Torch head

[Piero]

Hi

to any one who by now does not know, I am a newbie to tig welding.
enjoying learning all I can.

One thing that struck me as regards to Tig torches, is why are they not conected at the rear of the torch with a snap in type fitting as in air lines.

or can you indeed get them with this fitting????

 

[FranV8]

I've never seen it, but ask yourself this, what is the benefit?

 

[Piero]

saves on cost and time if one was to use differant type torches,

they also rotate so the hose would be a little less restricting

 

[Country Joe]

It would wreck the wiring, I would think.
It's ok for air-lines as they can be twisted indefinitely in one direction without twisting and putting tension on any cables.
All the Best,
CJ

 

[gavuk]

I've followed a number of posts of yours,you have purchased some top notch kit,what are you welding?,I ask because I don't think most of use chop and change torches that often,you anticipate changing torches very regularly??

 

[Piero]

You know how it is, I am new to tigging, the mind is thinking of new tricks etc etc

The kit I bought has a very fancy torch,
BUT having listened to lots of others, they all claim a simple torch is the way forward.
For the work I intend to do, I kind of agree.

As stated in other posts, The fancy torch of mine came at such a good price I was silly not to take it as part of the set up,

seeing as the fancy torch was not in stock, the suplier sent me a free 1700 torch.
I was just looking at it and playing with ideas.

thought it would be so much simpler to just snap the head of the torch off rather than chanching the whole lead hose etc

Every one said, get a foot controller, and a simple torch.
a simple torch wont have anything other than the gas hose.

 

[FranV8]

It'll have to have the heavy welding cable too. If you're thinking of the mono hose design with the cable in the hose liner, the air/gas fitting will need to carry current too, which is more effort to design a reliable connector to be gas tight and a good electrical conductor.

Also, I'm thinking of getting a flexible head wp9, I'd like to be using that with the lighter weight cable that would come with, not have a small torch clip onto a heavy, say wp26 rated cable.

 

[Piero]

ahhh
see us newbies have a lot to learn LOL
Does the hose also double up as a conductor to the torch current, Must do thinking about it.
I just thought it was a simple gas hose LOL

 

[Country Joe]

Does the hose also double up as a conductor to the torch current, Must do thinking about it.

No, it's just a plastic hose!

Piero:- "I just thought it was a simple gas hose LOL"

It is just a simple gas hose, as far as I know!

I'll admit that I've never chopped one open, but the gas hose is just a tube. It's not like the steel wire liner in a mig hose. Even if it was, the steel mig liner is like the thing you hang net curtains from (but without the plastic covering, if I remember correctly) so the gas would just leak out of it anyway.

Besides, the gas connector, (on mine anyway), is separate from the din-type looking connector that also goes into the main hose fabric, which just keeps it all together. The main welding current is connected by the dinse-type connector, that also goes into the main "fabric-feeling" hose. Otherwise there'd be a proper tangle of hoses & cables to fight with.

Sort of makes sense that they do it like they do, when you take a gander at it all. I'm starting to think you're going to set about inventing a whole new tig torch connecting system!

Alll the Best,
CJ

 

[Piero]

Just simply looked down the end of my gas hose, not the torch end but the tig end.

Very hard to see but it looks like there is a copper braided liner that lines the inside of the hose.
How else can the currant be carried to the torch and tungsten

 

[FranV8]

You've got a mono cable. alternative is a separate cable and hose.

The monocables I think all use an adapter when used on dinse equipped machines.

The outer sheath is optional. First TIG set I borrowed didn't have it fitted,.the hose and cables (don't forget trigger wires ) were taped every few inches. did make for a lighter and more nimble set up.