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!

We get asked all the time “what is the proper stick-out for the tungsten electrode on a TIG / GTAW / HeliArc torch?”

That’s a tough question because there are many variables based on the type of front-end parts being used on the torch — and — the welding application. As we all know high-quality, consistently good looking and strong TIG welds are a combination of art and science.

With this new tungsten electrode stick-out tool you can reduce some of the variables by accurately measuring the tungsten stick-out by 1/16″ (1.6mm) increments up to 1″ (25.4mm).

It’s constructed of CNC machined brass with knurled locking sleeve and includes a key ring holder with nylon strap and spring type aluminum hook loop… and is available online at Arc-Zone.com!

Even if you have a TIG Welding Machine with a large (50mm) gas-thru-the-Dinse connector you can hook up a smaller, lighter more powerful water-cooled TIG welding torch…

The Q5WGT connector is designed for welding power sources in which the Gas Flows Through the Power Source and Connector. The Q5WGT is designed to spilt the gas off into a “side hose” (black in color) which connects to the “gas in” hose on the TIG torch. You will need one each female-to-female 5/8″ x 18 RH thread “B” style gas adapter (AW-430) to couple the two hoses. This completes the shield gas supply from the gas cylinder, through the flow meter, through the TIG welding power source to the Q5WGT Dinse adapter to the TIG torch.

The water from your water-cooler or tap is directed through the inlet hose on the TIG torch which has a 5/8” x 18 LH thread nut. The cooling water travels through the torch head and down the power cable into the Q5WGT connector and out the side water return hose (Red in color) which is the warm water return to the water cooler or drain.

Depending on the type and location of the cooler/tap you may be able to connect the “cool water” in, and the “warm water” return hoses directly to the cooler. Alternatively, you may need additional hoses to make up the distance to the cooling equipment. In either case you will need two each 40V76 water hoses and two each female-to-female 5/8” x 18 LH thread “B” style water adapters (AW-431) to couple the water in, and water return hoses.

Note: some of the more popular welding machines with the large gas thru connection include: Lincoln Invertec V160-T, the Lincoln Invertec V205T, Lincoln Precision TIG 185, Lincoln Precision TIG 225, Miller Econo TIG, Miller Syncrowave 180, Miller Syncrowave 200SD, Hobart TIGMate, and the Hobart 150STi.

For more info, check out CarmenElectrode’s blog post, “Hooking Up Your Water Cooler to your TIG Welder” or give us a call (800-944-2243 toll free US or 760-931-1500 worldwide) and we’ll hook you up!

I have spoken to several customers recently that were under the impression that water-cooled TIG torches are bulkier than air-cooled torches. Additionally they were unsure of the real benefits of water-cooling.

It sounds logical, because water-cooled TIG torches have three hoses instead of one for an air-cooled torch. But, in fact water-cooled torches are significantly more efficient and that allows the copper power cable and surrounding rubber hose to be considerably smaller, resulting in less weight and much more flexibility than air-cooled torches.

Another benefit of the water cooled TIG Torch is that because the torch itself actually stays cooler, you can hold onto it longer, without having to set your torch down to let it cool off. This is especially beneficial when you’re TIG welding a long seam, allowing for a more consistent bead.

There’s a great article on the Arc-Zone.com website, “Why Upgrade” (.pdf) which outlines the benefits of going from an Air-Cooled TIG torch to a Water-Cooled TIG Torch.

When you’re ready to upgrade, you may want to look into the Arc-Zone CoolKit™ –everything you need to upgrade to a Water Cooled TIG Torch.

The Plasma Arc Welding process is an interesting and technical process, it can be considered very basic, but that said, there are many things that can go wrong.

We get a lot of calls from customers using Plasma Arc Welding torches that have failed. So we developed a check list that we go through to determine what caused the torch failure.

Generally the PAW torch body arcs out internally, which can be caused by low quality replacement parts, inferior tungsten electrode, poor or inconsistent tungsten electrode grinding, dirty parts, gas leaks in the supply hoses, worn out power cable leads….

