Everyone is looking for ways to save a little money these days by working on their bikes themselves from oil changes to small repairs. The one thing that seems to also be on the rise is more guys are doing their own fab work. However, this can get expensive if you have to find a shop to do all your welding for you. So if you are looking for a home TIG welding setup but don't want to take out a second mortgage on the house to do it, then we have found what you are looking for. HTP America Inc. has a full line of welder and plasma cutters just right for the homebuilder as well as the full-service shop.
After talking with the HTP team and letting them know what were wanted from a home welder they pointed us to the Invertig 160DC ($1,299, check your local dealer), a full featured DC TIG welder for welding steel. With a DC TIG machine, you can weld steel, stainless steel, 4130 tubing, basically all weldable metals except aluminum and magnesium. If you want to weld aluminum and magnesium, you will need an AC/DC TIG welder. The 160DC has high frequency arc starting, so you don't have to touch the tungsten to the work to get the arc going. It also has remote amperage control by either foot pedal or torch mounted finger tip control, which allows you to vary the amperage while you are welding, giving you complete control over the weld puddle. And it also has a pulse feature to minimize heat input in thin material.
This compact unit weighs 32 pounds, and measures just 16 inches long x 12 1/2 inches high x 8 inches wide. It can plug in anywhere since it operates on 110 or 220 volts. The Invertig 160DC also has the capability for you to use it as a stick welder if you chose with the addition of the optional electrode holder (accessory required).
Also if you are doing your own fab work, you may find yourself looking at a way to cut the sheetmetal before you weld. And so we were also looking at the MicroCut 301 plasma cutter. The MicroCut 301 cuts 5/16 inch steel at 12 inches/min, and can sever 3/8 inch steel. It requires a 16-amp 220-volt circuit and a cutting amperage setting from 5 to 25 amps to be energy efficient. The MicroCut 301 unit tips the scales at 14 lbs, so it is lightweight and can be moved anywhere you need it. The MicroCut 301 comes with a 90-day money back guarantee and a full one-year warranty and retails for $799.
 1. The Invertig-160 DC is...  1. The Invertig-160 DC is small in size but big in output. Since it can operate on either 110 or 220 volts it is a perfect setup for home use or to take from job to job. The power cord is 15 feet long and needs an end cap depending on your setup (you pick the power outlet 20-30 amp). The foot pedal and the torch each come with 25 foot long leads. Also the Invertig-160 DC comes with the Flowmeter with a 6-foot hose for the shield gas (Argon). Also you can get the starter kit that includes Tungsten, collets, collet bodies and alumina cups for the torch in four different sizes for around $50. |  2. On the back of the Invertig-160...  2. On the back of the Invertig-160 DC there is the cooling fan and the voltage switch (110 or 220V), along with the port for the shield gas. |  3. To get started we first...  3. To get started we first needed to connect the shield gas (Argon) hose from the bottle to the back of the Invertig-160. |
 4. Included with the hose...  4. Included with the hose is a flow meter. A flow meter gives you more precise gas metering than traditional gas regulators. Once connected to the bottle, a flow rate of 15-20 cubic feet per hour (CFH) of Argon is all that is needed. Adjustments are made here (arrow). (Do not use tape - the threads don't do the sealing - the fitting does) |  5. On the front of the Invertig-160...  5. On the front of the Invertig-160 DC we needed to connect the torch with the gas line, the foot control pedal, along with the ground cable. The torch and the ground have twist locks at the end of the cables. You can see (arrows) that you need to line up the tab to fit into the unit then twist the cable to lock it in place. |  6. (#1) This post is the...  6. (#1) This post is the negative output receptacle for the TIG torch. On the Invertig-160 DC all TIG work is done in straight polarity with the torch in negative and working positive to ground. If stick welding then this would be set up differently, we can get into this later, for now we are setting up for TIG welding.
(#2) This is the pin trigger connection for the TIG torches with built-in on/off switch function, we are using the foot pedal as the on/off switch so this is not used at this time.
(#3) This is where the gas (Argon) line from the torch mounts and is controlled by the solenoid valve inside the welder.(#4) Here is where the foot pedal (amperage control) mounts, this is also a push and twist lock mount.
(#5) This is the positive output receptacle. When TIG welding this is where the ground cable connects. Once more, all TIG work is done in straight polarity with the torch in negative and working positive to ground.
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