Kenneth from Pennsylvania asks Joe:

Do you have Weldcraft TIG Torch parts to fit a Miller DB20 water cooled TIG torch? Specifically a gas lens, collet and nozzle for .040? through .125″ diameter tungsten electrodes?

This question brings up a couple of points. First off, did you know that Miller and Weldcraft are related? Both are owned by the Illinois Tool Works (ITW). Currently all Miller TIG torches are sold as Weldcraft, taking advantage of the brand recognition of Weldcraft, a leader in the industry. Some earlier Miller torches were made by another company, but to quality standards.

Which leads me to point number two.

Most TIG torches parts are interchangeable. There are some exceptions, and certainly with some of the cheaper non-name brands you’ll find that the materials are not as good and the tolerances are, well, not tolerable…. But with quality brand names like CK, Diamondback, Lincoln, etc the parts should interchange.

If you google “Tony Welding” you’ll find a link to a cache of videos posted online and the opportunity to “attend” welding classes taught by Tony Marsden, a welding instructor at the Simi Valley Career Institute. Funded by the state of California, the Institute’s welding program is free, however, there is usually a waiting list.

An instructor for over 25 years, Tony has always used videos to supplement his instructions. “It did not occur to me to put them on google video until recently,” he says. There are 54 videos in total, covering everything from equipment and accessories, metal identification, welding symbols, tube bending, fabrication, and structural codes in the areas of Arc Welding, MIG, TIG and Oxy-Acetylene. These videos offer a way for students who can’t get into the program either by limits of space or geography, to learn from an instructor with over 40 years of welding experience and certifications in SMAW, FCAW, GMAW and GTAW.

The son of a general contractor, Tony was introduced to the construction industry and welding at an early age. Over the years he was told many times he would make a great teacher. When he was offered a position to teach part time, he accepted and part time soon led to full time. “I have always enjoyed sharing information,” he says.

Working at the largest and most comprehensive adult school in Ventura County, California has allowed Tony to share a lot of welding information. And place over 3000 students in good jobs over the last 25 years.

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A lot of folks wonder what the difference between inexpensive import TIG Torches you see being sold at a lot of online welding suppliers, and the quality name brand– and yes, more expensive TIG torches such as the ones carried by distributors like Arc-Zone.com.

One of the biggest differences between brand-name and no-name torches is the materials used in manufacturing…

Copper
There is tellurium copper, which is very basic plumbing type copper and then there is leaded nickel copper which is a high conductive, high tensile strength copper alloy. This is important for two reasons, one it’s a better conductor, and two it is more durable, the TIG torch body threads last longer, collets don’t buckle and twist etc.

Silicone Rubber
Weldcraft changed the rules when they introduced the Silicone rubber molded TIG torch. Prior to that all torches were molded in a hard plastic material. Difficult to hold, impossible to bend and very susceptible to arcing out. You would think that silicone rubbers are all the same, but again there is a big difference in the material quality, and how much heat it takes before it begins to breakdown, and how well it is bonded to the copper TIG torch body. Materials and preparation are key here and come back to the basics of production standards
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Mark in Vermont asks:

I am running a Miller syncrowave 250 DX. Frequently welding cast aluminum, it pops and sizzles. I have always been looking for better cleaning techniques or a different tungsten to help get a stronger and prettier weld. There is always alot of black around the weld, and most times holes just “appear” in the weld. Any suggestions or tips to help?

That’s an interesting question — You can try a couple of things and see if it helps.

1. Use a gas lens collet body - this will improve the shield gas coverage, and allow you to run higher amperage while lowering the electrode and front-end parts operating temperature.

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Hey, we have a handy new tool that can help improve your welding operation– the Shield Gas Flow Tester.

Now you can accurately and conveniently measure the actual shield gas flow rates at the torch. This easy to use device will take the guesswork out of optimizing your welds, and save on shield gas cost.

For production applications the benefits of documenting flow rates – at the torch – will pay off with reduced weld variations and lower gas usage.

The Unit Measures Argon and Co2 Flow Rates up to 25 LPM (52 CFH)

Measures in Liters Per Minute. To Convert to CFH Divide - LPM/.472=CFH

Aluminum is a popular metal because of its light, silvery color and the fact that it is light weight and resists corrosion– a factor which makes it very popular in marine fabrication applications. In fact, Arc-Zone.com® has several yacht tower and wake board manufacturers that we work with on a regular basis.

Welding aluminum can be challenging even for a master fabricator, check out the newest publication from the American Welding Society (AWS), Welding Aluminum – Questions and Answers a practical guide for troubleshooting aluminum welding problems. Read the press release from the AWS, or go to www.aws.org/catalogs to order your Aluminum Welding Guide (only $93 for members of the American Welding Society).