Most commonly, however, plasma arc welding torch failure is caused by incorrectly installed replacement parts.

That’s right, operators consistently install the ceramic electrode insulator/gas distributor in the wrong direction, or worse yet they modify it by breaking of portions of it! This is common on the Thermal Dynamics 3A series torches.

The part #9-2240 (photo) is a technical ceramic molded piece that has a series of strategically placed gas channels and distribution ports which optimize the inert gas that flows through the torch and directs it to the constricting tip which then forms a superheated column of Plasma gas. It is absolutely necessary that this piece be installed with great attention to cleanliness and that it is positioned correctly.

Note: there is a newer version of the part #9-2240, pictured below.

Pictured here (left) is the new style of the 9-2240 insulator / gas sheild.

The end pointing to the top left corner is the sleeve or collar end which is directed up to the top of the torch toward the collet / insulating cap.

Pictured here (right) is the 9-2240 insulator / gas sheild with the sleeve or collar pointing to the bottom right corner of the picture.

We’re getting more and more calls from weld shop foremen as well as job site and safety managers telling us that they have to find a solution to grinding tungsten electrodes. Many tell us they’ve used bench grinders, belt sanders or side grinders for years- But, they all say the same thing - either someone got hurt, or they almost did.

Think about it– you’re trying to hold the tungsten to the wheel or belt and rotate it, sounds simple, but what happens is that the tungsten gets real hot real quick, and if you lose your grip, the tungsten rotates around the wheel and shots back toward the operator like a rocket– not good when it’s a hot, pointed, fast-moving object!

Of course once a shop upgrades to a dedicated tungsten grinder they will immediately benefit from improved welding performance, better quality welds, less tungsten electrode waste and of course a safer weldshop!

Check out our line up of tungsten grinders. Arc-Zone.com(tm) offers one for every application and budget, from reasonably priced Sharpie(tm) hand-held tungsten sharpeners– great for in the weld shop or in the field– to robust bench-top tungsten grinders for precision, repeatable grind angles. We even have tungsten sharpeners with integrated dust collection.

Whether you’re doing PAW (plasma arc welding), or TIG/GTAW (gas tungsten arc) welding, there’s a lot of confusion about what kind of tungsten to use. At Arc-Zone.com we’ve put together a guide (.pdf) to the various blends of tungsten electrodes for welding.

These days most of the inverter welding machine manufacturers are recommending the Ceriated (Orange) or Lanthanated (Gold) as good performing alternatives to the 2% Thoriated (radioactive) tungsten electrodes. Arc-Zone offers a great selection of tungsten electrodes, including the Hyperformance(TM) ArcTime(TM) all purpose tungsten electrode. This is one tungsten electrode that will make you throw away all the rest. In fact, if you’re like Arc-Zone’s other customers, you’ll call us up to sing its praises.

Arc-Zone also carries the new Weldcraft Premium Tungsten Electrodes, including the “Rare Earth” blend– it was put through some rigourous tests in the Miller TIG welding Lab and came out on top.

You’d never know it from watching any kind of metal fabrication on tv, but safety is a big concern for most welders. The American Welding Society is a great source of information about the industry, and has a collection of welding safety information, from hazards in the workplace to information on Thermal spraying, Resistance spot welding, Laser cutting and Plasma arc welding and cutting…. found online in the AWS Safety and Health Fact Sheet section.

This blog offers a fresh and brutally honest perspective on welding industry news, reviews of innovative companies and products, and profiles of those who are making an impact in the metal fabrication industry.

What we hope you’ll find: tips, tidbits, perspectives you won’t find elsewhere, as well as insights, original interviews and more that should be of interest to the metal fabrication market worldwide. We promise to keep the content fresh, and interesting.

This Blog is primarily written by Jim Watson (aka Joe Welder), a master fabricator, welding equipment designer, industry professional, online distributor, and owner of Arc-Zone.com, Inc.

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