How standardized are TIG torch parts?

[DennisCA]

So this handle is more annoying than I thought. At first it was I couldn't come to grips with it, literally. How to hold it and such. But I found a few unconventional positions that felt comfortable, the worst part is how stiff the cable is though, sometimes it wants to twist the torch out of my hand.

Seems the tig torch head can be swapped out for anything between the 130-250A models however.

Also it's a TTK not a TTC, not that it makes any real difference. The 4-pin connector I guess.

THE CK17 with superflex cable and flexible head is looking real attractive atm. Perhaps with a stubby gas lens kit.

 

[Richard.]

I flogged my TTC250 and bought a speedway sw320 which was waaaaaaaaaaaay nicer.

 

[HughF]

Buy a speedway sw320... I have one, best torch I have ever used.

 

[doubleboost]

Not perfect but it may help

 

[DennisCA]

I can't afford a water cooled torch, heck I looked at the price for that torch and I can't afford it as is. I can't even afford a new torch unless I can manage to sell my current one to pay for a new torch.

Maybe sometime in the future if I stumble on a cheap cooling unit, or build one. but for now the harsh reality is I am going to have to with air cooled and yeah, not make use of my welders full capacity. Which doesn't bother me as I would stick weld large things anyway, I wanted TIG for dealing with smaller stuff where pinpoint accuracy is desired.

 

[DennisCA]

Got all the remaining stuff now to start TIG'ing and I've already done so for a few test passes. First it didn't work because I had forgot to swap the polarity... It's not very easy but still quite satisfying and such a clean process.

I still lack filler material though, and it's pretty expensive stuff, I am not sure what I should get, something for plain steel and perhaps some silicon bronze, but what diameter. I'm getting the impression there's no all round diameter for TIG work, its's important to have the right size, more important than the material composition of the filler rod perhaps.

 

[HughF]

Filler metal is expensive??? news to me...

 

[Chris Stevens]

You will find it far far easier with watercooling, and the parts to build a cooler need not cost a great deal of money if you are ok with used (got a Pro-Con pump for £25). Likewise torches, got a very nice little used Speedway torch for £30. If you are wanting to do DC then 1.6mm MS rods are a good start and are pretty cheap. On the other hand if you choose to use new cooler parts, and new torch, then its going to cost quite a lot of money, maybe more than you can afford.

 

[Chris Stevens]

Also depends on what the market is like in Finland.

Yeah, ok, we live in "rip off Britain" but having personally compared things we don't get that bad a deal when everything is taken into account...

Wonder why prices for comparable items in the US are the same in dollars as we pay in £ sterling then? This applies to pretty much everything, not just things produced in the US.

 

[Richard.]

You will find it far far easier with watercooling, and the parts to build a cooler need not cost a great deal of money if you are ok with used (got a Pro-Con pump for £25). Likewise torches, got a very nice little used Speedway torch for £30. If you are wanting to do DC then 1.6mm MS rods are a good start and are pretty cheap. On the other hand if you choose to use new cooler parts, and new torch, then its going to cost quite a lot of money, maybe more than you can afford.

You "might" of got a procon pump for £25 and a weldtec speedway for £30 but that's useless info to pass on to the op saying water cooling is cheap because I have never seen those items come up at anywhere near that price. You'd be lucky to get a speedway secondhand for double that even 3x that would be a rare find.

 

[Richard.]

Wait............ Don't tell me. For that £25 the seller even threw in a 1/3 hp motor for your pump.

 

[Richard.]

Wonder why prices for comparable items in the US are the same in dollars as we pay in £ sterling then? This applies to pretty much everything, not just things produced in the US.

Hand changes Chris. Every body wants there cut.
Speedway is made in the us so it goes straight to shop and sold.
To go to uk you have expensive shipping followed by at least 2 hand changes before we finally pay out marked up price. It's logical that things are always gonna be cheaper bought in country of origin. Leather man, snap on, speedway, Jackson etc much cheaper out there.

