Welding Tips and Tricks

I am just a hobbyist welder, retired from a non-welding career, so perhaps my perspective is limited. But the question is... since stubby gas lens configurations are so handy, convenient, precise etc. WHY would you use the more common medium gas lens? I have .040", 1/16", 3/32" stubby gas lens collet bodies for my WP9 torches and 1/16", 3/32" and 1/8" stubby gas lens collet bodies for my WP17 and FlexLoc torches so I am covered for any size tungsten I wish to use.

I recently used the 3/32" in my WP17 to weld a mounting block to the back of an old 3/8" AR500 gong target. I was using 312 filler, 2% Lanthanated tungsten and running 150 - 175 amps. The longest bead was about 4", I did not notice any overheating of the torch or tungsten. It got me wondering if I would have gained anything with the medium gas lens.

I do try to always use a non-gas lens when I am welding something which I can not clean or have not cleaned as well as I would like. I learned the hard way that a gas lens will collect spatter like a magnet

Perhaps Jody would cover this in one of his TIG series videos.

Ken

less argon?

Taylor,
I also use the stubby gas lens on my 3 series head for my gas cooled Flex-loc and I noticed that when welding for any amount of time around the 150 amp range that the torch overheats. I mean to the point that I have melted the locking screw head off from the inside out. CK says it lowers your amperage rating by about 20 amps and I find this to be close. the stubby gas lens puts your torch pretty darn close to your work. If your not working in tight quarters a 17 torch with a standard gas lens is not all that cumbersome in my opinion.

I have the same torch in water cooled and it holds out a little longer but the head is not being cooled by the water on a Flex-loc so it tires a little faster than a 18 torch would or even a 20 for that matter.

Len

Ok I just ordered a gas lense kit for my 17 torch, not a stubby. So I should be able to lower my amps by approx 20 with the lense kit and maybe turn my gas down a little?

Hey,

I ordered ordinary gas lenses for my wp 17, because they were cheap. The do make the torch somewhat like a blacksmith's hammer, Lol

Mick

TwentyFourSeven wrote:Ok I just ordered a gas lense kit for my 17 torch, not a stubby. So I should be able to lower my amps by approx 20 with the lense kit and maybe turn my gas down a little?

No, a gas lens won't let you turn down your amps.

A stubby gas lens lowers the torch's rating because it will heat up faster with the stubby kit in it.

Oh ok, got it.