question about tig torches

hypforlife32 · Tue Dec 13, 2016 2:52 pm

Whats up guys, i am getting a new tig torch here soon and i have a couple of questions. I am currentley using a wp17 air cooled from lincoln. I have noticed that around 150amps you def need adiquite cool time and its rated for 150 at 60 percent duty cycle.

I am looking at the ck flex head 9 series air cooled. Reason being i do some mobile stuff and not just in my garage but not too often do i need 150 amps.

the ck9 air cooled is rated at 125amps at 100 percent duty cycle.

My question is would that put the duty cycle pretty much the same for an air cooled torch? Any one have a ck9 and wish they went with a 20?

C. Livingstone · Tue Dec 13, 2016 3:30 pm

Well,

Regardless of the duty cycle specs, a 9 will get hotter than a 17, or at least it will get as hot sooner than the 17.

But the nice thing about the 9 and 17 is that they can both be easily installed on the same power/gas cable hose.

I tried a 9 for a time, but it did heat up too much for me.

I use a flex head 17 and stubby gas lens, which makes it nearly the size of the 9.

If I were you, I'd just buy a really cheap 9 torch and a quicky set of consumables to satisfy your curiosity, as you'll probably go back to the 17.

Otherwise, I also use a new CK SteadyGrip hand amptrol device, which is trigger-styled and has a pistol grip, so my hand is never really on a hot torch anyway.

hypforlife32 · Tue Dec 13, 2016 3:46 pm

ahh...i was afraid of that. I really want a water cooled ck20 but wont be happenining until i get some more jobs that make it worth while. Looks like im just sticking with the 17!

C. Livingstone · Tue Dec 13, 2016 5:27 pm

Yeah,

And if you do tend to exceed the duty cycle, you might just consider using the wedge collets, as that's where you'll get the most abuse from the heat, which tends to "corkscrew" a typical collet.

MosquitoMoto · Tue Dec 13, 2016 5:31 pm

Yes, beware the size 9 torch and sustained high amps.

In my own experience...I can thrash a 17 air cooled torch above its amp range for awhile and get away with it. By comparison the size 9 heats up very quickly indeed.

Kym

hypforlife32 · Tue Dec 13, 2016 6:40 pm

C. Livingstone wrote:Yeah,

And if you do tend to exceed the duty cycle, you might just consider using the wedge collets, as that's where you'll get the most abuse from the heat, which tends to "corkscrew" a typical collet.

Im experiencing now what this exactly means. My normal "half" looking collet has taken a dive. It barely holds the tungsten in there. I might has to stop at the LWS and get a new piece. I hope they have the wedge style. I will be switching to stubby gas lense here shortly

C. Livingstone · Tue Dec 13, 2016 7:21 pm

Yeah,

If you use the stubby gas lens, it will then take a different size wedge collet on a 17 torch.

It's a little tricky: a 9/20 torch is called "2 series", a 17/26 torch is called a "3 series", but when you use a stubby gas lens on a "3 series" torch, it will then take a "4 series" wedge collet. AND, you'll be using a "2 series" alumina cup on that assembly!

Ha, ha, ha... no kidding!

But, honestly, it's worth the trouble of sorting it out, I think.

Anyway, if you have trouble getting some locally, Amazon has them, via WeldFabulous as a seller there, with free shipping and no extortion paid for most areas. https://www.amazon.com/CK-4C332GS-Colle ... dge+collet

And I believe they're a CK Worldwide only product, beginning with the series "4" number for a 17 torch and a stubby gas lens. But they're seemingly only sold in packs of 5 on Amazon lately, cheaply enough though. But they don't wear out to speak of, so maybe you could phone WeldFabulous and ask them to mix a few sizes.