Let's explore (part I): the Cebora TIG Star 200!

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  • What do you reckon to the plate on the back though? That says single phase. I'm not saying you're wrong, it's just confusing me.

  • yeah just a regular plug, it was at my workshop which was a set up with normal 240v, a blue plug for higher amps when needed (never used it) and 3 phase. so the same as regular household circuit and like I say, only tripped a fuse once. mine is an inverter welder though so it was always designed for 240v.

    judging by the back panel I would say yours is capable too but I'm no sparky.

    if the diy thread is anything to go by, @Mr_Sworld is knowledgable on this sort of thing....?

  • yeah, it does say single phase on the back, the best thing to do would be to open up the plug and see how many wires are connected, if it’s just one one live and a neutral/earth then it’s definitely single phase, if it’s got 4 wires then it’s been wired up three phase.

  • let's get this thing welding...

  • I wanted ‘burn the house down’ but this is closer to the excitement we’re all feeling.

    https://youtu.be/kMztl0J7yoU

  • Because this machine draws 29 A when outputting 120 A, I'm not confident AT ALL about plugging this into the mains in my (rented) home.

    Options seem to be buying a generator (maybe about £200?), installing a higher rated circuit (no idea on cost and will have to wait until I move into my own house which might happen before Xmas) or sell this to fund a smaller inverter unit.

    I still need a torch and gas as well.

  • Socket rings are usually fused at 32a, as long as there’s nothing else switched on as well you should be fine

  • Nice one. My welding instructor reckoned a 240v 32 A circuit (blue plug) should do it. I'm gonna turn it on and just see if it works using a regular socket tho.

    Are Aldi welding helmets any cop?

  • So you're going to need to change the plug. If you look on screwfix or somewhere then you'll find two types of blue plugs like that, 16 and 32 amp. 16s are physically smaller than 32, so make sure you get the right one.

    Now you could, in theory, wire a 3 pin plug to a socket and plug that into the wall. You will almost certainly trip the fuse at the board though. You'll need an electrician to install a dedicated 32amp supply to run that thing, so new fuse at the board, cable out to socket, plug in and go. That's probably gonna mess with the ol' tenancy agreement.

    Tldr, don't plug it into the wall and try to weld anything. Talk to a proper sparky. Try not to get electrocuted.

  • If you ignore this advice please make sure someone gets it on camera

  • If it’s auto darkening it’ll be fine - the same as all the other made in China helmets. I’ve had three in the last 8 years and I’m not blind yet.

    London Gases for argon. Get the Argon Ultra if you can afford the outlay - best m² / lt per £.

  • Thank you @photojim and @dbr and @pdlouche. I do value the slapstick elements of DIY more than the safety, I must say. I'm a member of my local Hackspace so I'm considering loaning it to them for a while because they have some beefy power supply (might be 415V?) BUT they say they have no extraction, which is a pain.

    A 32A circuit will be priority no. 1 once I move house though. "Yes, sorry dear, the PVC windows will have to wait until 2021 I'm afraid."

    I'm tempted to buy a smaller 240V inverter TIG machine to be getting on with.

  • Lending it to the Hackspace is a good idea. Get them to get a bottle of argon in exchange for use. You don’t need extraction as long as the space is a decent size and you’re not welding copper or brass or something.

    I’ve had a Jasic 200A DC machine for a few years, very happy. Pulse was a revelation. Got mine from the Netherlands as it was a lot cheaper than buying UK.

  • I’ve had a Jasic 200A DC machine for a few years, very happy. Pulse was a revelation. Got mine from the Netherlands as it was a lot cheaper than buying UK.

    What model mate? And what exactly does pulse do? I have no idea if the machine I use on my course has it/does it or what. Same with pedals. Not really sure what they do cos the torch I use just has a button.

  • With a pedal you control the amperage like an accelerator, up to your set maximum. So you can start low, ramp up as you put your foot down and get going. They're fun.

    Pulse is where you set up bursts of amperage. So you can set a max amp and low amp setting and whilst the button, or pedal, is pressed down the machine will pulse the ramps high and low for you. I think there are arguments for and against with regards to the heat that you're putting into a part. It's another tool in the arsenal though so I'm not sure there would be a reason to look for a machine without pulse.

    I've got a little 200amp R Tech dc welder. Has all the above and I'm happily glueing bits of steel together. It's about the size of an old pc tower.

  • https://www.weldingshop.nl/collections/tig-lasapparaten/products/jasic-tig200-pd-w212

    Heard good things about R-Tech, UK support too. Jasic has a 5 year warranty but I suspect the UK distributer might not be too helpful with my Dutch machine. I also got a Parweld WP9 torch with a 9m hose, so much better than the stock WP17. Good to keep the OG one for higher amp jobs though.

    Pulse makes your welds look well pro, good for thin material too. I've never used a pedal, too much to think about, though if you're going from super thin wall tube to a thick BB shell or something I can see the value.

  • I'm well gonna stick that in mijn winkelwagen – cheers

  • Mad, it's the same price as I paid three years ago. €414, or £720 if you want to pay pounds.

  • +1 for rtech, Ive only had excellent experiences with them

  • Just found this. Felt an uncomfortable amount of anticipation about what was actually in the plug, chuffed it's single phase.

  • I also got a Parweld WP9 torch with a 9m hose, so much better than the stock WP17. Good to keep the OG one for higher amp jobs though.

    I think we use Parweld at the college. I'll have to check the size when I'm there.

  • Best channel on YouTube.

  • Did you get a WP17 or a WP26 torch with yours? If SR26 is Dutch for WP26, I think it now comes with a 26...

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Let's explore (part I): the Cebora TIG Star 200!

Posted by Avatar for fizzy.bleach @fizzy.bleach

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