Homemade Tig cooler question

[imported_frank865]

It's NOT!!! Parts are just sitting on the bench waiting for me. God, real life sucks! I haven't touched my dynasty in weeks.

Soorrry....I didn't mean to start anything... Just asked a simple question & got jumped on...

I understand about "real life" especially this time of year!!!

It may take a little while, but I'm gonna get a cooler put together.
How are you planning to route the flow? What I intend to do (unless someone tells me why not!) is: suction from the tank through an electric fuel pump strainer to the inlet side of the pump Output of pump to the torch, return from torch into bottom of cooler, cooler to flow indicator, & return to tank.
Is this anything like your plan?

[Paul Seaman]

Laiky:
I feel you pain, lack of arc time. Bummer! Me too! My new job has me running pretty hard 60 hrs a week seems normal.

When the time gets back to you post a pic for me, of the finished product.

Oh yea another reason for manufacturers to use plastic is as the years go by it wont begin to develope oxidation in the tank and clog the torch, as another issue is the weight of shipping and shop moving, lighter is a posative in multiple aspects.

Peace.

[Fishy Jim]

another issue is the weight of shipping and shop moving, lighter is a posative in multiple aspects.

Peace.

So miller should go to aluminum windings then right?

I don't think weight is a significant factor when the contents are 16# of water (2 gal).

[Laiky]

Didn't mean to come across as angry, just ironic that yesterday of all days i finally got to disassembling the pump i bought from the tank and frame. I'm in a weird situation that only allows me to have access to my gararge on weekends, and you know everybody makes that as difficult as possible! I'm still debating how to position everything and make it as small as possible. I might just use the supplied tank to save time. i have a few days off over the holidays, maybe i'll get some time then. Then again i have this dead camaro!

[Sundown]

Sorry I didn't see see this sooner as something else has been taking my time lately but thats over now. I can report that I am almost done with my cooler, I just need to finish the wrapper and get it painted so hopefully I will be done by the end of this weekend, well maybe not with the paint as its 6º here now and my shop is cold, cold.

I am using a Procon pump adjusted to 50 psi, a bodine fractional motor, 105 CFM muffin fan that has the cooler radiator attached and shrouded with sheetmetal, and an old aluminum turkey roaster to hold 3 gal of water. Air enters from the front, over the motor, thru the cooler and exits via the fan in the rear. Water is pumped via a copper dip tube from the tank to the output side of the pump, then to a 2.5" PSI guage that mounted to front of the front panel, to the torch, back to the lower part of the cooler radiator, then returned to the tank. There is a on/off switch on the front panel along with telltale lights the for the motor and the fan. I have been taking pictures of the progress (slow that it is) and will post when it is finished (well maybe before its painted). Thats all for now as I need to get the kids ready for school, more to come.

I might add that I havn't ordered my #20 torch yet so even if I had it done I couldn't leak check it anyway, guess I need to get the torch on order.

[Fishy Jim]

Sundown, I have my wt20 ordered and my cooler isn't nearly as close to done yet.

I also went with procon, but will be using a 3 core condenser for the heat dissipation and will devise some kind of tank out of stainless sheet (I'm thinking - since I haven't bought the materials yet).

What are you guys using for lines? I've got some rubber air hose left over thats too small for my tools, or then there's automotive fuel hose, could always sweat in some solid copper... What kind of temps does the return side see?

[CoMax Racing]

I used a radiator out of a Honda Civic from the wrecking yard. Cost me all of about 10 bucks. It only about 12"x12"x2". Copper cores, it works great. It would probably cool a 600 amp torch.

[Fishy Jim]

The condenser I got is almost 20" long, by about 9.5" wide and a little over an inch thick (with 3/8" tubes). I'm thinking 600A would be a breeze as well. It was $20 at a surplus place.

[Sundown]

I am using copper tubing for pickup, all the other lines are 3/8" ID tygon reinforced to 260 psi that is certinly stronger than the return lines on those #20 torchs. I put togeather two aluminum oil coolers that are normally used on a fork lift transmission togeather for a size of 5"X5"X1.5", which is the same size as the fan. Both are located in one duct so that the fan pulls air through the cooling fins and out the back of the housing.

[Fishy Jim]

I'm thinking my pump will be mounted below the tank, so a bottom tap will supply water going out. The air hose I have is rated at 300psi, I just don't want to spend lots of time fitting couplings and soldering joints.