Any advice/comments welcomed

[Richard.]

You need to go water cooled then. Ac welding is aggressive on small air cooled torches and quick to cook them under substantial current. If your progressing this well with a 26 imagine how you'll do with a delightful wp20 in your hand.

 

[HughF]

Yes, you need a cooler and a wp20...

 

[K18 NOB]

Just as well its only money ay!

What are the main benefits to water cooled then?

 

[Chris Stevens]

Torch smaller and lighter, less cumbersome, and heats up lass than gas cooled. Not sure its much better than a 9 for beginner though, which is same size as watercooled 20, will handle lower amperage fine, and most importantly is far less costly than a reasonable watercooled set up (maybe £300-400, using s/h cooler).

 

[K18 NOB]

I have a 9 too but it doesn't really seem any different to the 26..... Not that I could notice anyway, although I haven't used it and its still coiled up and un-touched really.

Might give it a go and see if it feels any better

 

[Chris Stevens]

9 should be physically much smaller than 26, and same size as a 20. The 26 is gas cooled version of water cooled 18, which is a torch I have, and is much bigger than the 20s I generally use.

Here are CK torch dimensions: http://www.ckworldwide.com/torch_dim.pdf other manufacturers torches wont be exactly the same but wont be far away.

Best torch I have ever used is CK Flex Loc, which allows you to adjust angle of the head to suit any particular job perfectly. Will run at 250A, which is more than my 240V inverter will go to, but not quite up to the 300A Hitachi I also have.

 

[Richard.]

A 9 is a waste of time on aluminium unless your going to stick with 2mm or less thickness.
Which really defeats the object of having 200 amps to play with.
K18 there is a huge difference between a wp9/20 and a wp26.
I'd say the 26 was double in size.

 

[HughF]

You've got one of those fancy grip style 26's haven't you with a big chunky body?

I'm old fashioned and think mig torch bodies should stay on mig torches, I expect you would find this style of 9 to be more comfortable...



With a simple handle design...

 

[Chris Stevens]

I would suggest getting a 9 torch to help with getting the basics, as its smaller lighter and a lot less cumbersome than the 26 you have. Then when you feel more confidant, and if you are interested in repairing castings or similar heavy duty type of jobs on aluminum, have a look at water cooling, but do be aware this is likely to cost £300-400 at least using a second hand cooler, and a reasonable torch. However before spending money on any sort of upgrades, if you have an entry level TIG set I would suggest having a try on something further up the food chain.

 

[Richard.]

Taking into consideration the lengths of runs, material thickness and your interest in the process I strongly advise against wasting money on buying a wp9. If you buy a cheap one you'll be lucky if 90 amps ac doesn't kill it and if you spend money on a ck or like then you've done over £100 for (maybe) 100-120 amps ac and that is seriously limiting if you have 200 amps on tap. You can build a basic cheap cooler for £100 and buy a parweld wp20 for £80 which is a faaaaaar better introductory way of reaping water cooled benifits. I can advise on cooler building if your unsure As ive made a few nice ones and you could use your new found skill to make the tank. I can only imagine your going to get advise on running a total loss cooling system next and tap off your supply. DONT do that. Not only is it a waste but tap water will eventually ruin a good torch. Water cooling is the best move you could make for your kit and it doesn't need to be expensive.

 

[K18 NOB]

You've got one of those fancy grip style 26's haven't you with a big chunky body?

I'm old fashioned and think mig torch bodies should stay on mig torches, I expect you would find this style of 9 to be more comfortable...

View attachment 80599

With a simple handle design...

That one looks a lot nicer to handle than what I have.

I've checked them this morning and the 9 doors seem a little lighter actually. For the time being ill stick with what I have as its all brand new and I don't fancy ramping up my costs to soon. I can at least get by with this set up its just awkward to get comfy with it.

