Forced Induction Section Fabrication Thread

[5mall5nail5]

Nah not $1000, but more like $1300 ish

[Def]

The Eastwood Tig and Plasma cutter were either $899 or $999 shipped together when they first came out, but it didn't take long for them to raise the price on the welder after it got decent reviews.


IMO, it's overpriced for a MOSFET machine at its current price.

[NY98M3]

subscribed...

What are you guys using to polish the stainless piping?

[RobertFontaine]

Is anyone using CFRP for their manifolds? Is this practical?

[5mall5nail5]

Not my best welds as this material was a bit thicker than I would have preferred on 110v, but it's glued together.


Antenna Mount by Jon Kensy, on Flickr


Antenna Mount by Jon Kensy, on Flickr

[JackEatsEmoKids]

Some stuff from my car, using a Miller Diversion 165 and sorry for some of pics being so large.





















Welded





Fuel rail stuff


welded








NO filler

[5mall5nail5]

^^^ pics are huge man

Also, schedule dump tube? Heavy!

[Orac]

The price of the Eastwood stuff is tempting and there is probably better quality control than some of the other Chinese tigs, but what do you do after 3 years if something breaks? Or 5 or 10 years? With a Miller or Lincoln, it can be fixed.

When it first came out, I think Eastwood was selling the tig with the plasma cutter for $1000.

The chinese stuff is all very much the same, and easy to repair most times with parts from your local electronic shop.

Sure your miller or lincoln can be fixed after 5 or 10 years, but soon as it is out of its warranty period it is probably not worth fixing - replacement boards cost just as much as a new machine.

[DUDMD]

Some stuff from my car, using a Miller Diversion 165 and sorry for some of pics being so large.

Your aluminum welds pretty nice.

But yeah, that sch10 dump tube isn't something I would recommend, but if you don't have 16-18 gauge in stock, use what works as long as it functions properly.

The chinese stuff is all very much the same, and easy to repair most times with parts from your local electronic shop.

Sure your miller or lincoln can be fixed after 5 or 10 years, but soon as it is out of its warranty period it is probably not worth fixing - replacement boards cost just as much as a new machine.

Just like with anything else in life, do it on the cheap to save money, and you'll end up spending more in the long run.

[tinkwithanr]

While replacing a control board might cost more than the machine is worth, chinese or Miller or Lincoln, that's also ignoring the fact that the chinese machine probably has a much higher likelyhood of failing or breaking. They are cheaper for a reason.

I have a Hobart 220V MIG (200 amps) and a Lincoln Sqaurewave 175 TIG. So far they have been able to handle anything I've needed to weld. I was able to pick up the Squarewave with a cart, extra helmet, consumables and full size tank for under a grand locally off craigslist. It may be worth looking on there if your in the market.

[Def]

Yea, just look at how many DOA threads there are on import machines. That's by far the most common "review" thread you can find on them. Even if it's done during shipping, that doesn't bode well for long term reliability if a large percentage of units can't take shipping in the original box.

Then you get the joy of having to ship it there and back to the one service center in the US when something breaks... on your dime. Then you get to deal with the shipping company's insurance when it breaks - good luck with that.


Once I found out all those "glossed over" details - it was enough to make me stop shopping import machines.

[5mall5nail5]

Yea, just look at how many DOA threads there are on import machines. That's by far the most common "review" thread you can find on them. Even if it's done during shipping, that doesn't bode well for long term reliability if a large percentage of units can't take shipping in the original box.

Then you get the joy of having to ship it there and back to the one service center in the US when something breaks... on your dime. Then you get to deal with the shipping company's insurance when it breaks - good luck with that.


Once I found out all those "glossed over" details - it was enough to make me stop shopping import machines.

Yep.

The only reason I was originally considering the Eastwood unit is because Eastwood is about an hour from my house.

[JackEatsEmoKids]

^^^ pics are huge man

Also, schedule dump tube? Heavy!

Yea its all I had at the time. The wastegate is braced to the trans anyways. I'll fix it when I have some time and normal tubing.

Your aluminum welds pretty nice.

But yeah, that sch10 dump tube isn't something I would recommend, but if you don't have 16-18 gauge in stock, use what works as long as it functions properly.

