Gas lens for Miller 180SD?

Where can I find a gas lens and pyrex cups for the original air-cooled torch on a Miller 180SD.

I looked on the CK website, but they do not cross reference the gas lens to other torches.

I'm also looking for the stub back for short tungstens. No luck at the welding shops around here. (Phoenix Metro region). They don't seem all that interested in TIG.

Thanks Bart

Reply to
Bart D. Hull
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What you have is a 150 amp air cooled torch. It is likely a WNI (Weld Nozzle Inc.) torch. Your torch is a #3 series torch.

trust me, what you need is a #4 series CK gas lens collet body and collet. Get a 1/8", 3/32" and 1/16" set.

A CK #4 series collet body has the back end threads of a #3 series collet body and the front end of a #2 series collet body so it is much more compact.

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can ship them to you with no trouble.

Buy some #7 or #8 gasl lens gas cups for a #2 series torch.

I don't know why but they aren't on their current website.

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They do have a compact gas saver version.

Reply to
Ernie Leimkuhler

Ernie...the other day I picked up a new Weldcraft 20 and a new Weldcraft 18 torch at Reliable Tools, but neither have any collets, lens, etc. Just white caps on the ends of the torchs.

What do I need to make these usable, (as you know, I know dick about this yet) and which one will be the best for use with the Lincoln Idealarch 250 tig/stick that I have? I will be doing mostly steel, some small amount of SS and a bit of aluminum..just hobby stuff mostly. Im into the torches for $35 for the pair. Are there any common parts or do I need to have totally different stuff for each? Which one should I put on the shelf for futzing with later as money is tight?

Thanks in advance.

Gunner

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."

- John Stewart Mill

Reply to
Gunner

Apropos of previous comments by Ernie, et the ceramic cups not Pyrex as they are very delicate and not needed in most general welding.

My added advice is to get the CKW people to send you all their catalogues. Study them keeping in mind that your torch uses the number 4 series lense system. The catalogue will list the back caps they sell, including the stub back cap you seek.

Don't get the gas saver, IMHO. The screen is at the forefront and exposed, therefore, to damage from the spitting that may occur when the tungsten hits the weld pool or filler hits the tungsten. Get the units Ernie listed. That's exactly what you need and you'll be very satisfied.

I also own a .040 set (gas lens collet body and collet). I have been welding some thin stuff lately.

I live in a small town where very little TIG stuff is available on the shelf. Even the "big city"--Victoria, BC--is pretty dry in this regard. Relatively speaking, TIG welding is rather arcane I think judged by what's available on the shelf.

Central Welding Supply: good.

Ciao, David Todtman

Reply to
David Todtman

Guys, I'm in the same boat- I have the Diamondback #17 150 Amp from Miller ( I am hoping this is the torch model in mention on the thread) I wanted to put Pyrex on for some tough to see weld areas but I figured it would be easier to just build out another DB#17 that I normally use and not have to switch parts in effort not to break the fragile lens when not needed as I am under the impression that not only is the lens thread on to the collet different than a standard gas cup, the internals gotta throw a curve ball in too. Am I correct in my thinking here? Skip the screen? If I need to worry about gas I honestly just crank it up or turn a purge hose and pizza tin bent to fit the work area to keep out the evil air we breathe and hyper-saturate the entire area. I figured switching torches vs. little hot parts makes some sense given the low cost of a 150amp air cooled torch. I also have a bigger water-cooled one on the Aero-wave but I never gave it a thought until now.... Coolant is a bitch. the air cooled one is the only one worth swapping torches out easy on unless someone has a secret to share, my dry-breaks and all the attention I can pay seem to saturate my gear with coolant still when I tear down the torch on the 300amp unit.

Thanks and happy 05'

Rob

Reply to
RDF

The #18 is a #3 series water cooled 350 amp torch and the #20 is a #2 series 200 amp water cooled torch. They use completely different parts.

The #20 will be the most useful for stuff from 1/4" or less in thickness. The #18 is useful if you need to TIG some heavy aluminum or really thick steel.

I would say get a full outfit for the #20 and just a few parts for the #18.

Reply to
Ernie Leimkuhler

The pyrex cups are quite fragile, but the gas saver bodies mount just like a standard gas lens.

The only CK Gas aver I use with the pyrex cups is the extra wide mouth #2 series. the 1-1/4" ID of the cup shields a huge area for welding thin stainless or titanium with no oxidation.

Standard gas lens collet bodies are a much more practical solution. Use a #8 cup and you can extend the tip of the tungsten 1/2" - 5/8" beyond the cup.

I tried one of Arc-Zone's super wide mouth gas cups and wasn't impressed with it's shielding ability.

