>>2867110
>start from top to bottom instead of from the bottom to top
vertical down is retarded nigger welding with the exception of xcountry pipeline>>2851187
Tank policies (they are not "laws") vary. It's perfectly legal to have the big 'uns but getting them filled can be interesting. I own a pile of ex-Navy cylinders with blank neck rings and the local Airgas reliably loses cylinders so I was given marked cylinders in return. Not an issue and
subsequent fills are no problem.>>2852492

>>2852492
Know what company neck ring names you can exchange as the gas business consolidated steadily over the past century. Then you can hunt used good cylinders to exchange and no longer need the leased cylinder after you expend the contents.

>>2852649
>get a primeweld 125 tank off amazon

Best to buy used cylinders and exchange them rather than buy new and attempt to. Saves heaps of money over time. Used cylinders make having spare and different gas trivial. I have ~20 cylinders of oxygen, acetylene, argon, CO2 vapor withdrawal (not just for welding, I use them the way off-roaders use their expensive "power tanks"), nitrogen (to pressure test vehicle HVAC) and LP (for preheating with a weed burner, flame stripping and oxy-LP cutting). I got most of my cylinders for what the remaining fill was worth.

>>2853479
Why do people refuse to look up facts and prefer their uninformed emotions? The lens blocks UV even when not darkened.

>>2854292
>tism kept me thinking off all the knobs and repeatability

Easy way to copy knob settings is taking a pic with your phone so I do.>>2867542
>nitrogen (to pressure test vehicle HVAC)
Get a HPA paintball compressor and a few HPA tanks. They're dirt cheap now.What is considered the BIFL (Buy It For Life) TIG welder? K'now like the best of the best or whatever.>>2867595
I've heard people rave about Miller Syncrowave tig welders...

I have a Hobart 165i that has done everything I need it to do. I'll admit I don't do much tig welding though. If I can stick weld it outside I do that first. If I can mig weld it at the farm shop I'll do that 2nd, If I can braze it, I'll do that third, and then finally if I have to tig weld it I will do that.>>2867597
Oh and This Ol Tony runs a HTP welder. Looks like it has all the bells and whistles.>>2867595
inverter welders are not going to last a lifetime. just a fact of life now. you can buy 6 primeweld 325s and coolers for the price of a dynasty so unless you need ultra refined ac wave patterns for aluminum oddities (you dont), youre way ahead even if they only last sub 10 years>>2867601
>inverter welders are not going to last a lifetime. just a fact of life now.

I honestly don't know much about inverter welders. What goes bad on them? Just caps and shit, or fried boards? I know transformer machines just keep chugging along because they are big, heavy and chonky, and there's not much to go wrong really.>>2867638
>What goes bad on them?

Barring one-off design/spec issues, or corrosion and debris infiltration? Same thing that goes wrong with every power electronics assembly: Anything that generates heat. Which, in power electronics, is basically every component that directly handles input/output current.

It really is pretty fucking easy to design electronics that last basically forever. You just over spec everything and ensure things are as protected from dust and dirt as possible. The obvious problem with that is that it's just way, WAY too tempting for a company to make the number on the box bigger than the competition. Why shouldn't they? If every part of the power stage can technically handle 200A for 5 minutes, why would you put the final spec on the machine at 120A, even if that means it's effectively bulletproof and can work at 100% of its rating indefinitely? All the average buyer is going to look at is the number on the box and buy the largest they can get in their price range.

An inverter welder that never sees above like 60% of its maximum rating should basically last forever, with electrolytic capacitors being the obvious failing point. Though, as their lifetime is more heavily impacted by heat than any other component, those, too, should last a very long time with conservative use.

Additionally, the additional cost of breaking up the PCBs into smaller, easily-replaced/repaired units is fairly trivial. Of course, this means that you don't have to buy an entire new machine when your current one fails and the company now has to stock and keep track of spare parts, so this is rarely done. It's more common on more expensive equipment, but it's still an infuriatingly rare practice even on something like a $2,000 - $3,000 welder.>>2867638
no reason to be scared of them. it was the best thing that ever happened to welders. nearly infinite arc control and adjustment. low input current and standby power use. and best of all theyre now a small and light box you can easily move around to random jobs. instead of being the size of a refrigerator now a 400a power supply is now the size of a lunch cooler and under 100 lbs. ac tig adjustment also blows old transformer machines out of the water. being able to adjustment the frequency is a game changer and old style line current sinewave is not nearly as effective as square or modified waverform for varying the puddle and penetration>>2867109
>>2867150
Any recommendations on what welder model to get?>>2867150
>There are good Chinese welders believe it or not, and there are also dog shit dangerous chinese welders.
>>2867932
>Any recommendations on what welder model to get?
seconding this. I've seen yt boomers using and recommending something like this https://eur.vevor.com/mig-welder-c_10053/vevor-mig-welder-250-amp-mig-tig-arc-welder-3-in-1-welder-welding-machine-220v-tig-welder-lift-arc-welder-mma-stick-igbt-dc-inverter-welder-digital-display-combo-welding-machine-p_010115724243 (e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiHtmfqFtWc) but I don't know shit about welders

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Post your welds, ask questions and discuss sticking metals together.
IDK I just want a place to talk about welding.