Hillbillysmith Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 I seem to remember someone on here say that they made a TIG welder from a microwave oven. I would like this person to reply back or PM me because I would like to know how they did it and want to know if they would please tell me where they got the plans from or if they would send me the plans. I would LOVE to build one. Looking forward to the reply(s) please and thank you. -Hillbilly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 The search engine used for the word microwave provided 11 results. This may be a faster way toward an answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammerkid Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 Hey if you find them let me know HBS. I would like the plans to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welder19 Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Also try searching on google, there is lots of info out there on home made welders, mostly arc but there is also tig and spot welders of a lot of different designs, there is a lot of info on making a arc welder out of an altinator. welder19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Do you think that in the long run that it would be cheaper then HF's buzz box considering the possibilty of frying one's self? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awalker Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 Unless you are looking for a relatively complex project that may get pricier than buying a welder ten just buy one. You can TIG weld off of any DC arc welder for steel and SS. You can even do so with aluminum but it is a bit trickier. A basic DC buzz box will run you between free and $100, figure another $100 for the torch. another $100 for the bottle of straight argon, $50 for a regulator and you are in business. With the microwave welder you still need to buy the torch, gas, and regulator, so in my opinion it is cheaper to buy than build. If you need high freq keep an eye on e-bay for a dayton, or miller unit as they pop up regularly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evfreek Posted May 15, 2008 Share Posted May 15, 2008 Hi Hillbillysmith. It's me. Search for "homemade microwave welder" and select the thread titled "copper bracelet". As Awalker said, it is better to buy the arc welder used than to try to modify the microwave oven. In another post, I went over the difficulties of the modification. As for cost, this can be pretty cheap. And, the chance of getting zapped is small. The main hazard is loss of isolation on the secondary side. This is especially likely if you follow the plans available from the Internet which suggest that you use THHN house wire to wind the secondary. And, you will not get zapped, since the voltage is low, but you will smell that funny smell. I would not recommend it unless you have a lot of time on your hands. I gave a presentation to a Make group and was invited to set up a booth at the Maker Faire, but I was busy that weekend. There is a pic in the post I referenced above. Recently, I got an idea to make a new kind of homemade welder. Do you know what polarity to run SAW (submerged arc welding). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbillysmith Posted May 15, 2008 Author Share Posted May 15, 2008 Thank you for replying evfreek. Would you we willing to send me the plans? Or did you know what to do? If you have plans and will send them to me, please PM me and I will give you my E-mail. BTW, I don't know what polarity SAW is ran on but I will reference this tomorrow and will let you know. If I remember correctly, it's straight polarity (DC-). But like I said, I will reference this and confirm tomorrow. Thank you, -Hillbilly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evfreek Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 It took a while, but here is the presentation that I gave at the Makers org meeting. Oops, the file size is just a little too large, it won't go in :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden_eagle Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 I've seen Stick welder made out of a TV and AC/DC rectifier... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 evfreek, use the IForgeIron Gallery for the image. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evfreek Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Hi Glenn. It is a little trickier than that: The file you uploaded was not an acceptable format.: maker.pdf I need to find someplace on the Internet where I can put this file. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 email it to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evfreek Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 Hi Glenn. What is the appropriate e-mail address? I could not find it in your profile. I can cut down or split the presentation so that it can fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 ev check your PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evfreek Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 OK, Glenn, got your latest request. Turn the presentation into text, and attach pictures. Following is the text conversion of a slide presentation inline. This was tedious to create, since copy and paste only works on each element individually (heading, bulleted list or text object). Thus, about a dozen copy and paste operations are required to generate a text file. The text file is itself annotated, so the reader will know where to insert page breaks and pictures. There's gotta be a better way to do this. Homemade Welder Lots of homemade welder plans on the Internet Problems: high raw material cost, low performance Sourcing materials is difficult Try low power as a start Microwave Oven Source Highest value item: transformer with primary/current limiting Still need diodes, choke Lots of rewinding required Limitations Hard to get enough power Current-voltage trade-off Tough to use as a stick welder: either difficult to strike or not enough power Try using as a TIG welder (no lower power limitations) diag1.png photo1.jpg photo2.jpg More to Do Better ways to wind for high current Foot pedal Dress up Notes: 1) this document is a text representation of a slideshow, often referred to as a Powerpoint presentation 2) double space indicates heading, triple space indicates new slide 3) filenames refer to files to be inserted at the location Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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