[TraditionalToolworks]

Those are two completely different beasts.

Heat it heat, right?

[G-ManBart]

I don’t understand all the fuss about a 26. I use one whenever I weld above 200 amps for an extended period of time and I never burn my hands, the torch doesn’t melt, nor does the cable. I use a 17 constantly up to 180 amps and have the exact same torch for over 3 years without incident.

welding DC or AC?
i've gotten mine up to the point you don't want to hold it any longer. not melted anything. however thats only using it in the 150-180 amp range but on AC.

Both, Tweake. Sure, the darn thing gets hot but it doesn’t “melt” as is being implied. Yes, the cable gets hot wrapped around my arm when I am plowing away in the summer heat with a lightweight, long sleeve shirt in the shop. I solved that by adding a mini split So now I can comfortably wear a welding jacket. Problem solved.

As BillE says, when I can’t get into tight quarters with a 26, I’ll bang away with a 17. I keep a bucket of clean water nearby, drop it in, blow argon through with the pedal, and keep welding. No issues.

Funny, I have a 26 air-cooled torch on one machine at a 20 series water-cooled on another machine. I can weld as long as I want and the 20 series never gets unpleasant to hold. Within a few minutes the 26 series is pretty toasty and it doesn't take long before it's unpleasant. That's in a shop with HVAC keeping the temps in the low 70s.

I melted (literally) the tail cap off a 17 series torch at one point, so I broke out the 26 series. It's better, but still not a great solution if you're running high amps for extended periods of time.

Just tonight I had both machines set up for 125A AC doing some practice on aluminum. I started out with the air-cooled machine, running 4" long beads on 1/8" flat stock, rotating the work pieces so I didn't have to wait, and within 15 minutes or so the torch was pretty hot....unpleasantly so. I fired up the other machine and ran bead after bead, never once thinking about the torch temperature.

If you have to dunk your torch in water it says something....like there might be a better solution to the heat problem you're experiencing.

[Spartan]

Funny, I have a 26 air-cooled torch on one machine at a 20 series water-cooled on another machine. I can weld as long as I want and the 20 series never gets unpleasant to hold. Within a few minutes the 26 series is pretty toasty and it doesn't take long before it's unpleasant. That's in a shop with HVAC keeping the temps in the low 70s.

I melted (literally) the tail cap off a 17 series torch at one point, so I broke out the 26 series. It's better, but still not a great solution if you're running high amps for extended periods of time.

Just tonight I had both machines set up for 125A AC doing some practice on aluminum. I started out with the air-cooled machine, running 4" long beads on 1/8" flat stock, rotating the work pieces so I didn't have to wait, and within 15 minutes or so the torch was pretty hot....unpleasantly so. I fired up the other machine and ran bead after bead, never once thinking about the torch temperature.

If you have to dunk your torch in water it says something....like there might be a better solution to the heat problem you're experiencing.

It's like Jody always says: If you don't wet it, then you just don't get it.

Note: Jody, again, has never actually said that.

[BugHunter]

Just ordered a Heavy Hitters 350 torch. Let's see what this thing is all about....

I thought I had a problem with buying things. We need to take your credit card away.

[Oscar]

Just ordered a Heavy Hitters 350 torch. Let's see what this thing is all about....

I thought I had a problem with buying things. We need to take your credit card away.

You just barely thought about that, for a TIG torch? Where were you when I was buying my Invertig 400? Or any other welding machine prior to that one? Lots of help you are now!

[Oscar]

Let's compare this Heavy Hitter 350 torch.

Vs a Wuhan 26 cheapie.




Handle is beefier




Right off the bat, it is much beefier/heavier. Without a doubt part of the reason it can withstand more heat.



Wuhan 26 about 130g




HH350 almost double the mass at about 230g!




I wasn't sure if had a special thread but it's the same as any 26. You can see it has much thicker OD, and the gas port is smaller, meaning less dead space for even more brass.




Compared to a CK 17FV







Now that I'm positive I can use a regular fitting, gonna fix up something real heavy-duty, Oscar-style!

[Oscar]

Oh by the way, this is the special version that does not have a gas port. The argon seeps through the actual threads themselves (hard to see in the pic)






























Just Kidding! They moved the gas port to the top of the head! Very clever those Heavy Hitter boys! If I had to guess, the gas path splits up into a Y, then recombines at the top of the torch head. Seems that would provide the best uniform cooling, but it's just speculation on my part.

[TraditionalToolworks]

Must say, that looks like plated brass. Do you think the torch is made in China?

I would ask them about what looks like plating and see what they say. I would have expected solid brass. I can't verify if it's plated or not, so just playing armchair inspector.

[Oscar]

Do you mean brass-plated copper? If so, then no. I think it's just the cheap camera-phone playing tricks on your eyes. It's easy to verify if it's brass, a few scrapes will tell you. And yes, it's solid brass.

[BugHunter]

Thankfully I don't have a welder that requires that.

[TraditionalToolworks]

Do you mean brass-plated copper? If so, then no. I think it's just the cheap camera-phone playing tricks on your eyes. It's easy to verify if it's brass, a few scrapes will tell you. And yes, it's solid brass.

There's some type of plating crud in the threads. I take your word on it, my eyes are playing tricks on me...same yesterday as today...

[Oscar]

Do you mean brass-plated copper? If so, then no. I think it's just the cheap camera-phone playing tricks on your eyes. It's easy to verify if it's brass, a few scrapes will tell you. And yes, it's solid brass.

There's some type of plating crud in the threads. I take your word on it, my eyes are playing tricks on me...same yesterday as today...

I looked at it carefully again, and you're right, there is some slight discoloration, but I wouldn't go so far as saying that it is brass-plated. Like I said, A couple quick scratches on the material on the outer edges tells me it's all brass. Even if it was brass-plated copper, there would be absolutely nothing wrong with that either IMO. My WeldTec i-head roto-head torch is all copper in the torch head, and it is a damn fine TIG torch. So mountain out of a molehill IMO.

[TraditionalToolworks]

I looked at it carefully again, and you're right, there is some slight discoloration, but I wouldn't go so far as saying that it is brass-plated.

I don't know what it is, it could be anti-seize for all I know. I believe you that it's brass, the other side does look like it.

I was just saying...my guess is that it's anti-seize.