Advice on TIG torch ?

I am setting up to do some TIG welding. I have a CyberTIG 300 and no torch. What torch do you all recommend ? I'm looking for something that will handle the 300 amps that the machine is capable of running. It is also set up to do water cooling so I want a WC torch, not the air cooled torch. I plan to get some Ceriated and some Lanthanated tungstens and I got my bottle filled with argon today. I also signed up for the adult class on TIG welding at the local vocational school. I did a stick course and later their MIG course years ago and am so glad I did. I figure, I should get started on the right foot with the TIG welder also. JW

Reply to
John
Loading thread data ...

You might want to ask at sci.engr.joining.welding newsgroup. There are lots of helpful folks there who know tons about welding.

Steve

Reply to
Steve B

If you want to go all the way up to the full 300 amps..the only choice is the 18 series torches. WC-18 as an example

Though the WC-20 (20 series) is good for up to 250 amps and is far smaller, and a hell of a lot more convenient to use

Ebay

However..the only time you will go all the way up to 300 amps is if you are welding big assed chunks of aluminum.

Gunner

Reply to
Gunner

My favorite all around TIG torch is a Flex-Head CK230. It is a 2 series torch yet can handle up to 300 amps. It is water cooled and has a flexible neck on the torch so you can get into all sorts of weird positions easily.

formatting link
CK Worldwide makes the best TIG torches on the market. Any welding supplier can order their torches for you.

BTW get the 25' long Super-flex cables for a really nice combo.

Reply to
Ernie Leimkuhler

Reply to
trg-s338

I have a Miller dial-arc 300 amp machine in a residential area. I ran a dedicated 100 amp plug for it. I started out using a 50 amp plug, but it would trip the breaker if I turned it up too high. I bought it to reline an aluminum dump bed and was welding 1/8" used aluminum plate into a nasty old bed. The trick was to use a stainless steel brush right before welding and kick up the amps with HF. ( I used a hand brush, but have since seen pros use a stainless wire wheel in an angle grinder.) My old machine came to me with a 250 amp WC torch that I quickly fried. The water stopped a couple of times and I had to replace the hoses every time. I finally bought the 350 amp torch (ebay is cheaper than my local suppliers)and wired the water pump to the welder on switch. No more problems. I also taped a micro-switch to the torch handle because I got tired of holding the foot pedal between my knees when on all fours. Later I found out they sell switches to mount on the torch handle.

I should also say that when I bought my machine, I had never even seen a TIG before. My first experience was in relining the dump bed. Everyone says to start on steel and then try aluminum, but after a week of working on that bed, I got pretty good at it. When I did try steel, it was duck soup. I did get one argon bottle that wouldn't work on aluminum. I think it was mis-filled, because it would weld steel just fine. Airco swapped it out and I was back in business.

If you get a weak spark that won't weld, check your ground clamp. The HF will spark when the clamp is loose or disconnected!

Also be aware that the flow meter has more than one scale, make sure you are on the right one.

And wind is your enemy, as it blows away the argon. If outdoors, you may need to set up a wind break.

Reply to
Ron Thompson

Yep, water supply is critical to a water cooled torch. Compare the size of the cable to your ground clamp to the size of the cable inside the water line to the torch and it's easy to see how it becomes a fuse if the water stops flowing.

One of the big advantages of a water cooled torch is the thinner and much more flexible lines to it vs. an air cooled torch. The advantage of keeping the torch itself cool only comes into play for heavy production type work which isn't often seen in a home shop.

My Syncrowave 250 has a convenience 120V duplex outlet on it that is switched from the main power switch (and transformer derived since the welder takes a 240V only input). The water cooler plugs in there so it always comes on when the welder is turned on. I still check the little spinner wheel on the cooler that shows water flow when I start each welding session just to be extra safe.

Pete C.

Reply to
Pete C.

I do the same..and dont run the water through the water valve on the welder. Straight to the cooler from the torch.

As long as the welder is turned on..the water is running . And Ive put in a transparent tubing loop so I can see the green water (polypropylene antifreeze) running

Gunner

"Liberalism is a philosophy of consolation for Western civilization as it commits suicide"

- James Burnham

Reply to
Gunner

That is how mine was hooked up, also. The plug fell out and caused the failure.

