[TraditionalToolworks]

Any idea what the correct CK part number should be for the gas lense itself in 2.4mm or 3/32" and heat shield?

Coldman, that is odd, those are longer also, as I said my CK wedge collets measure 30.55mm and 30.60mm, I'm certain mine are all the same CK parts. Your wedge collets are 1mm longer, approx.

I believe these are the part numbers for the 3/32" stuff.

Heatshield: 4GHS (generic, will fit all stubby gas lenses for converting 17/26/18, AFAIK)
Gas Lens: 4GL332
Wedge Collet: 4C332GS

[Coldman]

Yes, weird.
I can get two wedge collets from arczone AU$85 delivered, or weldfabulous AU$74 delivered. Looks like BOC don't keep them in CK. I think I'll just shave them down and be done.
Thanks for sorting the part numbers.

[TraditionalToolworks]

Yes, weird.
I can get two wedge collets from arczone AU$85 delivered, or weldfabulous AU$74 delivered. Looks like BOC don't keep them in CK. I think I'll just shave them down and be done.
Thanks for sorting the part numbers.

You're almost making me feel sorry for you and send you a couple collets. How much is postage to Oz? Do you know?

Someone's gotta have CK parts down under, I can't believe that nobody would have them. Even if they needed send from Sydney (where I would expect them to be), somebody has got to have CK parts.

Seems like a rough place down there, first they take your guns, then your collets...what's next your underwear?

And to make it worse they have plenty of face cream...

[Oscar]

Wow this thread got long fast, lol. So what happened to shaving them down?

[Coldman]

That's cool, thanks for the kind offer but no need. I shaved the unimig ones down to 30mm just now and they work great. I did find one place in country NSW that have limited CK parts but not these particular ones.
They one took semi autos away but they are not needed for long range accuracy anyway. The steaks here are great, the beer is awesome, cold and plentiful - what more does a red blooded aussie joker want?

p.s. they can have my underwear anytime (if that's what they're into), I have no particular attachment. I probably need new anyway.

[Oscar]

The steaks here are great, the beer is awesome, cold and plentiful

That's why I want to visit Australia!

[Spartan]

The steaks here are great, the beer is awesome, cold and plentiful

That's why I want to visit Australia!

I've been a couple times. It's nice. Really nice.

The women there are so beautiful that you're guaranteed to have a sore neck by the time you leave just from walking down the street.

And hopefully you're also fortunate enough to leave with a sore **** for that same reason.

[TraditionalToolworks]

The steaks here are great, the beer is awesome, cold and plentiful - what more does a red blooded aussie joker want?

That's enough to get me there. But we have a chain in America called Outback, I think it's an American 'thang...they really went downhill in the past couple years...the last time I was there the meat looked like it had been sitting on the counter for about 30 minutes before they served it to me...

I'm a meat guy though, so I look forward to going down there for a visit sometime. I'll bring you some collets if I do...

p.s. they can have my underwear anytime (if that's what they're into), I have no particular attachment. I probably need new anyway.

You're only saying that cause you got dibs on Josh's underwear, aren't you?

I see through your $#!T... whoa, an underwear joke...

[TraditionalToolworks]

Got the new collets.

col3.jpg

Coldman,

I recently contacted CK Worldwide to get a free EZ DABR, it was mentioned on WTAT podcast by Art Kepplen, it's something they are giving back to the welding community...unfortunately it is USA only at this time...

However, I sent an email and got a response back in less than 24 hours from Jeff Sharpe, President of CK Worldwide. I thanked him for his prompt response, he said they would get that out to me. I mentioned I use only CK Worldwide torches and consumables, and it reminded me of your collets, which I had mentioned to him.

See his response, below. I wouldn't hesitate to contact them as the "Made in China" is suspect, but more so that CK Worldwide may even send you some collets, and as Jeff notes, the length does make a difference. I mentioned that the collets you had got were about 1mm longer than the ones I got, and I asked about the bag since I have always received mine in the standard blue bag with the CK Worldwide logo on it. Also interesting about the patent expiring a couple years ago.

He's pretty responsive through email, I think a good thing for the President of CK Worldwide

I have obfuscated his email below to protect him against spam harvesters.

