I think this is about the point where my wife would have killed the project.
Sure, the trigger isn't some major value-add project, but if it builds a practical skill and makes other practical repairs/upgrades possible, I'd bet you could convince most people pretty easily.
The escalation was a bit unexpected, though, and definitely made me laugh.
Next step is the mill, lathe, grinder, strip sander...
Have you priced a multi-process welder (plus all the extras) by a decent brand lately?
Most people would "nope" out of there seeing such prices, especially for a tool which they may not even manage to get the skills to use effectively.
While it is cheaper to go that route, vs going stick, then wire MIG, then TIG (and needing the room to store each machine) - if you purchase new equipment - it still is a big chunk of money to swallow.
The cheapest route is to instead make friends with someone who has welding equipment; learn to use everything there, then when you get to whatever point you're best at - buy your own equipment.
Myself, I've done a combo - I purchased a used cheapo 120 VAC buzz-box stick welder, which worked ok for small jobs - but I had learned on my brother-in-law's Lincoln Tombstone 220 VAC/DC system. Later, I met a friend who has a complete shop, and I can do just about any process I want there.
Back home, I purchased a HF cheapo 120 VAC flux-core wire feed welder (mainly because I wanted to see what an $89.00 wire-feed welder could do - it's actually not a bad piece of kit, and people do all kinds of mods to it, too - including conversion to DC).
One of these days I plan to get a 220 VAC line run to my garage, but that won't be any time soon; at that point I'll probably purchase a decent MIG welder w/ CO2...
The DC TIG / Stick inverter unit I have at home is a AU$280 one off eBay. It even has high-frequency start for the TIG.
I rent a tiny bottle of argon from one of the industrial gas supply places in town for $5 a month, just to have argon at hand if I suddenly want to TIG weld something, and can get a larger bottle delivered next day if I need it.
This is the unit I bought about 18 months ago, they're currently selling for less than when I got mine: https://tinyurl.com/ebay-dc-tig-au
Sort of like soldering irons, where the <$40 ones are typically trash, the $40~$100 ones are probably fine for home use, and the ones that I bought for work start around $500 (JBC btw, I've convinced our entire engineering lab that they're the best).
When you go really cheap on soldering gear, overall power, tip temperature regulation, tip plating quality, and iron longevity are all reduced, sometimes to the point of unusability.
What do you lose when you go cheap on TIG machines?
the only thing to really be wary about with the cheaper deals is that they often don't include the head, sleeve, controls, ground clamp, argon fittings and regulator. so those might add some hidden cost. regardless you need to budget another ~$300 for a tank and gas.
but the difference between low end and low end professional is alot of money, so I would definitely recommend skimping a little. since the tips are consumed there isn't much of a wear issue really.
a super cheap option is a used stick machine with a tig head if you can live with all of the above limitations. if you upgrade you can carry forward the tank, regulator and head.
My work has an AC TIG so I'm covered for aluminium welding if I need it.
I think the only other thing I've noticed about the cheap DC TIG I've got is the build quality is, well, cheap, but if you handle it with a bit of care they seem durable enough. I've accidentally dropped one of the name-brand ones from 6' up a ladder and it just bounded and kept going. Not convinced I'd want to do that with my ~$200 unit.
Probably a good idea to let the unit run for a good 5 minutes after you've finished welding to make sure it has a chance to cool down. I had a MOSFET blow out on the first one I bought, I think because I was switching it off immediately after doing quite a bit of welding and the fan didn't have a chance to blow away the heat build up. But even after buying two of them I'm still a good ~$1000 in front of a high end unit.
Small anecdote. My wife grew up in a house with no tools, I grew up in one with lots of tools. She is also much more fiscally responsible than I am. So early in our life together she would push back on tool purchases (I have a habit of creating projects that always require at least one new tool).
However, the experience over a few years of how much easier and more reliably a project was completed when the right tool was available, eventually won her over. And now she is perhaps more of a tool advocate than I am!
Pfffft. Spool gun off an engine welder or GTFO.
Just add a transfer switch and you can tell your wife it's a standby generator. ;)
Also, maybe I'm to used to thinking in terms of big things made from thick metal but 200a seems really small for aluminum.
disagree about the spool gun. tig is alot more useful for smaller work and crafts projects. its a stupid choice for structural, but up to 1/2" its fine. and you can do really small work in materials like stainless, brass, Al, cast iron, and bronze. it also requires less prep and cleanup to get a pretty result. (again for non-structural applications)
That was a joke. It's apples to oranges. Most people wouldn't prefer a spool gun over TIG given the choice.
> it also requires less prep and cleanup to get a pretty result. (again for non-structural applications)
This couldn't be further from the truth. Assuming you're not using exotic consumables that are very contamination tolerant/intolerant TIG is far more sensitive to contamination than other processes.
obviously its all dependent on what you're trying to accomplish