TIG Welding with a Lincoln PowerMig 210mp

TIG welding with the Lincoln Power Mig 210mp.

Its a Mig welder that also does Stick welding and lift arc Tig.

Installing the foot pedal plug was a bit of a challenge but once it was done, it worked out nicely.

Lift arc TIG welding is not that different than scratch start as far as getting the arc started goes...

But with a foot pedal, the main benefit is being able to stop the arc and maintain gas shielding...especially on stainless steel.

Can you weld aluminum with the Powermig 210mp?

Well yes you can...

But...not with MIG not with Tig.

A spool gun is needed and than means anything thinner than 1/8" , .125" (3.2mm) is hard to do.

Spool guns are faster than Tig but man...things can go wrong quickly with a spool gun.

Its a plus that this powermig 210 is spool gun ready but I wouldnt count on it as your main aluminum welder.

A dedicated AC /DC tig welder is what you want for welding aluminum.

IS lift arc Tig as good as high frequency start?

For some tasks, lift arc TIG seems to work every bit as well as high freq start.

But overall, most welder prefer high freq start over lift arc.

Sometimes you need to start an arc on a very small part that is not held down securely.  

with lift arc, its pretty easy to move the part when you touch.

high freq start eliminates the risk of moving the parts when you start the arc.

What kind of duty cycle does the Lincoln Powermig 210mp have?

I read somewhere that duty cycle was 25% at 200 amps.

I TIG welded at 175 amps for about an hour. but not without stopping...

I had to stop and let the torch cool as well every few minutes as well as  the stainless I was welding.

The Machine held up fine.  I think those 2 fans in the rear really help out with duty cycle.

What about low amp starts?

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Lift arc tig is just not the best way to go for welding really thin tubing, tool and die repair, mold repair, and thin wall chromoly airplane fuselage welding.

But I lit up on a box cutter blade just to see what would happen.

Not a huge problem.   But I would prefer a low 5 amp start with high frequency anyday.

What are the pros and cons of Tig welding with the Lincoln Powermig 210mp?

Pros:

• very portable...only 40 pounds.
• no high frequency to mess with computer components
• foot pedal compatable
• multi voltage
• user interface walks a beginner right thru

Cons:

• no high freq start so sometimes, the part moves around because you have to touch part with lift arc
• no AC for tig welding aluminum
• no low amp start for precision starts on tool and die and mold repair or jewelry welding
• foot pedal plug was a pain in the neck to install
• lift arc starts were sometimes inconsistent at low amperge

Bottom line on Tigging with the 210mp

for less than 1000 dollars, This is a great starter machine.

No welding machine is perfect...and there are always little drawbacks.

Especially in a 3 in 1 machine.

But the TIG function on this little Lincoln powermig 210mp is a great way for someone to get started.

I will test out Mig and Stick functions soon..so stay tuned.

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