Tig welding tips, questions, equipment, applications, instructions, techniques, tig welding machines, troubleshooting tig welding process
Lightning
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    Wed Aug 24, 2016 9:55 pm

aland wrote:thinking about this logically the aluminum would need to be in the 1" - 2" range to require that many amps...
:lol: Don't weld a lot of aluminum, do you?
kiwi2wheels
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    Sun Feb 17, 2013 10:27 am

Lightning wrote:
aland wrote:thinking about this logically the aluminum would need to be in the 1" - 2" range to require that many amps...
:lol: Don't weld a lot of aluminum, do you?
:mrgreen:
cj737
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    Thu Sep 29, 2016 8:59 am

Lightning wrote:
aland wrote:thinking about this logically the aluminum would need to be in the 1" - 2" range to require that many amps...
:lol: Don't weld a lot of aluminum, do you?
I do, all the damn time. And I don’t with a 200amp Dynasty inverter :o When I have to weld thick aluminum, I preheat and use a 75/25mix so I don’t have to run a 350 amp Machine. Maybe if you knew more, and yakked less you’d learn something.
aland
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    Thu Dec 28, 2017 11:10 pm

Lightning wrote:
aland wrote:thinking about this logically the aluminum would need to be in the 1" - 2" range to require that many amps...
:lol: Don't weld a lot of aluminum, do you?
Ok Lightning, I'll bite. What aluminum are you welding daily that needs 350 amps?

How much do you know about the OP's work from what they posted in this thread?
christiankeith90
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    Mon Sep 12, 2016 8:59 am

I already have a lincoln squarewave tig 200, but I need something bigger with a water cooled torch. I may or may not ever need the 350 amps but the options are limited on used machines and new ones are so expensive.
cj737
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    Thu Sep 29, 2016 8:59 am

The SW 355 needs 250v 100 amp Service. Bear that in mind. The cost to operate it willl be expensive. It’s not a DIY electrical service garage machine. You might consider an Everlast 255 if you only need sparing usage of thick AC welding.
aland
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    Thu Dec 28, 2017 11:10 pm

cj737 wrote:The SW 355 needs 250v 100 amp Service. Bear that in mind.
cj,

I was curious about that and looking last night to try and figure that out. I only have a 125 amp circuit for my entire house which is why I was wondering, but couldn't find where any max in-rush amps were listed. I figured these units need a big circuit to run.

That probably wouldn't be a big issue for a production shop in a commercial building, but that will be a huge circuit for residential.

If the OP has the circuit for it, probably no harm in having a large welder like that.

Alan
cj737
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    Thu Sep 29, 2016 8:59 am

The demand on the circuit feeding a transformer based welder is about the biggest “drawback” if you want to point fingers. They’re workhorse machines and weld great, but they suck poeer and lots of it. The SW 355 requires that 100 amp circuit to run it, which for the average meat lover puts the service out of reach in a home shop. And not often that home welder needs to weld 350 amps worth of metal...

I’ve done some 1” ally and I used pure He and DC to do it. Came back after on aC with Ar/He and cleaned up the weld. But it was strong as dog shite and with an AC wash, didn’t embarrass me. I also preheated some. There’s ways around it when “you got what you got” is my point. Necessity is the Mother of Invention.
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