Fit of gas lens into insulator?

[taylorkh]

I posted a reply this morning. Not sure what happened to it. To recap...

Large gas lenses provide more shielding area. Good for stainless or perhaps titanium where the weld must be shielded until cooled. I purchased a couple just to try them. Rather cumbersome to use.

As to the stubby gas lens... These are small, nimble and easy to get into tight confines. Have a look at weldingtipsandtricks.com. A lot of great videos showing different TIG machines, torches, techniques etc.

Ken

[taylorkh]

I have replied to this twice today. If this one sticks I will add some comments.

Well, this time I think it did stick at least for a while...

The large gas lens provides more shielding gas coverage. Good for stainless or perhaps titanium. On the other hand it is LARGE. Sort of like welding with a billiard ball on the end of the torch. I purchase them, tried them and they are sitting in the drawer.

On the other hand the stubby lens is tiny. Sort of like a scalpel compared to a butcher knife. Great for getting into small tight places. The only down side I have found is that the stubby does not act as efficiently at removing heat from the torch as does the medium. My CK Flex Lock torch gets quite hot running 150 amps with the stubby.

Have a look at weldingtipsandtricks dot com (perhaps this link got my prior posts disappeared?) for some great videos. WARNING. By viewing that site you will 1) learn a lot and 2) want to buy a lot more toys. Based on my viewing I purchased the Flex Loc torch, the stubby gas lenses and upgraded my Diversion 165 to a Dynasty 200 DX (to get pulse capability).

Let me see if this edit stays in place.

Ken

[RWL]

Thanks. All three of your posts appear when I view the thread this afternoon.

Wouldn't the long ceramic nozzle do the same job for getting into tight places as the stubby gas lens? I'm asking a hypothetical since I haven't used either type.

[taylorkh]

Very strange. I now see all of my posts from today. Must be a time warp or a worm hole in the Internet. A loooooong nozzle also has its place. I used one to do some weld buildup inside the receiver of an old single barrel shotgun. Even the stubby would not have reached there. With the stubby and a short button back cap the whole torch can get inside something.

I do like the stubby. It makes the WP17 about the same size and weight as a WP9. I use my WP9 flex from weldingcity for smaller things. Up to 125 amps and usually with a 1/16" or .040" tungsten. With the WP17 and a stubby I am good to 150 amps. With a medium gas lens I have run up to 165 amps (10% over the rated amperage - my interpretation of engineering margin

As a hobbyist welder I live by the motto "more toys are better."

Ken

[RWL]

The 54N01 insulators arrived today and I tried one with the gas lens. If I really screw in the gas lens hard against the insulator - tighter than I normally would, the collet will hold the tungsten. Technically I can make them work, but they really aren't right. I may try putting one of the lenses into my lathe and turning a few thousandths off the diameter of the taper.

[taylorkh]

That is strange. I will measure the lengths of my gas lens bodies and post the results. Just another idea... have you tried a different collet and/or a different back cap? I had a button back cap for my WP9 in which the brass threaded part was drilled out a little too far. It would not press the collet to hold the tungsten. I will also measure some collets and post those results also.

Ken

Update:

Rather than post all the raw data let me report what I think may be of significance.

One Weldcraft and one CK Worldwide (my entire stock of name brand items) have a copper stem measuring 1.273" from the back of the brass (where it is flat, no taper) to the end of the copper threads. My generics from weldingcity and Barren Welding (also on ebay) range from 1.11" - 1.17" along the stem. Again ignoring the taper. So they are about 1/10" shorter in the stem than the name brand. A sampling of collets (of unknown parentage) varied by about .030" min to max.

Even though TIG is thought of as a precision welding process it appears that the consumables are anything but precise. If you have a lathe go ahead and trim off the brass taper. I don't see that it could do any harm. At most $3 lost.

[RWL]

I turned the taper to a smaller diameter on one of the gas lenses. Now the lens seats more deeply into the 54N01 insulator and the collet holds the tungsten. In the photo below, the lens on the bottom has had the taper turned to a smaller diameter.

06 Comparison of gas lenses after turning the taper smaller on lower one (Large).jpg

I hadn't thought about trying different collets. I don't have very many, so I don't know If I have any that are longer and might work with the unaltered gas lenses.

[taylorkh]

Looks good. I documented my process for inserting a picture and posted it here: http://www.millerwelds.com/resources...560#post303560

Ken