Elevating the pedal...

[youngnstudly]

Has anyone tried this? I've often thought about having my feet off the ground (when TIG welding while sitting down). I find that I like having my knees up, back, and bent slightly with my feet out in front of me. I don't ride a motorcycle, but that's the first example that came to mind. I can't be the only one here with blood clots in my legs (...or a preference for sitting on my butt while "working")...or can I? I'm trying to design something that is easily adjustable for angle and height, and NOT a hassle with the foot pedal (especially during cleanup or when setting the welder up for a project). I don't want to have to chase the foot pedal around with my foot while welding, so maybe some rubber feet will go on the bottom? An added bonus would be that I'd get my feet off the cold concrete (the shop has been 36°F lately, making the floor temp about -36! LOL). The soles on my boots aren't THAT good! Any ideas or thoughts, or am I some sort of weirdo (wait, don't answer that!)?

[Rambozo]

Has anyone tried this? I've often thought about having my feet off the ground (when TIG welding while sitting down). I find that I like having my knees up, back, and bent slightly with my feet out in front of me. I don't ride a motorcycle, but that's the first example that came to mind. I can't be the only one here with blood clots in my legs (...or a preference for sitting on my butt while "working")...or can I? I'm trying to design something that is easily adjustable for angle and height, and NOT a hassle with the foot pedal (especially during cleanup or when setting the welder up for a project). I don't want to have to chase the foot pedal around with my foot while welding, so maybe some rubber feet will go on the bottom? An added bonus would be that I'd get my feet off the cold concrete (the shop has been 36°F lately, making the floor temp about -36! LOL). The soles on my boots aren't THAT good! Any ideas or thoughts, or am I some sort of weirdo (wait, don't answer that!)?

I weld sitting down whenever I can. I can be much steadier and more accurate, that way. Being comfortable is the best way to make good welds. Taking a dry run to make sure you can complete the weld without getting into a bind is the first thing you should do. It will also let you know where you will need to make starts and stops and you can position the part so that you can place your tie-ins in the best places. I've never done anything to angle the pedal, but I can see how that might be nice. A lot depends on the brand of pedal, too. Some have longer travel than others. You can also change where in the pedal range you are welding with the panel settings. For some things I set it up so that I use the pedal only to fade in starts and stops or do light pulsing, and keep it floored for the main portion of the weld. Other times I will want plenty of extra power on tap if I need it, and weld near the start of the stroke mostly. A lot depends on if it's production welding of the same thing over and over, or something like a casting repair with varying thickness and different angles.

[youngnstudly]

Thank you for the reply. I always try to weld sitting down too, but sometimes it's not possible (like when I'd weld fullsize industrial stainless kitchen hoods or counter tops at work!). At home, most of my projects are "sit down" projects though. You mentioned the pedal sizes, and that is another thing I will have to get used to. The Lincoln TIG welder I'm used to using had a very small pedal that was only a few inches tall, while this Everlast pedal is nearly 6" tall with a steep angle, and the overall size is pretty massive (bulky, cumbersome, etc). It would almost be like propping one foot on a cinder block while the other one is on the ground. The welding table I am drawing up will allow me to adjust the height quite a bit, which my workbench top can't do (and it's 41" high!). Seat height of course plays a part here too. My 160STH doesn't have any real features to it ("stripped down" model), so starts, stops, tapering up or down with the pedal, or pulsing, will all be done manually using my foot and the pedal (vs. having pulse settings, for example).