first off, my memory is less usefull than a screen door on a submarine. backlash, your correct, it is a diversion. so much going on this past 3 weeks, im lucky to remember to put on my glasses in the morning, and theres been a few days i didn't even do that.
no worries backlash, i'm open to advice tips tricks from ALL points of view.
my unit does not have the foot pedal but for $550 and a pistol, i figure i can pop for a foot control. my cousin has a fancy hi dollar unit, i've run his foot pedal for him while he was inside the cage on his mud dragster welding chromoly. its DEFINATELY on the to get list. i know it will not arrive before i leave but it will be shipped to me in a few weeks.
on the tungston, i have 5 pieces of each plus whatever was in the torch when i bought it. best i can remember, i believe they are 3/32 diameter. could well be wrong though, my buddy at the weldin shop came out, took a look at it, and got me what i needed. its all wrapped up in my crate im dropping off in the morning at the cargo terminal in atlanta ga. if i have time, i'll look into a different sizes. is there a rule of thumb, larger tungsten, for heavier material?
i'm about a hour out of the 2nd largest city (500k population) on the island. I have seen 2 gas stores , with a TON of cylinders out front. I assume they will have straight argon for tig. don't have their number or i'd verify. got a buddy over there looking into it for pricing though.
yes, i understand about cool down. i always let the mig and the old Lincoln 225 stick unit cool down before turning them off. i'm old school too, ABSOLUTELY DO NOT adjust heat range while any of them are powered up. been told MANY times over the years by younger guys i know, some of whom have actually taken welding class and they were never taught that. beats me if it will hurt them or not now days, but as fat as i am, i need the exercise so ill continue that old habit. the miller is a *on demand fan*. so i will just keep up my habit of leaving them turned on after im done for a while.
duty cycle, i've been blessed or slacking, you decide which. i've never had one shut down because of thermal overload. i think i'm slacking to have never hit the limit, or maybe i'm doing all my welding properly. who knows?
mine does not have the dinse connectors. here is what mine looks like. i unscreded the outside, it appears to be a sandwich nut to hold the torch cable/hose/wires in the case. i assume it is all screwed/bolted solid inside.
http://image.customclassictrucks.com...ng_machine.jpg
thanks for the tip on using a grinder on the tungsten. i'll definitely keep it in mind.
Anybody else? Like to hear from any/everybody.
Thanks a million.
Louie