Welding Tips and Tricks

So in another thread the topic turned to the possibility of a burned power cable , and that reminded me that many years ago I had a tig torch that leaked so I removed the outer material to find a crack in the water line in the neck, enjoy.

Richard,

In that thread there was mention of some type of fused connection, either wire braid or what sounded like a fuse. Possibly not, but I was wondering if you could take a pic showing the electrical side and what that looks like behind the water lines? Or is that just the gas?

I've never been quite clear on how the electrical and gas get to the torch and/if if the electrical travels on the outside of the gas portion.

(looking for some education here! )

Water comes in through the the 1/4"-20 threaded fitting.
Water leaves the torch through one of the barb fittings.
Shielding gas enters the torch through the other remaining barb fittings.

Oscar wrote:Water comes in through the the 1/4"-20 threaded fitting.
Water leaves the torch through one of the barb fittings.
Shielding gas enters the torch through the other remaining barb fittings.

Ok, but you didn't actually answer what I was confused about.

Is the arc initiated through the gas? Doesn't there need to be some type of electrical connection for the arc?

TraditionalToolworks wrote:

Oscar wrote:Water comes in through the the 1/4"-20 threaded fitting.
Water leaves the torch through one of the barb fittings.
Shielding gas enters the torch through the other remaining barb fittings.

Ok, but you didn't actually answer what I was confused about.

Is the arc initiated through the gas? Doesn't there need to be some type of electrical connection for the arc?

Oh, the electricity travels through the copper wire conductor inside the water hose that goes to the threaded fitting. The arc only emanates from the tungsten.

1:53 into the video

Ytbq8viJPJ8

So yea, that looks to be anywhere from 12-16ga to my eyes.

Electricity flows through the tubing walls.

Edit; so when you over heat a torch it often melts out the solder between the tubing and one of the ends, leaving you with a poor connection.

Poland308 wrote:Edit; so when you over heat a torch it often melts out the solder between the tubing and one of the ends, leaving you with a poor connection.

Couldn't this be re-soldered to repair it? Doesn't the braided copper connect to the threaded fitting which Oscar points out, then through the fitting to the torch head, right?

As a DIY type person I as originally thinking to check all connections for connectivity and/or clean/repair them.

Interesting video Oscar posted. Seems even on a gas hose it would be possible to snip the hose and re-attach it to the threaded fitting, or is that a difficult procedure?

Sorry for some many Qs, just trying to understand if in Mark's case it's possible to repair his torch? I realize we don't actually know what his problem is, but Richard shows what his is.

In regard to my question to Richard, I was originally thinking that current traveled up copper braid and attached to the threaded portion, but wanted to see how the threaded portion connected to the torch head. From both of your description that seems to be the case. Is that the segment that fails, as Josh mentions? (i.e., between the threaded portion and the torch head)

I am ANAL but IANAL...

Possible but most of those torches have rubber overmolded you don’t have to remold a new rubber handle

Plus a new torch head is probably less than 100 bucks most people charge 100 bucks an hour for repair work

TraditionalToolworks wrote:

Poland308 wrote:Edit; so when you over heat a torch it often melts out the solder between the tubing and one of the ends, leaving you with a poor connection.

Couldn't this be re-soldered to repair it? Doesn't the braided copper connect to the threaded fitting which Oscar points out, then through the fitting to the torch head, right?

As a DIY type person I as originally thinking to check all connections for connectivity and/or clean/repair them.

Interesting video Oscar posted. Seems even on a gas hose it would be possible to snip the hose and re-attach it to the threaded fitting, or is that a difficult procedure?

Sorry for some many Qs, just trying to understand if in Mark's case it's possible to repair his torch? I realize we don't actually know what his problem is, but Richard shows what his is.

In regard to my question to Richard, I was originally thinking that current traveled up copper braid and attached to the threaded portion, but wanted to see how the threaded portion connected to the torch head. From both of your description that seems to be the case. Is that the segment that fails, as Josh mentions? (i.e., between the threaded portion and the torch head)

I am ANAL but IANAL...

