watt unit with argon feed from Germany, from that well known auction site. Its my birthday coming up and our Gert said you might as well have something you want. No need for a second telling. I'll take some photos when it comes and let you know how I get on. Just need to organise an Argon bottle. It should also do for its big brother sat under the bench waiting its turn.
Mike
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Post by joanlluch on May 2, 2018 21:08:10 GMT
Well, I've gone and done it. 400 watt unit with argon feed from Germany, from that well known auction site. Its my birthday coming up and our Gert said you might as well have something you want. No need for a second telling. I'll take some photos when it comes and let you know how I get on. Just need to organise an Argon bottle. It should also do for its big brother sat under the bench waiting its turn. Mike Hi Mike, Please can you be more specific about the exact item you purchased (an ebay link, maybe?). I'm certainly following this with interest. Joan
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barlowworks
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Now finished my other projects, Britannia here I come
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Post by barlowworks on May 2, 2018 21:40:40 GMT
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Post by joanlluch on May 2, 2018 22:09:47 GMT
Thank you very much. I somehow suspected it was that one. It's apparently available from several sources. I believe this one uses a pedal to switch power on and off, (i.e. pulse duration is not automatic) so you probably have to acquire some practice to get the best results. Still, at this price it's an excellent value for money, and possibly more than enough for our needs. Please keep us updated! Joan
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2018 22:14:28 GMT
That looks an interesting unit Mike, it seems to be able to weld most metals including brass alloys although it does say 'within limitations....very interesting Pete
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jools
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Post by jools on May 5, 2018 2:53:34 GMT
I'm also keen to hear how you get on with it Mike
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Post by 92220 on May 5, 2018 7:31:47 GMT
I'm also interested in how you get on with it Mike. What do you do about eye protection?
Bob.
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barlowworks
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Post by barlowworks on May 5, 2018 8:35:45 GMT
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jackrae
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Post by jackrae on May 5, 2018 19:44:10 GMT
Assuming it works then its main problem is that it offers no UV protection to the rest of your face and neck. Edit : But if the actual arc time is only very short duration as against normal welding with a continuous arc then it may not be a problem.
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Post by 92220 on May 6, 2018 7:41:01 GMT
Thanks Mike.
These welders are getting more and more appealing!!
Bob.
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waggy
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Post by waggy on May 9, 2018 10:00:40 GMT
Good morning Mike (Barlowworks),
Please keep us informed of progress, it's very tempting! I have a larger TIG set but the current far too high for this kind of work.
Good luck,
Waggy.
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barlowworks
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Post by barlowworks on May 9, 2018 17:53:26 GMT
Hi everybody.
A big box arrived via DHL today from Germany. I've not had a look yet (still doing the gardening I'm told I enjoy so much 😏). I'll do a proper unboxing after the Doncaster show on Friday. I also bought a pair of the self dimming goggles for about £8 to see what they are like. Watch this space.
Mike
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barlowworks
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Post by barlowworks on May 14, 2018 20:20:33 GMT
Hi everybody Finally the un-boxing. This is the front of the unit. IMG_2215 by Michael Cawthorne, on Flickr The rear has the plug input (plug and 3 pin adapter provided) and the argon input. These are the instructions in wonderful Chinenglish. Img_2220 crop by Michael Cawthorne, on Flickr The foot switch. IMG_2222 by Michael Cawthorne, on Flickr The welding gun. The rear unscrews for access to the tungsten electrode and the clamping mechanism. Note the small tube for the argon feed. IMG_2224 by Michael Cawthorne, on Flickr The earthing tweezers. IMG_2226 by Michael Cawthorne, on Flickr This is a hands free device to free up both hands. IMG_2227 by Michael Cawthorne, on Flickr These are the auto dimming glasses I bought. They appear to work o.k.,noticeably dimming until after the arc had gone. They also come with an elasticated strap to fit like goggles. I thought they were worth a punt at just under £8.00. IMG_2233 by Michael Cawthorne, on Flickr After un-boxing I had a play for about a half an hour. This is a piece of scrap nickel silver I used as a test piece. I found that the tungsten tip really needed to be touching the material to form the arc and be touching the two surfaces to bridge the gap. I also found that sometimes the arc formed on the tweezers not the tip ( the best weld I managed was the tips of the tweezers welded together). The tungsten tip also soon became contaminated but cleaned up o.k. with a grinding disc in the mini drill. Once welded up in 3 or 4 places it seems to be held securely enough to be silver soldered which was one of the reasons for buying the unit. I never did summon enough courage to try it in my fingers. . Img_2236 crop by Michael Cawthorne, on Flickr I did have a try on some steel but with little success. The current may need upping a bit and I think the argon gas would help as the welds were quite smokey. Also the steel I tried was quite thick (a couple of old washers). I think the next practice will have to be with some thin sheet steel to see how I would get on if I was fabricating something. Things I have found out so far are don't weld on a sheet of steel, it does weird things to the grounding. It worked far better once I started to weld on a fire brick. Also, make up an earthing lead with a crocodile clip, the tweezers are a pain to use. All the above may be mistakes made by a newbie, after all this is my first try at any kind of welding. I think there is still a lot of practicing and learning to do, especially with its use on steel and also using filler rods on various materials. Also a better hands free gadget similar to a dial test indicator holder might be handy. I'll keep you updated when I've made a bit more progress. Mike
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jools
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Post by jools on May 16, 2018 2:18:44 GMT
Nice initial report Mike. As you say, early days.
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uuu
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Post by uuu on May 16, 2018 5:55:49 GMT
I like the suggestion in the instructions you can weld without electricity.
Wilf
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