Welding Tips and Tricks

Does anyone know anything about the #12 Monster Cup that Thecavemanwelder uses? I have seen posts all over instagram and the interwebs of such things but have yet to find any information on where to get them and what they cost. I am also wondering is there a gas lens kit for a pyrex (or similar) for welding aluminum that will allow you to "walk the cup"?

Not sure pyrex would hold up to walking the cup, but I've never tried

LtBadd wrote:Not sure pyrex would hold up to walking the cup, but I've never tried

The sites I have viewed all say DO NOT walk the up on Pyrex. Total gimmick anyway...who needs one? If you're doing it right in the first place, any old pink cup will do fine. Who the hell needs to look at anything but the arc anyway?

I have/had a pyrex cup and although it is really cool looking they are very easy to mess up. And they get dirty pretty easily. A small bit of molten aluminum got on the side of mine and when i chipped it off some of the pyrex came with it

I've used pyrex cups, they break really easy and they melt if you try to walk the cup. I didn't find them very helpful because when you look through them, it's not like looking through a window pane, it's like looking through distorted glass. So it's sort of disorienting because I have a clear view of the tungsten and puddle, then a distorted view looking through the pyrex right above it. I didn't care for it. They also don't block the arc as well, so if you have people or animals walking around, it's a little more likely they'll get flashed. I do like them when Jody uses them for videos, seems like it's a little easier to tell what's going on.

I have read a lot of them and like said they say "don't walk the cup" but I am looking for a all around great coverage cup that will allow for extended tungsten so I can better help my 8 yeah old little girl learn to TIG by watching me. I don't require a pyrex cup just looking for the best option for a gas lens welding aluminum so I get good coverage and good stick out so she can see while wearing my extra hood.

You can buy them from Arc-Zone
https://www.arc-zone.com/purge-gas-equi ... tvpgoe50t3

Its a Fupa 12 cup from Michael Furick.
http://furickcup.com/product/fupa-12-kit/

He also sells the BBW. You don't walk Pyrex (as stated). Even with his "shields" theyre not rated for the heat contact that an alumina is. They do get dirty from any transfer of impurities (DC or AC). They are best used when a long stick out is needed to access a crevice but you need the gas coverage. He also sells his "go-to" #8 cup in Pyrex used for high visibility situations. He's a chassis/motorsports fabricator, so he doesn't spend much time walking cups and his materials tend to be pretty darn clean to start with.

His cups rely on a standard gas lens, secured by an O-ring.

MarkL wrote:I've used pyrex cups, they break really easy and they melt if you try to walk the cup. I didn't find them very helpful because when you look through them, it's not like looking through a window pane, it's like looking through distorted glass. So it's sort of disorienting because I have a clear view of the tungsten and puddle, then a distorted view looking through the pyrex right above it. I didn't care for it.

While that is true, I actually do prefer it, but not for the distorted-glass view. For me personally, with a regular cup, I notice that my eye that doesn't get the arc light (the light that ends up being blocked by the cup at odd angles) ends up dilating the pupil too much. My eye that does see the arc light has it's pupil far too contracted compared to my other eye. For me, that is worse than the distorted-glass view, because I end up with less than optimum depth-perception. With a clear cup I end up with better depth perception from an over-all stand point. I think it's because my eye doctor said I have just the tiniest tiniest amount of astigmatism in one eye. He said he would not have noticed it if it wasn't for [some reason I can't remember he mentioned]. Go figure.

Oscar wrote: With a clear cup I end up with better depth perception from an over-all stand point.

I think I'll try mine again, I need all the help I can get with vision.

MarkL wrote:

Oscar wrote: With a clear cup I end up with better depth perception from an over-all stand point.

I think I'll try mine again, I need all the help I can get with vision.

It's worth a shot. For me it's a very big help, but everyone's eyes are different.

Oscar wrote:

MarkL wrote:

Oscar wrote: With a clear cup I end up with better depth perception from an over-all stand point.

I think I'll try mine again, I need all the help I can get with vision.

It's worth a shot. For me it's a very big help, but everyone's eyes are different.

I never thought of a clear cup like that before Oscar. Makes sense. I just weld towards myself if at all possible so I have a good view of the arc/puddle. Those big cups would be great for Ti but I can't really see the use for one other than they look cool. And they aren't cheap'.

exnailpounder wrote:I never thought of a clear cup like that before Oscar. Makes sense. I just weld towards myself if at all possible so I have a good view of the arc/puddle. Those big cups would be great for Ti but I can't really see the use for one other than they look cool. And they aren't cheap'.

Pretty sure you can get them in a more standard size??

exnailpounder wrote:Those big cups would be great for Ti but I can't really see the use for one other than they look cool. And they aren't cheap'.

Certainly are great for Ti, but, if you need an extra long stick out to reach down into a crevice when welding tube joints, you need a much larger cup for gas coverage. Furcik even recently released a 16 cup. That's almost coverage and a trailing shield in one

cj737 wrote:

exnailpounder wrote:Those big cups would be great for Ti but I can't really see the use for one other than they look cool. And they aren't cheap'.

Certainly are great for Ti, but, if you need an extra long stick out to reach down into a crevice when welding tube joints, you need a much larger cup for gas coverage. Furcik even recently released a 16 cup. That's almost coverage and a trailing shield in one

Expensive! I would be in for a 16 cup if it was plain ol alumina. I found a LWS near me that sells #12 alumina cups...gonna take a ride tommorow

exnailpounder wrote:

cj737 wrote:

exnailpounder wrote:Those big cups would be great for Ti but I can't really see the use for one other than they look cool. And they aren't cheap'.

Certainly are great for Ti, but, if you need an extra long stick out to reach down into a crevice when welding tube joints, you need a much larger cup for gas coverage. Furcik even recently released a 16 cup. That's almost coverage and a trailing shield in one

Expensive! I would be in for a 16 cup if it was plain ol alumina. I found a LWS near me that sells #12 alumina cups...gonna take a ride tommorow

The #12 cup is likely used with the large gas lens collet body. CK Worldwide sells a #18 alumina cup, but it is intended to be used with their gas saver system, since it is a push-on style like their clear pyrex cup setup.

Arc Zone sells their line of Monster cups. I have used the 14, 16 and 24 with good results. I have used the pyrex cups before and did not like how easy they broke. First time I was going to weld up some titanium I broke my #16 with no spare. I did not notice that the puddle was easier to view with the pyrex ones. Im always focused on the puddle and get my face as close as I can. The pyrex cups did have a great diffuser system on them. Never had an issue with gas coverage.

Oscar wrote:

MarkL wrote:

Oscar wrote: With a clear cup I end up with better depth perception from an over-all stand point.

I think I'll try mine again, I need all the help I can get with vision.

It's worth a shot. For me it's a very big help, but everyone's eyes are different.

I know what you mean about the depth perception. I never really figure out why though but I think you nailed it. I end up feeling like I'm welding with one eye shut after a bit and start losing track of spacial stuff, left eye seeing the arc and right eye shielded by the cup. I always thought it was the helmet lens being too far away from my eyes and the feeling that I'm welding looking through a window that was screwing it up. I might have to go experiment with that, I have the clear cups but always used them with the shield. I only used them for their shielding capacity.

Thanks for all the input I will look at getting a cup or three from Arc-Zone since they seem to come highly rated by you guys.