I'm sure it is possible to fix, but it reminds me of the guy on weldingweb. He desperately wanted to build his own alternator-based engine driven generator. So he could weld. I'll repeat that: so he could weld (!). You have to draw your own line as to just how far you want to go back down the welding evolutionary ladder before you spend a lifetime trying to re-invent the wheel and never actually get to the project you initially wanted to tackle.

Oscar wrote: I'm sure it is possible to fix, but it reminds me of the guy on weldingweb. He desperately wanted to build his own alternator-based engine driven generator. So he could weld. I'll repeat that: so he could weld (!). You have to draw your own line as to just how far you want to go back down the welding evolutionary ladder before you spend a lifetime trying to re-invent the wheel and never actually get to the project you initially wanted to tackle.

That's exactly why I abandoned the project of building my own torch water cooler after exhausting a measly $100 and 10 hours of my life. Quickly realized it just wasn't worth the squeeze, and phoned up HTP

https://www.ebay.com/itm/ZENA-250-amp-1 ... SwWnFWBauL
Just for you Oscar. Can buy it and do a video review?

Poland308 wrote:https://www.ebay.com/itm/ZENA-250-amp-1 ... SwWnFWBauL
Just for you Oscar. Can buy it and do a video review?

Can you buy it? Sure. I have no problem with that.

TraditionalToolworks wrote:Richard,

if you could take a pic showing the electrical side and what that looks like behind the water lines? Or is that just the gas?

Here is the cable side connection for a series 2 torch, the power line is inserted up to the black line and then the connection is crimped along the red line, at least that's what we used to do

Now that I look at the torch again, it is not for the cable connection I just posted, but I believe you get the general idea of the workings

Thanks Richard, that does help. It looks solid though once it gets to the threaded connector as that's all conductive up to the torch head best I can tell, through the copper.

Is the weak link where the copper braid connects/crimps on the threaded connector? (your last pic)

Oscar wrote:

TraditionalToolworks wrote:

Oscar wrote:Water comes in through the the 1/4"-20 threaded fitting.
Water leaves the torch through one of the barb fittings.
Shielding gas enters the torch through the other remaining barb fittings.

Ok, but you didn't actually answer what I was confused about.

Is the arc initiated through the gas? Doesn't there need to be some type of electrical connection for the arc?

Oh, the electricity travels through the copper wire conductor inside the water hose that goes to the threaded fitting. The arc only emanates from the tungsten.

1:53 into the video

Ytbq8viJPJ8

So yea, that looks to be anywhere from 12-16ga to my eyes.

I would guess 12-10awg based on the relative size to his fingers.
I know he used the 16-14 crimp, but he mentions he wants a deep groove. Almost as if to say, 'don't use the crimp slot that matches wire size'.

If i ever burn up a cable i will be sure to open her up and check.



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TraditionalToolworks wrote:
Is the weak link where the copper braid connects/crimps on the threaded connector? (your last pic)

Well I've had faults there, and at the machine end and in between so...

Richard,
You better tell them how many years you have been welding full time, to experience so many breaks. Don't want folks thinking they fail every month.

Don't want to post such a thing, however I will say it's helpful to remember to turn on the cooler BEFORE making that 1st weld

Yeh,,what LT said....
Not sure but I think that is where I learned 4 letter words with 16 syllables.

Richard has been welding so long....
He had to wait for the good Lord to create Tungsten so he could do TIG.

Somewhere in the old testament brazing is mentioned, I might know something about that

LtBadd wrote:Don't want to post such a thing, however I will say it's helpful to remember to turn on the cooler BEFORE making that 1st weld

That's why I love my HTP Arctic Chill cooler. Gives a nice, very loud beep at start up when I turn the welder on...actually a bit of a positive side effect of the low-flow alarm. If the brain doesn't hear that beep, it instinctively knows something is wrong, and has saved my torches more than once when I had turned the cooler off due to a torch swap.