Welding Tips and Tricks

The AHP TIG200 came with a flexhead 17 air cooled torch> The stuff that came with the welder 4 years ago fits it fine> When I got it I bought a kit off Amazon alumina cups, gas lenses and cups, collet bodies and collets and of course 600 extra tail caps.
I went to the local "welding supply" shops looking for a new gas lens and #8 cup. They had. They both fit the torch but not at the same time lol. The shoulder on the new #8 cup is further reward, leaving it short of the insulator on the front of the torch.
A week later I buy a stubby gas lens kit off Amazon that has various size cups and 10 clear pyrex cups. I'm now addicted to clear gas cups and stubbies lol. The collets that came with the kit are shit. They will not get a grip on the tungsten. I think the slot cut in them is too narrow not letting them compress enough, or else they are too short.
So, being as I have a bunch of cheap stuff, and a unknown brand of a 17 torch that came with the welder I'm trying to figure out how to determine what part of the equation is not right.
My local suppliers do not stock very much for TIG supplies besides filler rod.

Start buying your torch consumables from https://weldmongerstore.com

Problems solved.

Jim FLinchbaugh wrote:So, being as I have a bunch of cheap stuff, and a unknown brand of a 17 torch that came with the welder

Jim FLinchbaugh wrote: I'm trying to figure out how to determine what part of the equation is not right..

You just did.

As much as I don't want to sound like an elitist or shill for Jody, I'd agree with CJ, he tends to sell top end quality consumables only so if you're in doubt, weldmonger is a good source, and consumable quality DOES vary as you're finding out, I've had 2 cheap 8 cups shatter while I was welding from the same supplier and never experienced a single cup breakage outside of those two, even much hotter than what I ran those cups at. I've gotten a couple gas lenses that didn't shield very well and spend ages trying to diagnose the issue, until I realized it was the quality of the lenses themselves, etc. Your best bet is just to get quality consumables.

Buy CK, doesn’t matter if it is from Jody or anyone else, just buy quality stuff.


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unless you go through tons of consumables it doesn't cost stuff all to buy the good quality gear.

Words of advice I got a few years ago from the repair tech at my LWS.

"With consumables go all OE or all of 1 brand of aftermarket, don't mix and match or who knows what might be wrong"


He also said the Chinese stuff can be wonky and sometimes you gotta mix and match to get stuff to fit properly.


So either buy all good brand consumables or tinker with fit on the cheaper import stuff.

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I'm still a hobbyist welder, but after the torch that came with my cheap welder started giving me fits, I replaced it with a CK handle, and have generally stuck to CK consumables as well.

As long as I'm careful to not go dropping the torch or tripping over the cables (and then dropping the torch on the floor...) I haven't had any issues once I switched.
Before that, I was having non-stop issues with air leakage, since the torch head wasn't long enough to allow the tail cap o-ring and the front spacer/diffuser/collet all to stack and seal.