TIG torch (CK Flex Loc)?

[Richard.]

Maybe I am one of the lucky ones as I have never had a cheaper torch fail!!!!!

Maybe it's my Lorch water cooler that's switches it's self on !!!!!!!!!

I don't think your cooler is saving your torches any more than a standard cooler unless the cooler is not running or run empty etc then even the speedways will die quickly if used without water. I'm not an expert but in my life of torch failures it's usually 2 common places. Hot and cold cycles followed by rapping and flexing causes inferior rubber hoses to crack, perrish and leak and the second one is the soft copper pipes in the neck will only cope with so much strain and a couple slight bends before they eventually snap. Copper cables discolour and corrode if not used with the correct solution but the speedway deals with this better too with the coated copper cables. I think it's a case of deciding the needs from a torch. I weld more Alu than anything else from 1-5mm (30-200amps ac) which is highly stressful on all wp20 torches, the speedway is still newish so I can't go on to say it's the best thing ever yet but so far it's not struggling with all the ac I throw at it. I had a cs310 wc for 2 years before this which I sold to a forum member in perfect nick which got some serious ac abuse.

 

[Piero]

My water cooler comment was said with a toch of jest .

But on a serious not. I have always wondered how and why a torch would fail.

I do wonder though. The ability of some water coolers.

Can they really pump under pressure! !!!?????

Pressure being the key here.

Not saying that's the case. But I have often wondered that.

Has any one has cause to blow down a long pipe full of water in that dia?????

I have tried. And it's bloody hard.

On a 13 foot torch length that's 26 foot of pipe and a torch head .

On the 8 meter water cooled torches that's 50 odd foot of small dia pipe

 

[Chris Stevens]

That's pretty good (£196 all in)
Still not that economic if building for the mls and you want it switched too.
£196+£45(adaptor)+£30(kemppi plug with switch and cable)
£270 all in! I'd rather get it here and have it delivered ready built to go for another £50.
Unfortunately Chris we've selected a machine that's not the best or cheapest to get a torch built for.

Yes true, but the OE Kemppi torch is truly awful and has to go. Parweld torch I have now is fine for lower power settings, but not sure about top end performance, and think power lead size might not be ideal for 230A machine?

 

[Richard.]

Your dead right mate pressure is the key.this is on both ends of the scale too. 40-60psi is the ideal with a little leeway either side. Too much pressure (90 plus) will bust a hose or at best leak at a joint as the hoses soften a lot when warm water gets through them. I could be wrong and Matt will hopefully confirm but I believe lorch coolers are or were fitted with shurflow diaphragm pumps. I've used them before and they are very good.

 

[Richard.]

Yes true, but the OE Kemppi torch is truly awful and has to go. Parweld torch I have now is fine for lower power settings, but not sure about top end performance, and think power lead size might not be ideal for 230A machine?

Oh I agree it's a must on that unit, I too was getting sick of the OE torch. I just don't know if importing one for that machine is as cheap as people think. A Miller or Lincoln or Esab it would be a no brainer or even the Mls without a cooler when you can use a 1/4 adaptor. But conventional wc torches work on water going through the return live and the Mls as you know is gas through live. This eats into the savings from importing quite a lot. And the switch does too because as jim found out the 7 pin amphonal isn't a standard one for a few quid it's one Kemppi use with subtle differences to there machine.

 

[Chris Stevens]

Got a cheap Kemppi adapter brand new from Ebay for £20, so should be able to fit any BSP torch not that much hassle.

 

[Richard.]

If you do get one a

Got a cheap Kemppi adapter brand new from Ebay for £20, so should be able to fit any BSP torch not that much hassle.

thats a bargain I cannot remember how much the Kemppi one was now but somewhere between 60-80 springs to mind. I opted for a parweld adapter in the end as the Kemppi one was twice price for the same item. Nice find

 

[Jim Davey]

Chris if you want to get your mitts on a Weldtec i-head roto-head (Weldtec's version of the CK flex loc) then I have a sample one in the shop for people to have a good look over so they can see and feel the quality. I don't think anyone else stocks them locally, I know you won't buy one (not off me anyway, but the offer is there)

 

[Richard.]

Chris if you want to get your mitts on a Weldtec i-head roto-head (Weldtec's version of the CK flex loc) then I have a sample one in the shop for people to have a good look over so they can see and feel the quality. I don't think anyone else stocks them locally, I know you won't buy one (not off me anyway, but the offer is there)

Are they identical in design to ck flexloc jim? The one thing I really really like about all the torches in the I head range is the fact the heads just swap over. Id make such use of that and have a number of pre assembled heads with various tungstens, caps and cups ready to swap as needed. I bet that's held tight with a patent because it's a genius design

 

[Jim Davey]

I believe so Richard, you just undo the nut at the back and the rotating head part comes right off, takes less than ten seconds to go from one head to another.

 

[Richard.]

I believe so Richard, you just undo the nut at the back and the rotating head part comes right off, takes less than ten seconds to go from one head to another.

It's so simple yet incredibly brilliant.

 

[langy]

It's so simple yet incredibly brilliant.

Thats what i like about mine, its seconds to go from head to head

 

[eSCHEn]

So am I right in understanding here, you keep a (for example) 17 and 9 head set up with collet, lens, tungsten, back cap and rather than undoing the body from the power/gas line you just unscrew it further up and swap over?

Edit: yeah I am, courtesy of Rapid - that is minthttp://www.rapidwelding.com/dynamic/DisplayItemInfo.aspx?c=CK-FL2325SF

 

[Piero]

yes,

but weldtec and CK are not the only guys selling this type of torch.

you can get the same thing a lot cheaper here in the UK

 

[Richard.]

I didn't know ck offered that as well but yeah the idea is quick easy neat change overs. So Id have a 1.6 set up with a no 8 cup and a 2.4 no 7 cup for Alu etc etc. just swap heads, it's great.

 

[Richard.]

Ah I see. Ck only have that on the flexloc type.
The I head on weld tech ones is interchangeable on the whole range. I wouldn't want a flexloc personally but the ihead ball joint looks like a good one. Depends on how well fixed that joint is. Nothing worse that a floppy neck.

 

[Richard.]

Q for Jim. The ball joint torches on the left. Does that offer the interchangeable head?
Is it a very rigid head or does it move with minimal pressure. I'm not a lover of flexy heads really id prefer fixed but if it's rigid that would be fine. Can never have too many . Ain't that right D.

 

[Richard.]

Forgot pic.

 

[langy]

So am I right in understanding here, you keep a (for example) 17 and 9 head set up with collet, lens, tungsten, back cap and rather than undoing the body from the power/gas line you just unscrew it further up and swap over?

Edit: yeah I am, courtesy of Rapid - that is mint

 

[eSCHEn]

Can never have too many . Ain't that right D.

Shush you!

Five torches is not that many.