Other resources for welding aluminum:

Lincoln Electric’s Guide to Aluminum Welding

Aluminum Welding– Using Oxy-Fuel Welding on Aircraft Aluminum Sheet from Experimenter Magazine

Alcotec’s Knowledge Center (Alcotec is an aluminum welding wire producer)

Two Tips from Joe Welder for welding aluminum:

–Clean your base metal (you may want to try the EZ Wipes, cleaning wipes or check out the TIG Weld Prep Kit in the Tools and Accessories section of Arc-Zone.com); and

–Use ArcTime™ Hybrid All Purpose Tungsten

Got a call from Bob who is the welding engineer at a plant in Georgia that manufactures interior and exterior automobile parts (seat recliners, window regulators, door locks, door frames and molding). This is a super high volume production line and as part of the manufacturing process, in addition to roll forming and stamping, they TIG weld utilizing 4 robotic work cells with 4 TIG robots in each cell.

Bob graduated from Ferris State University where he learned about TIG welding, but the bulk of his real world experience to date has been in resistance welding. He’s been working in the plant for the past year, learning more hands-on TIG and one aspect of the job has been to make improvements. The plant has been having some consistency problems from arc starting problems to inconsistent arcs. Plus, they have been and going through quite a bit of tungsten– changing tungsten electrodes once for every 12 parts.

“I did some research on the internet and found your site,” he said. He told me he read our articles about tungsten electrodes and the first thing he realized was that even though they have a dedicated tungsten sharpener, it is set up to grind radially, not longitudinally.
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I got a call from Brad in North Carolina who was in a jam and needed a torch body right away. “I’ve been waiting for it for two weeks from our local supplier and now the job is way behind schedule,” he said.

A lot of local suppliers carry only the basics and not a full range of TIG torches. After all, they make most of their money selling gas.

Sometimes a fabricator needs something special like a Weldcraft® WP-18SP– a water-cooled TIG torch with a 180 degree head to reach a tight spot, the torch Brad was looking for.

“Depending on your budget you may just want to purchase a torch body,” I said. I recommended he just buy the torch body and add it to his existing Weldcraft® WP-18-25-R.

“You can do that?” he asked.

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I spoke with Carlos, a long time customer today. We’ve done business for so long that we just updated his address for the third time!

Carlos, a professional Certified Welder specializing in Steel Piping projects, takes his torches and accessories with him to most jobs. He called Arc-Zone.com to get a TIG torch for an upcoming project.

He was interested in a 200 amp capacity Flexible head TIG torch with a built-in gas control valve, specifically the Weldcraft® WP-26FV-25-R. The WP-26 is a rugged torch, and is fairly common out in the field. However, when you’re on a jobsite there are a couple of things to keep in mind.

You need a tough torch, with a flexible head, to get to those hard-to-reach spots. I suggested that he get the interchangeable (200CE) coil as an option, with a (1726P, 180 pencil head). That way he could carry the different heads in his pocket and swap them out as needed.

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Getting the right TIG Torch is important, but all too often TIG welders either stick with the package that came with their machine –often a general purpose WP-17 TIG torch, or a heavy duty WP-26 torch– which may or may not be the right torch. Or, a TIG welder may be relying on information from their local gas supplier….

This morning I got a call from Aubrey, a small business owner in Virginia. He was looking for a torch to weld roll cages in sport import cars. He told me the local supplier was not helpful, and expensive. “We drove over to the AirGas and they showed us a [picture of a] torch,” he said. He arranged to buy the torch, but by the time he and his welder got back to the shop “they called and changed the part, then the price, so I said ‘forget it’ then I went to Google.”

Aubrey found us online and called. “We need to talk to someone who understands what we are doing, and make a suggestion,” he said.

This is just the kind of customer we like–a great opportunity to get someone the right torch.

The first thing I suggested was either the WP-24-25-Pro or the WP-24F-25-PRO. (note: the WP-24FV is pictured here)

The WP-24 TIG torch body has a low profile and is easy to maneuver. Rated at 80 Amps, this air-cooled front loading torch has a 60* degree head. As an Arc-Zone.com PRO package, it comes with the teflon nozzle gasket, a Number 6 (3/8″) gas nozzle, 1/16″ Collet and Collet Body, Pre-Ground 1/16″ ArcTime Hyperformance Rare Earth Non-Radioactive Tungsten Electrode and 25′ (7.6m) One Piece FeatherLite(tm) Flexible Rubber Power Cable.

Bottom line, it’s Ready-to-Weld™

Aubrey was even more excited when I told him he could go with a water cooled TIG torch. “I thought I had to buy a new machine, and I can’t afford that right now,” he said.

There are a few options for upgrading, the least expensive being to hook right up to city water– with about thirty bucks worth of the the right hoses and fittings. Next option would be to purchase a water cooler (or build your own). You can also buy a ready-made welding water cooler, like one of the ones we have at Arc-Zone.com , or go with the Cool Kit™ (pictured here). Finally, your expensive option would be to purchase a new machine with an integrated water cooler.

“I thought [water cooled TIG torches] were big and heavy,” he said.

Because of the technology of water cooling, the torches are actually more powerful, can run more amperage, and they’re smaller.

“Hook me up!” he said.

If you want Arc-Zone.com to hook you up with the right TIG torch for your job, give us a call: 800-944-2243 (US) 760-931-1500 (worldwide) or check out our selection of TIG torches, IN STOCK and ready to go!