New Welder Gas Issues

[owentec]

Hi,

Have been browsing for a while, fantastic site!!

I've just bought a Sealey 130XT second hand off ebay, its my first MIG welder. It uses the small disposable bottles of gas, which I am finding extremely expensive! Now here's my question: As soon as I open the regulator, you hear gas coming out of the end of the torch... pressing the trigger doesn't really change the gas sound. This means I'm wasting a lot of gas while setting up. What is likely to be wrong, and how easy is it to fix?

Owen

 

[weldequip]

Faulty gas valve inside the torch handle. If it's a brass version I can supply one for you, however, if it's the earlier white plastic type, they are now obsolete. You can upgrade to the brass type by fitting a new torch handle, again, something I have available from stock.
weldequip

 

[Alex]

How much for a binzel type Parweld that I could terminate my Clarke hose onto, had a leaky valve in my Clarke today, could here small amount of gas seeping out when trigger not pressed. Took it apart and fiddled with valve, by twisting it and eventually it stopped being leaky, I would like a nice quality torch though that I could fit to my original hose.

 

[malcolm]

My old Clarke torch does the same thing - valve doesn't seat correctly. I got into the practice of bashing it against something solid when I'd finished welding - does the trick.

These Parweld things are euro torches - they fit to a quick release adapter on the welder (adapter is more than £50 but less than £100), and you'd need a seperate solenoid controlled gas valve inside the welder.

Those solenoids are a pain in the **** - they only start letting gas through when you start the wire feed, so some wire to chop off if you're inclined to prime the gas. Solenoid by itself would be cheaper than a new torch though.

 

[Alex]

So Parweld dont have any torches with gas valves in them.

I dont see anything wrong with a valve in the torch it gets the gas to the nozzle quicker.

oh well its working for now, but not sure how long till it does it again