Welding Tips and Tricks

I recently bought a Lincoln PT225. It came with a PT17(150A air cooled) torch. I also bought 2 Prostar(Praxair) tig accessory kits to give me availabilty to use from .040 to 1/8" tungston. These kits included amongst other things, a short back cap.

Today I bought a gas lens setup in 3/32" to enter the gas lens world. I also bought the appropriate nozzles and insulator.

The salesman told me that I can use my existing collets. Is this true?

He also told me that I will have to use one of the short back caps included in tig accessory kits rather than the welder supplied long back cap. Is this true?

As for the collets working with your gas lens depends. If you have stubby gas lens kit or regular kit. If you bought a stubby lens you will need a shorter collet. Here is a picture of a regular 17 collet the long one and a stubby collet for a 17 the short one. The stubby is a wedge collet in this case. The back caps don't matter. The length of back cap has to do with how long your tungsten is or if you need to make torch smaller to fit in tight location. If you need to make torch smaller just use smaller length tungsten are cut a tungsten down to size and use smaller back cap.

225256 wrote: The salesman told me that I can use my existing collets. Is this true?

If it's a medium gas lens, yes it's true.

He also told me that I will have to use one of the short back caps included in tig accessory kits rather than the welder supplied long back cap. Is this true?

No
You can look at aftermarket parts for #17 torch on this page, it makes it easier to see the difference between collet bodies.

This might help you identify what you got and help you put it all together. It's a flow chart of parts that work with each other for 17, 18, and 26 torches. This first pic is regular cups and collets. Notice the longer collets.

This is the stubby cups and collets

Thanks guys. Upon further looking, i believe I have a Series 3 torch. The gas lens i bought is 45V26(medium). Therefore from the CK chart the collets should work.

One tip...

Unscrew the back-cap before screwing a collet body or gas lens on. If your collet is in there and your back-cap is tight, the collet body/gas lens will "feel" tight before it's fully seated. This screws up more welders (in hurry mode) than you'd expect.

Steve S

Otto Nobedder wrote:One tip...

Unscrew the back-cap before screwing a collet body or gas lens on. If your collet is in there and your back-cap is tight, the collet body/gas lens will "feel" tight before it's fully seated. This screws up more welders (in hurry mode) than you'd expect.

Steve S

The guys at my work do that shit all the time, drives me nuts...And they wonder why they destroy collets.


I recently swapped out some reg collets for wedges, I keep finding them on top of the welder since the so called "welders" on other shifts have no clue what's they are. I wish I could lock out the welders in the main shop, and they wonder why my lil Maxstar 150 is locked in my cabinet

Been said many times - you can't fix stupid !

Rick_H wrote:

Otto Nobedder wrote:One tip...

Unscrew the back-cap before screwing a collet body or gas lens on. If your collet is in there and your back-cap is tight, the collet body/gas lens will "feel" tight before it's fully seated. This screws up more welders (in hurry mode) than you'd expect.

Steve S

The guys at my work do that shit all the time, drives me nuts...And they wonder why they destroy collets.


I recently swapped out some reg collets for wedges, I keep finding them on top of the welder since the so called "welders" on other shifts have no clue what's they are. I wish I could lock out the welders in the main shop, and they wonder why my lil Maxstar 150 is locked in my cabinet

Lol !!! My 280 and my 150 meter leave my truck. Unless I'm carrying it. If there lucky I'll let someone roll the cart there on.