Thanks, yea its all I had at the time. I'll order some regular tubing soon.

[1980corvette]

While replacing a control board might cost more than the machine is worth, chinese or Miller or Lincoln, that's also ignoring the fact that the chinese machine probably has a much higher likelyhood of failing or breaking. They are cheaper for a reason.

I have a Hobart 220V MIG (200 amps) and a Lincoln Sqaurewave 175 TIG. So far they have been able to handle anything I've needed to weld. I was able to pick up the Squarewave with a cart, extra helmet, consumables and full size tank for under a grand locally off craigslist. It may be worth looking on there if your in the market.

so how would one go about testing a used welder off Craigslist cause it sounds like you got a good deal. How would you know how well everything works on the inside?

also I did some research and it looks as if the Lincoln Squarewave 175 used has a similar price to the Miller 165 used.

[DUDMD]

so how would one go about testing a used welder off Craigslist cause it sounds like you got a good deal. How would you know how well everything works on the inside?

also I did some research and it looks as if the Lincoln Squarewave 175 used has a similar price to the Miller 165 used.

Have the seller plug it in and run a few beads if you don't know how to weld. If you can weld, run a few welds yourself.

If there's no way he can plug it in but claims it works, have him write a bill of sale stating that he guarantees its function and will take it back if it doesn't.

[5mall5nail5]

This is where it gets sketchy. Some times you can have a machine that works but doesn't put out the right amperage, sometimes they work but the gas flow is bad because of a failed/failing solenoid, etc etc.

Its a risk like anything else.

[5mall5nail5]

This is where it gets sketchy. Some times you can have a machine that works but doesn't put out the right amperage, sometimes they work but the gas flow is bad because of a failed/failing solenoid, etc etc.

Its a risk like anything else.

[cragg56]

If there's no way he can plug it in but claims it works, have him write a bill of sale stating that he guarantees its function and will take it back if it doesn't.

Unless he is spending some real $$$, that bill of sale will only get you into small claims court and you will be in a nightmare trying to get your $$$ back and may end up costing you to do so. Best to see it light up right then and there.

[cmzwirner]

Or you can just buy new, since most sellers want 80% of what they spent for an old used unit.

[5mall5nail5]

Or you can just buy new, since most sellers want 80% of what they spent for an old used unit.

That's how I approached it

[1980corvette]

also what about the welding helmet? should it be auto darkening? and would around $100 suffice for one?

[5mall5nail5]

Yes I like auto darkening but you need to make sure its dark enough for the amperage using. Ie., you don't need as dark a helmet at 50A as you do 180A. My miller is variable and adjustable in both sensitivity and darkness.

Its handy because if you run a bright shop it can be annoying if the helmet darkens when a light hits it. So thats nice to dial in.

[someguy2800]

Auto darkening is a requirement as far as I'm concerned. If you don't buy one your a moron. I had a expensive hobart auto darkening helmet with variable shade. When it got stolen I bought a Harbor Freight auto darkening variable shade and I seriously can't tell the difference.

[1980corvette]

Auto darkening is a requirement as far as I'm concerned. If you don't buy one your a moron. I had a expensive hobart auto darkening helmet with variable shade. When it got stolen I bought a Harbor Freight auto darkening variable shade and I seriously can't tell the difference.

looks like i know what i'm going to buy with my 20% coupon at Harbor Freight lol (a good idea for a thread would be a Harbor Freight junk v not junk even though you can probably tell three quarters of the time if its junk or not)

[DUDMD]

Auto darkening is a requirement as far as I'm concerned. If you don't buy one your a moron. I had a expensive hobart auto darkening helmet with variable shade. When it got stolen I bought a Harbor Freight auto darkening variable shade and I seriously can't tell the difference.

I had a harbor freight helmet before, it worked but it sucked. I had a chance to use a miiller elite helmet for a day, and boy what a night and day difference. When my HF helmet burned out, I bought a 3M 9002x helmet, used for about $190. When not welding, it has an assist so you can see better out of the helmet before it get's dim. That's where the HF one sucked, it was much darker and a smaller viewing area.
The 3m one has a TIG option with sensitivity adjustment, which can be setup to be very sensitive (when welding hard to reach/see spots, you don't want the helmet to undim