What kind of welder are most builders using?

[S B B T]

I do a lot of little welding jobs like filling in numbers on top covers and closeout plates on Maxim restorations and that type of stuff. I've used a Miller EconoTig for some time and find it to be very good at this type of work, the foot pedal controller is very easy to use. It will also in a pinch do pretty big stuff too, you just take your time with it. The last little job I did with it yesterday was to weld up the ugly safety holes on a Tokarev pistol to make it look like it did when it was made in 1952. After parking, you can not tell it ever had that butched up safety. It's also been used to weld up semi MG 42's, PPsH 41's and PPS 43's. It's just a nice little welder. I've done a 51, a 53 pistol, and 4 91 clones with it and have been very happy with the results.

[bridgeport]

The Diversion 165 sounds interesting, with a range from about 10 amps to 165. I have never even seen one, but the literature sounds good. I use dynasty units which give an amperage range from about 5 amps up depending on the unit... 200, 350, 700.
For HK stuff you do not need a water cooled torch. For thin sheet metal you dont need a very large tungsten.... 1/16th does just fine for thin stuff.... I have used an .040 tungsten for instance just because it was already in the torch. Doing nice TIG work takes practice and a good understanding of weld technique. You need to weld the edges of the plate together, site base to the receiver, and of course the trunnion .....all relatively easy for an experienced hand, but quite difficult for a novice.

[wespritts]

We found a SUPER deal on a Miller Econotig... has any one used one of these? we are hoping it will do the real fine/small stuff...

[bridgeport]

Econotig units are a good choice for basic TIG stuff. I think they have a low output of 30 amps DC which should be no problem for welding HK type stuff with the right size tungsten. I prefer units that go down to 1 or 5 amp DC output for fine work on thin sheet
and just the control it gives with that output level. Be sure to test the unit on some scrap of the size you intend to weld to see if you and machine work well together. Regardless of the price, you do want to make sure the machine will do what you want . The Econotig will also do AC for aluminum welding and that is a nice feature.

[wespritts]

Does any one know anything about this? RAND Powerweld M1000 TIG/Stick welder?? I can't find much about it but they are selling on ebay pretty cheep... to good to be true or ok for a little bit of hobby welding. thats the question: http://cgi.ebay.com/Rand-TIG-Stick-W...item5d28299f19