tristan The 1/8” tungsten at amperage below 200 serves as a heat sink due to the shear diameter difference of the tungsten so the affected heat zone of the tungsten is smaller. As far as it affecting gas flow I’ve found that I do not see a significant difference above a 4 cup. 5 cup you may have to increase your argon a cfh or two but not enough to be significantly noticeable

While it is absolutely possible to use the 1/8” tungsten and it will definitely handle the amperage a bit better, it really comes to down to preference as far as I’m concerned. You would need to make sure your machine settings reflect 1/8 tungsten versus say 3/32 to acquire better more calibrated arc starts. As a shop owner cost is a factor as well. If I had a hired hand in there blowing thru tungsten daily I’d prefer to pay for 3/32 versus 1/8. But it will absolutely get the job done.

In my assumption so I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that humid air with microscopic water droplets will probably overpower your argon at certain cfh levels.

Nice.

The plates I sent you are 5052. Use 5356 filler for best results.

Nice job Matt.

I’d buy the basic pipeliner hood, then buy a $100 automatic lense for it. That’s what I have and it’s actually my favorite hood. Yes I have a $600 Optrel hood and it’s fantastic but not a necessity at all. The auto lense that I like is the Claivoyant auto lense doesn’t flash when tig welding and is adjustable in shade and sensitivity

Will do.