update on TIG

Well I looked it over good and bought it. the pic didnt do it any justice whatsoever, the welder itself looks new, gun has the heat protection all down the leads etc etc. Foot pedal works great, all voltages weld, didnt try it for long because of the bad news coming....

NOW the BUT....the water cooler is nice but water was left in the radiator...and it froze and busted this winter. When we plugged it in, water poured from the radiator. It is a Bernard 3500SS 3 gal. Where could I find a radiator for it? pump and motor are good.

i will take better pic of the welder when I get it set back up. thanks for all advice.

What did you have to pay for it? The cover on leads is more to protect them from abrasion and damage than for heat protection. Unless you're going to be doing lots of TIG welding at high amps all day long, you might be better to just get an air cooled torch to use. Maybe a rad shop that deals in heat exchangers and air conditioning could build you a rad or repair it? Might be quite expensive though. Maybe a rad from another type of unit could be adapted to your water cooler? I think you can put some plumbing antifreeze in water coolers just in case it gets cold.

800 but I really wanted it especially when i saw how nice it had been kept. guys dad had it and a big Mig and he said his dad seldom used the TIG and it shows. He bought it new. If I have to buy a new water cooler, I wont complain. Heck it will be a good stick welder too.

Hi Dave!

I have the Idealarc Tig 300 and I made my own water circulation unit. Just use a large tank of around 8 gallons or so and it will keep the torch cool for anything you will most likely be doing. Unless you are welding all day long and then you could run tap water through it and out to the drain (how mine was originally used). As far as radiators are concerned a heater coil out of a car would most likely work.

I have been digging through some old truck heater coils and been thinking about that then i thought well this was engineered for this specific pump etc etc....I have even been thinking of dragging the torch and some solder out and try patching this, I need to get it out to see how many holes I am dealing with.

A lot of people build their water coolers with automotive heater coils.

Or like KF says just use a big enough tank.

Nice going on getting the machine. I think that I would do like KF said and try a tank with water to get started while you search for a coil or possibly you could repair the original.
I wouldn't tig without the water going through the torch or the next thing you will be looking for a torch. Usually though the water flows through a fuse assembly located between the machine and your torch lead. Then if you lose water flow the fuse blows rather than burn up your torch and leads.

That's a really good price. Are the cylinders yours and can you get them filled? They're worth close to $800 by themselfs if you can get them filled as your own. Maybe you can fix the water cooler but if it's going to cost too much, an air cooled torch isn't too expensive in the mean time.

they both are spray painted CUST OWNED on them, one is the real big one, one is the slimmer one, I dont really know exact CF of either. One is like 50 percent full (the big one). Anyway where I live the regs have been relaxzed substantially on bottle ownership. We use to have to had papers, not anymore. I have bought all kinds of bottles at auctions and got MOST of them filled or exchanged no prob.

Anyway on the water cooler. I took the little heat exchanger out and found one split in a tube. I was going to try to solder it but the copper was much thinner than any radiator I have ever worked on. It is OBVIOUS this thing is not designed to hold high pressure and HOT HOT water. So I clipped the alum fins back and off the copper got the copper bare and sanded it and jb weld it. It was a fairly big 1/4 split and was not just straight but was more torn. What are my odds of the JB holding? As said it wont be like cooling for an engine at 40 PSI or anything....but I guess I just said that for wishful thinking....

I found a replacement radiator for 289 bucks.....I will be using a truck heater core before I take it in the hine deen like that.

This might help you determine what size cylinders you have.

The JB weld might hold as long as you got it on thick enough and sanded everything good so it will stick. I fixed a hyd. oil cooler with it once because nothing else would work. I think JB Weld is good for 350 or 400 degs.

i saved that thanks.