Reply to
Ernie Leimkuhler

Cool gents, Thanks, So In short- I can just unscrew the ceramic cup and screw on the Pyrex. ( and pull out more electrode to boot ) No other stuff needed, correct? I just wanted to give one a shot. My only other thing that works in tight corners is a small cup I accidentally dropped and just by the stroke of luck it broke off a 45deg. chunk of the front (Talk about luck) and I pull out and twist the electrode/cup and handle to hit compound angles, header flanges, and collectors, and other nightmare-ish jobs where the arc just loves to wander. I figured being able to see the electrode before and during a tight spot is only going to be suited by Pyrex at this point so I wanted to try this out but did not know what all to order, or where from.... Looks like I'll be calling in ASAP.

Reply to
RDF

Thanks. Now what is a "full outfit"? Gas lens, collet, electrode, thingy on the back that covers the electrodes ass end...and what else?

I assume that there are different sizes of electrodes and probably I need a collet for each size? What about the thingy on the backside that covers the ass end of the electrode? What are the recommended sizes. I recall you saying 2% Lanthanated tunsten..which is different than 2% thoriated tungsten?

Thanks again.

Gunner, Ginzel (weevels helper) "War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."

- John Stewart Mill

Reply to
Gunner

No, to use the Pyrex cups you have to use the CK Gas Saver Gas Lenses. The gas Savers do not have a gas cup that screws on, it slips on and is held in place by an o-ring. They have ceramic cups that slip on as well.

Standard gas lenses use a screw on cup. All th companies that make TIG torches make standard gas lenses.

You should try a flex-head torch for odd angles.

Reply to
Ernie Leimkuhler

Collet Body, Collet , Gas Cup, Heat shield, Back cap.

Gas cups are measured by inside diameter in 1/16" increments, so a #7 is 7/16".

Collet bodies come in standard and gas lens. Start with standard. After you get to where you stop destroying tungstens by jamming them into the base metal or filler rod, you can graduate to gas lenses. Gas lenses allow the tungsten to slide further out of the cup which gives better access to corners and fillets, but also leaves the tungsten vulnerable.

1/16", 3/32" and 1/8" are the 3 most common sizes of tungsten. 3/32" is the one used the most.

A full length back cap allows a new 7" new tungsten to fit in the torch. A mid back cap and stubby back cap allow access into tighter spaces.

The heat shields are teflon and protect the black silicon rubber of the torch from the ceramic gas cup.

Reply to
Ernie Leimkuhler

I'm calling them tomorrow with my torch torn apart in front of me. This little blue handled bastard is making me feel really stupid!... Then I get to go out and mix some nitromethane&alky for some dyno pulls.... Hope Monday goes well or If I disappear I got the mix wrong.

Thanks again and sorry to be a pest,

Rob

Reply to
RDF

Ernie, I just got off the phone with "Mark" at Central Welding in your neck of the woods in Seattle (Figuring they know you and what to order) Anyway, I have two complete retrofit kits headed here to Chicago to put glass on my spare torch handle and I wanted to again thank you for helping me out here, I would have prob. put the thing together half-ass and zapped myself.

Much appreciated, and thanks for the new supplier!

Rob

Reply to
RDF

Central is a great outfit. Family owned and operated. A good crew.

Reply to
Ernie Leimkuhler

Bart- The plane your building out on Tango II looks like a Mooney on steroids. Very, very cool ! Why no experimental FAA tags? AIM/FAR must be your book of choice for that conversion! I saw the link and took a peek. To think a gas lens was a problem you got a lot of balls with that conversion! A lot of work besides a torch.... The inspector is gonna be scratching his head!!!!

Rob

Reply to
RDF

Rob, Thanks for the kudos. It is a Mooney on steroids as the cockpit is larger, it goes faster and it's going to use less fuel.

It will be certified experimental so the FAR's can be thrown away, but alot of them are useful. (I just get to pick which ones.)

Sometimes the little things are what are the most difficult. I didn't have any problem getting used to composite work, the engine and mount were relatively simple metalwork, I purchased the prop speed reduction unit and the Tango II is a kit (a very poorly documented kit, but the main parts are well made.) Finding metalworking supplies here in Phoenix is a bit difficult. Phoenix was never much of a metalworking town, just a few small aerospace machine shops so metalworking talent and tools just aren't lying around here.

As far as the inspector, I'll just have to bring him into the 1990's from the 1930's. There has been a few of the professional level Subaru conversions so he can reference them for some success stories and what to look out for. Like I said some of the old aircraft stuff is OK like AN tubing fittings and mil-spec nuts and bolts. Again I get to choose what I'm willing to fly behind. "That's the way it's always been done" is not my credo.

I work for the Fed's and God knows I wouldn't trust my life to a FAA desk jockey for how to build an airplane!

Bart

Reply to
Bart D. Hull

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