 

[K18 NOB]

Taking into consideration the lengths of runs, material thickness and your interest in the process I strongly advise against wasting money on buying a wp9. If you buy a cheap one you'll be lucky if 90 amps ac doesn't kill it and if you spend money on a ck or like then you've done over £100 for (maybe) 100-120 amps ac and that is seriously limiting if you have 200 amps on tap. You can build a basic cheap cooler for £100 and buy a parweld wp20 for £80 which is a faaaaaar better introductory way of reaping water cooled benifits. I can advise on cooler building if your unsure As ive made a few nice ones and you could use your new found skill to make the tank. I can only imagine your going to get advise on running a total loss cooling system next and tap off your supply. DONT do that. Not only is it a waste but tap water will eventually ruin a good torch. Water cooling is the best move you could make for your kit and it doesn't need to be expensive.

Makes a lot of sense, I do like the idea of building a cooler....although ill gladly wait a while until I'm at a better standard of welding first. No doubt ill be in touch for some help along the way when that time comes.

I believe the first time I did tig I was using a parweld Wp20....felt really good although I didn't have much to compare it to at the time

 

[HughF]

Yep. both those torches look gash to be honest.... I'm not a fan of those style at all. I will bring a straight handle style 26 with me for you to try (I'm not lugging the cooler and wp20 into the car ) I expect you will find it better... My first cooler was a 1 gallon bucket and a small gear circulation pump. Doesn't need to be anything fancy.

 

[K18 NOB]

Yep. both those torches look gash to be honest.... I'm not a fan of those style at all. I will bring a straight handle style 26 with me for you to try (I'm not lugging the cooler and wp20 into the car ) I expect you will find it better... My first cooler was a 1 gallon bucket and a small gear circulation pump. Doesn't need to be anything fancy.

Awesome cheers Hugh. Will be good to have a "try before I buy" saves potentially wasting money on something I can't get on with

 

[Richard.]

No doubt ill be in touch for some help along the way when that time comes.

It's such a simple task
You need. A pump and a tank. If you make the tank big enough so that volume of water alone keeps it cool that's all you'll need with a bit of pipe work. I try to keep them as compact as poss if if you do this then you need to go down the road of fans and heat exchangers. And the price goes up . A basic 230 v pump and fittings and a bucket will set you back less than a ck torch. If you use a shower pump (works fine)then it can be really cheap. You can use procon or Ceme pumps specced for the job with nice rads and fans and all enclosed but then it gets expensive. Below is the last one I built which was a pricey build but lighter and more compact than most OEM coolers (very efficient too) you don't need to go this far just yet but it's great welding practice as the whole thing was built out of aluminium.

 

[K18 NOB]

Tidy looking job there. Love the idea of using welding skills to improve your welder. It's kind of like giving the machine a gift as thanks for its hard work.

Beginning to get annoyed with supplies though, I built the frame for my welding bench this weekend and the delivery date for the sheet metal keeps moving to the right so I can't get it finished. Was really hoping it would be done in time for Hugh coming over but its not looking likely at the moment.

 

[K18 NOB]

First of all I'd like to say a massive thank you to @HughF for giving up his time and coming over to help me tonight.

Within the space of 10 mins he had practically cured my in-ability to weld inner corner fillet joints! I don't even want to imagine how long it would have taken me to work out what was a very simple fix (in theory).

After watching him run a quick 4" bead on a corner we switched places and with a little coaching my results can be seen below. I think with a little practice ill get this a lot more consistent and tidied up.

Ran a couple of short beads on a bit of sheet also just to show how much he brought me on in one sitting. Still some work to do but I'm now armed with the knowledge. Was really nice to meet you hugh

 

[HughF]

Great to meet you earlier and glad to give you some pointers. You've got a good machine there and definitely have the skills. Watch that arc length and get the pedal curve figured out and you'll be motoring along...

Those blue tungstens are good, I think you will have good results with those moving forward...

 

[koicarpuk]

Hi I'm new to this forum can you please help how do you start a new topic can't work it out thanks koicarpuk

 

[Richard.]

Nicely done. Things look like they are coming together.
Well done Hugh. Natural born teacher by the looks of it.