Ron Thompson On the Beautiful Florida Space Coast, right beside the Kennedy Space Center, USA

formatting link
My hobby pages are here:
formatting link
Visit the castinghobby FAQ:
formatting link
The member map is here:
formatting link

Reply to
Ron Thompson

Wow. A lot of good ideas in this thread. I?m gonna respond to all in one compendium:

Gunner wrote

If I have a 250 amp torch and intermittently run it up to 300, will that be a problem ?

I looked at this one and am leaning towards it tho I have thought about their Crafter Series

I do a lot on ebay (no, I dont? like their politics, but I?m just one person and there are things I need that are on ebay so I use their service. I don?t have to like them, tho) and will look there . The problem is that there is lot of, say, weldcraft-STYLE stuff and you have to be careful of that.

Well, I might do an aluminum car trailer that might require towards

300 amps or so. If I do, I want the capability. =

Ernie L wrote:

If I have to spend an extra $50 or even a hundo, I?ll do it. I want something that I will be able to use for years and not have to say something like - sh8, I WISH I had bought the.........

Like one ol? lady said, ?I?m to poor to buy some crap that I will have to replace in a year or so?.

This is the type of information that I really need. Thank you.

I had that thought in mind, already. I like the length and ARCZONE mentioned something about super flxible cables.

=

trg wrote:

My CT300 IS single phase. It came from a county vo-ed school and being single phase, that?s specfically why I bought it. At that time I didnt? know anything about 3 phase and converters. Today I have a 5 HP RPC that will run a welder but I still appreciate that it is single phase. I bought it about 20 years ago and never hooked it up. (yeah, stupid me) Now I have the bug to get it running and I even signed up for a local VO-ED class to learn TIG. It's nothing like the Hobart or Miller courses but at least i?ll have some ejjukayyshun in striking a TIG arc/bead. If need be, I?ll go to the professional school and further my ejjukayyshen.

I can?t answer that question now since I havent hooked it up yet. I would imagine that I can. (even if I have to put a penny behind the fuse. old joke, ya know)

And that would be one of those OLD copper pennies. Not one of the new zinc so-called pennies.

Actually, I have breakers. They don?t know what a penny is....

I?ll be posting my ?speriences so you will know what to 'spect.

=

Ron Thompson has a:

I moved out of the residential areas just so I could do things like weld and shoot....

Lessee. A hundo might just trip a 50 amp breaker. Hmmm

I?m bein? forseeeeeshus

I understand about SS brushes. My CT has HF so I should be able to start without scratching or lifting.

How much current were you running ? and, did your water source feed ?

I have toyed with the idea of using one of those differential pressure sensors that will tell me WHEN the pump fails. Hooked up to a sonalert, it will skreech and let you know that you have to STOP ! and check things out.

Not wanna do that. Too spensive

and inconvenient.

or as the less literate say: inconvient

Can you use an air cooled torch and cool it with water ? That way, if (when) the pump fails, you still have some leeway

Set your sights high and when you fail, you simply go on and not worry. Try again. You have a lead on those pansy-a$$s who don?t have the ba11s to try something a bit beyond their cappabilities.

Good point. I hadn?t thought of that

Good point

Nuther good point, tho I have experienced it with my MIG welder.

=

So Pete says

Might be why the torch I got from my friend didn?t have continuity in the cable/hose/fuse....

Good point but I don?t plan to do production.

My CT aint got that convenience. darn

I mean DAMN

=

Gunner writ

If it?s (the coolant) clear (yes, I know your TUBING is clear), how do you tell if it IS running ?

I heert of someone using windshield swasher fluid as their coolant. Any thoughts on that ?

=

JW

Reply to
John

Because if its not running..there is no Green visible in the tubing. It drains back out of the loop.

No idea. a gallon of polypropylene antifreeze is cheap enough and I know it wont f*ck up the hoses and pump seals.

Gunner

"Liberalism is a philosophy of consolation for Western civilization as it commits suicide"

- James Burnham

Reply to
Gunner

Torch will prolly be OK. Tungsten on the other hand, may not take it. I had to get an 18 series torch to do some heavy AL for the sole reason that I couldn't put a 5/32" tungsten in the 20 series torch.

Reply to
John L. Weatherly

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.