Alan

-------------------message from CK Worldwide --------------------------
Hi Alan,

Kind of a strange situation for your friend. Yes the 4C332GS is our design and part
number. Not to say that it is being copied in China by now since the patent ran out
a few years ago. Ours will always ship in our bag with our logo. We do have distributors
in Australia. BOC is the largest and we have a couple of smaller guys as well. If he
buys from BOC it might come in a BOC logo bag but it should have our logo or it should
say manufactured by CK. Since it was a longer collet and not in our bag I would venture
to say that it is a knock off from China. The length is very important to make it all work
properly. You can have him contact me directly and I'll sort him out.

Have a great day,

Jeff Sharpe
President
jeff (at) ckworldwide (dot) com
Phone: 1.800.426.0877

'We never compromise on quality.'

  
www.CKWORLDWIDE.com
-------------------message from CK Worldwide --------------------------

[Coldman]

Wow, we've explored every nook and cranny in this investigation now.
I had the idea that the CK system was slightly different in dimension to other brands or generic knock offs. But this wedge issue is the same across three different brands of torches I have including a cheap bamboo torch I have set up on my positioner. So it's become clear to me now that the non CK wedges are dimensionally inaccurate. There may be "generic" wedges out there that are dimensionally accurate but so far I have not come across any. Only the CK wedges can be relied upon in my view.
So I'm good now because I've shaved what I have down to the same size as the CK wedges, I don't need any more. It's extraordinarily kind of Mr Sharpe to offer assistance to a baggy assed joker down under, it goes to show how much customers and quality means to him and CK Worldwide. If I had my choice I would use nothing but CK gear, I have plenty of it but I have to be realistic about cost Vs small parts orders given the exchange rate right now and the shipping and tax charges that load up the price awfully. It's interesting to read that there are some more traders out there besides BOC that stock CK. I will certainly explore this some more.
Most people round here never heard of CK Worldwide. When I break out my flexloc torch with stubby lense and button back cap to get into really tight joints I usually get people looking over my shoulder with wonderment asking where I got it?
Cheers!

[TraditionalToolworks]

Coldman,

No worries, I didn't give him your contact or even tell him who you bought them from, so no worries if you don't need to contact him.

[Coldman]

I run two torches, a 26 Tigmaster flex head and a 17 CK flexloc.

I run a similar combo, but my 26 had a replaced flex head I got on Amazon, and I didn't like it when I was looking at it earlier, so I nabbed the heatshield off that one as that was the better of the 2. I have some others that are intended for a non-stubby 17 setup, those cups are entirely different. So I can't use those.

I'm curious to compare when the ones I ordered today come in. I also ordered another replacement 26 flex that will handle 250 amps DC according to the Amazon ad.

Currently have different insulators fitted. On the tigmaster the lense doesn't seal on the insulator but the cup does is it works good.

I stand by my original comments, these torch parts and a giant can of worms with so many part numbers and different components, it's mind boggling. Your 26 looks like the Euro style. My 26 is the standard flex head style similar to the CK.

Then itself measures 28mm overall. No brand again, just electrode size stamping.

I have 2 different types of collets, neither have the actual part number on them, I stand corrected. One type only has 2.4mm on it, and the other type has both 3/32 and 2.4mm. Some definitely came from Jody, but others could be from my local LWS.

It's hard to get CK parts here.

I used to do shipping, well aware of the problem, and that goes for the high duties the AU Govie charges. Computer parts were horrendous. Shipping in general is pretty high, must have to do with not as much product going down there, but shipping from Japan is cheaper to AU than US. Unfortunately the way things have gone there's very little product manufactured in Japan anymore, most of it has gone to China also...that should change in short order.

The UK gets much better flat rate postage than AU does (between US and respective countries). Nothing that any of us in the US have caused, I can assure you of that.

Was having porosity issues recently with my 26 setup. No leaks anywhere else or with the 17 flexloc. Never could find where air was sucking in, it held pressure. Didn't want to screw around with it so at great expense from Uncle Sam, here is the new CK 26 flex head setup:

26 torch.jpg (76.02 KiB) Viewed 1091 times

It's like a 17 in size and weight. Awesomeness.

[Oscar]

Nice. Should have gotten with a valve just in case.

[TraditionalToolworks]

It's like a 17 in size and weight. Awesomeness.

Is that what they call the Slimline?

[Coldman]

Yes. Nice and light.

Oscar: don't need no stinky old school valve.

[TraditionalToolworks]

I might take a drive over to BOC to see if they have any genuine CK parts.
Any idea what the correct CK part number should be for the gas lense itself in 2.4mm or 3/32" and heat shield?

Gas Lens - CK-4GL332 (Stubby, comes in 2-pak)

Heatshield - 4GHS (comes in a 2-pak)