 

[Richard.]

To save this thread straying off I'll pull it back in.
@Dennis Aspö , filler metals are only as expensive as the ones you buy. Your really pricey ones containing nickel and Ti and the duplex stainlesses are not gonna be heavy users and you probably won't be buying them once you look them up.
Stainless steel grades vary with 308/316 been the common choices and not too bad on price. Best to buy from known brands IMO. Dissimilar ss is a bit more with 312 been probably the most spendy but it's a great filler for getting you out the s**t when others don't quite do it. I always keep some in house.
Mild steel A15 is not expensive and again I'd highly advise you buy from a good brand as quality does vary and you will notice this

 

[Richard.]

It's not just supply chain though.

Until recently Hope bicycle parts were almost the same numbers in the UK and the US, but they're made here in the UK.

Maybe the initial supply price was the same in £ and less markup was applied in the states, maybe scale economics came into play (10 outlets in a UK chain vs 100 outlets in the US), maybe local taxation played a part - dunno.

My original viewpoint stands though - when you take the entire cost of existing into account it's not hell-on-earth here.

Sure, they get 'cheaper' tools - but it's a little more pricey to have a tumour hacked out over there...

Cost of living vs income also.
Currency strength. Taxes etc. Your average American isn't richer than your average Brit because his tools are cheaper.

 

[DennisCA]

I deleted my earlier post, it was incorrect, here's just some links to show the prices I've seen.

ESAB Tig Rod 13.09, 65 euros for 5kg, doesn't seem to come in smaller units, this should be for unalloyed steel.
http://www.tooloutlet.fi/fi/Tuottee...lle/725/Tig-hitsauslanka+OK+Tigrod+13.09/2833

It wouldn't be bad if I could find a 1kg pack of the unalloyed stuff instead, then I could get one of each size without breaking the bank.... I need to take a visit to a welding supply shop and look around in person and see if they offer that.

316 stuff is quite more expensive, 50 euros for 1kg pack of OK Tigrod 316LSi:
http://www.tooloutlet.fi/fi/Tuottee...4/Tig-hitsauslanka+Esab+OK+Tigrod+316LSi/2059

 

[Jim Davey]

Just quoted 308 at £33.00 for 5 kg as a guide. Excluding vat but that takes it up to £39.60, carriage is about £7.50 UK, so its not a million miles off.

 

[Chris Stevens]

Wait............ Don't tell me. For that £25 the seller even threw in a 1/3 hp motor for your pump.

Yes its got a motor. The Pro-Con pumps are used in things like vending machines, and are not that difficult to find for reasonable money. My Speedway torch for next to nothing was a lucky find, but I guess things like that do come up from time to time, and are not impossible to find.

I would guess cheapest way of all for a cooler though is to buy a non working welding set that comes with cooler? Very often possible to re-sell the welder less cooler for what you paid, which means the cooler comes FOC. My GP2 complete with Tweco cooler (list £900) which worked perfectly was only £100, which isnt a lot more money than the shoddy ROC pumps sold for TIG coolers on Ebay.

 

[Chris Stevens]

It's not just supply chain though.

Until recently Hope bicycle parts were almost the same numbers in the UK and the US, but they're made here in the UK.

Maybe the initial supply price was the same in £ and less markup was applied in the states, maybe scale economics came into play (10 outlets in a UK chain vs 100 outlets in the US), maybe local taxation played a part - dunno.

My original viewpoint stands though - when you take the entire cost of existing into account it's not hell-on-earth here.

Sure, they get 'cheaper' tools - but it's a little more pricey to have a tumour hacked out over there...

Dont think we will have the NHS for much longer sadly..................

 

[eSCHEn]

The ER80S-G ESAB stuff is pricey over here as well Dennis. As Jim says, the stainless stuff is about the same.

Shipping to Finland is about 30 euros from here. Just in case that's an option, I'm sure someone would post out to you