damaged torch

[dutchman]

The Tig torch on my welder has a nasty cut of approx. 20mm that goes all the way through to the metal inside. The cut is close to where you hold your index finger.
The torch is a weldcraft wd 17, with rubber a coating. I tried gluing it with both hobby glue and rubber glue (without acid preparation), but it didn’t work. Can I just fix it with tape, or is that insane??

 

[irondarren]

I would honestly say you are safer to get a new torch, parweld do equivelent torches to the wd 17 and i dont think they are that expensive.

 

[Drains]

You could wrap it with self-amalgamating tape. As long as it keeps water out, the HF voltage won't get you (wouldn't kill you anyway). The main welding voltage is very low, so no worries there, really.

But as Darren says, a replacement won't break the bank.

 

[Hitch]

A few good winds of tape will be fine, but that has the dissadvantage of making it uncomfortable sometimes.

 

[shenion]

I have a WP-17, I think the whole torch with 25' cable was $75

It gets a bit hot with prolonged use. The head warped a bit. I will be getting a WP-26 torch (200A) so it should handle the heat a bit better and can use the same collets/shrouds etc.

I'd wrap it in tape and keep an eye out on ebay for an new WP-17 or 26.

 

[Weldingartisan]

If it's one of those bendy neck torches - I had two that split, taped them up for a while but the tape kept melting and coming adrift. Bit the bullet and bought a genuine Kempii (it's for a Kempii welder) - a quality torch that will go at max amps all day. W/A

 

[dutchman]

Good advise guys, thanks!
Didn’t know that the torches are sold separately. Most Dutch suppliers will only sell the complete set incl. hose, etc for more than a hundred GBP (>200$).
For now I think I will fix the torch with a krimpkous (you maybe call it shrinksock or shrinkhose or something like that). This probably won’t melt as easily as tape.

 

[dutchman]

All the connections of the hose and torch have a black dusty residue on it. The residue is on the inside of the connections. They don't seem to fit very well.
I am curious as to whether the dusty residue is caused by gas leakage or is just a sort of oxide caused by the electrons moving from brass to air and to brass again?

 

[dutchman]

Tried to renovate the connections today and the black stuff seems to be an oxide.
If I buy a new 150A torch, can it be used at 200A occasionally (at 35% cycle time)?
That would save me some money and I think a 150A torch is a bit more comfortable to handle. Or would a 200A torch be wiser? I don’t expect to do much 200A tigging though since it would probably blow the fuses.

 

[dutchman]

I have a WP-17, I think the whole torch with 25' cable was $75

It gets a bit hot with prolonged use. The head warped a bit. I will be getting a WP-26 torch (200A) so it should handle the heat a bit better and can use the same collets/shrouds etc.

75 bucks!!! Send me one please! They charge me nearly 300$$

What is the max Amps and cycle time you use the WP-17 at?

 

[shenion]

75 bucks!!! Send me one please! They charge me nearly 300$$

What is the max Amps and cycle time you use the WP-17 at?

Here's one buy now at $45.50: WP-17

I have used it near its limit (probably 150). But my gas setup was screwed up. So, the flow was dropping to near 0 after about 10 seconds. It did distort the head a bit.

I will be picking up a WP-26 (200Amp), uses same accessories. About $80.

Of course there is always the Chinese one for £13.33.

 

[dutchman]

Wow, that is cheap!

Cheapest torch I could find was this: http://www.translas.com/images/4CE/4CETIGLINE44.pdf
Sells for 110E, 160$ or 80P (+VAT). Seems like a decent torch for an acceptable price. Only but is the big grip, it seems a bit chunky.