# New welder... what should I get???

**URL:** <https://forums.speedlife.net/t/new-welder-what-should-i-get/246169>\
**Category:** Shift518 Off Topic\
**Created:** [August 17, 2009, 12:26pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/new-welder-what-should-i-get/246169 "2009-08-17T12:26:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 16

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**Author:** ![KrazyKid](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/krazykid/32/6371_2.png) [@KrazyKid](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/KrazyKid)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 9:49am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/new-welder-what-should-i-get/246169/16 "2009-09-11T09:49:31Z")

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> [@FS: Everything](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/fs-everything/22867/14):
>
> BTW…much better machine right there than you were looking at before. Good find. 🙂

Thanks dude… I was thrilled when I found the deal. well worth the 4 hour drive. Even got soem dirt cheap booze in NH on the way back!

Yeah I have been just sharpening my tungsten on a new stone drum in a dremmel so far. I was lookign today for a better way to do that as amatter of fact.

I read about the radioactive tungsten too, I will ditch the ones he gave whenthey are junk and get the other ones for sure.

Last night I made a nice edge weld with 2- 1/8th aluminum plates… I was happy.

Horiz. lap welds are hard for soem reason… I can get the arc to heat the face piece and move up and kiss the edge to creat a pool. I think I need to move up in tungsten dia?

I also tried to do the bottom of two soda cans. again, I think the 1/16th tungsten was too small and I could get the arc to hit both sides. The second can I got decent. I melted a little filler rod and used thatto move the heat to each can, and then I got a nice pool flowing and it worked out ok.

I also had to exten the tungsten farther out of the cup… which helped too.

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