So many people get confused by this… and I posted this previously but that post is archived in the old blog so I thought I’d post this little mini tutorial again.

Your water cooled TIG torch’s 3 lines:
1 black RH thread for gas hook up;
1 blue (5/8 x18) LH thread for water IN– cool water from the cooler ; and
1 red– your power cable with DINSE connector which goes back to the power supply carrying the warm water, and a red water return line off the connector to hook back to the cooler….

FYI: Industry standard is that all water connections should be Left Hand thread (LH), gas connections are Right Hand thread (RH)

Shown here is the Miller Synchrowave, with Arc-Zone.com’s CoolKit(tm) — everything you need to to hook up a water cooled TIG Torch and Weld Like A Pro(tm)….

Not sure a water-cooled TIG Torch is right for you? Think you’re doing just fine with the WP-17 TIG Torch that came with your machine? Check out the article, “Why Upgrade” and then decide.

Another Weld Like a Pro(tm) TIG / GTAW Welding Tip:

Maximize your shield gas coverage by extending your tungsten no further than the inside diameter of the cup (nozzle). For example, if your cup is a size 6 (3/8″ ID) then your tungsten should not extend beyond 3/8″.

OR, if you use a set up like the Monster(tm) TIG Nozzle from Arc-Zone.com, with it’s one-inch-wide cup, you can stretch that tungsten electrode out an inch!

With the gas lens collet body set up, you’ll benefit from a coherent umbrella of shield gas with minimal turbulance– especially great when your TIG welding stainless steel, titanium or other alloys.

You can see this Monster(tm) TIG cup in action at The Fabricator online, “Delta repair welders aim high: an introduction to GTAW repair at Delta Airlines.”

To learn about all your TIG Torch front end part options, check out Practical Welding Today online, “Improve your GTAW in 3 steps: front-end parts that make a difference.”

We got a call from a potential customer yesterday. He was looking for a Pyrex nozzle for a WP-20 TIG Torch. Now we don’t have these nozzles anywhere on our website, so it was curious that Brett found us. So I asked.

Apparently Brett reads The Fabricator magazine, at least the online version, where he read an article written by Arc-Zone’s own Jennifer Simpson, Improve your GTAW in 3 steps: Front-end parts that make a difference:

Once you know some basic information about the equipment on the front of your GTAW torch, you can get the right parts for your application and start improving your welding performance.

An industry-standard manual gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) torch package includes a torch body and a cable set, either 12-1/2 or 25 feet long. Front-end parts generally aren’t included. While it may sound like the manufacturers are being cheap, it’s really in your best interest, because it lets you customize your torch for the job at hand or to use front-end parts already in stock.

…….

Pyrex and Quartz. Pyrex is a low-temperature, nonconductive glass material, while quartz is a high-temperature, nonconductive glass material. These glass materials are hand-blown to make nozzles for specialty torches for microwelding or standard torches that allow for added visibility when welding in confined spaces. While the Pyrex nozzles look good, the improved visibility doesn’t add much benefit for general-purpose welding. After all, you should be watching your weld puddle, not the gas coming out of your torch. Also, Pyrex nozzles get dirty quickly.

CONTINUE READING ….

So if you’re interested in Pyrex nozzles, they will be in our webstore soon, but in the meantime, give us a call!

And do let us know if there is a product you’re interested in that we don’t have on our website…

TIG Welding is everywhere, as you probably already know. And all kinds of people need to know how to TIG Weld. Here’s a pretty well written article from Aircraft Maintenance Technology magazine:

Tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding, also known as gas tungsten arc welding (GTA welding or GTAW), is often used in aircraft applications. TIG welding provides a clean, strong weld joint that makes it ideal for assembling and repairing various aircraft components. In this article, we will discuss the basic theory of TIG welding and discuss some tips for better TIG welding results

Read the rest of the article, “TIG Welding: Tips and techniques for better welding” By Joe Escobar, Editor

A quality weld begins with a properly prepared weld environment, including the material to be welded. This is especially critical when TIG / GTAW (gas tungsten arc) welding.

PREPARING YOUR WELDING ENVIRONMENT

Because contamination is always a concern, high quality fabrication demands attention to cleanliness not only of the base metal, but of the shop as well. The area should be free of air drafts, moisture, dust, grease and other contaminants.

PREPARING MATERIAL TO BE WELDED

Joint surfaces must be smooth, clean and completely free of contamination.

Use only a stainless steel brush. To prevent cross contamination, I prefer to use a dedicated brush for each material I weld: stainless steel, titanium, aluminum, carbon and mild steel. This ensures the best possible results day in and day out.

Remove slag produced by grinding, machining or plasma arc cutting with a file, grinder or belt sander.

Clean the base metal prior to welding.

It’s important that weld joints and weld rod be free of mill scale, dirt, dust, grease, oil, moisture and any other potential contaminant. Foreign substances introduced into the weld can affect the quality of the weld, and in some instances like when welding titanium, will degrade properties that titanium is prized for, such as corrosion resistance.

Many fabricators use acetone or solvent as a cleaning agent. Arc-Zone.com recommends EZ Wipes™, specialized, pre-saturated lint-free fabric wipes that come in a convenient shop canister. One side is abrasive to loosen dried contaminates and the other side is smooth to reveal a cleaner polished surface. This is an acetone free cleaning agent, safe, easy to use, and can be disposed of in the regular trash.

Never use a chlorine-based cleaning solvent.

Weld joints should be kept covered with paper or plastic to avoid re-contamination when not being welded.

WELDING

Oxygen contamination is one of the most common reasons for sub-standard welds, and molten weld metal must be protected from contamination by air. Also, any heat-affected zones, and in some cases the root side of the weld, need to be shielded.

Argon is the shield gas of choice for TIG welding, although in some specialty applications a combination of helium and argon is used.

For thick section aluminum jobs you may benefit by adding helium which ionizes hotter than argon. A 75/25 or 50/50 Argon/Helium mix is available from your gas supplier. Always buy your gas from a trusted supplier, and make sure all the leads and fittings have been tested for leaks to ensure there is no oxygen contamination.

When checking for gas leaks, it’s best to use a soap and water solution and a small acid type brush. Apply the solution liberally to the connection and watch for growing air bubbles, a sure sign of a leak.

Use a high-quality TIG torch like Weldcraft (parts are engineered to fit and work together), checking all gas connections and supply hoses, ensuring there are no leaks. Also check torch insulators and o-rings for proper fit and seal.

More shield gas is not always better!

Increasing the flow rate can create turbulence which actually pulls oxygen into your weld zone. Set your flow meter and do some test welds on material similar to what you will be welding.

This will allow you to fine tune your torch set-up and gas flow rate.

Use a gas lens for your TIG Torch. In fact, I strongly suggest using these devices for every TIG welding application. They are inexpensive and easy to install.

You’ll need a gas lens nozzle or cup. The lens will fit right onto the 9/20 series TIG torches. For the 18/26 series TIG torches, you’ll need an additional Teflon nozzle insulator.

Whether you’re using a standard TIG nozzle, a gas lens nozzle, or a larger nozzle like the
Monster(TM) TIG Nozzle, make sure that all o-rings, gaskets, insulators and gas cups are in good working condition, and fit properly.

Always buy from a trusted welding accessory supplier like Arc-Zone, whether you’re using original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts or aftermarket parts. This is the best way to ensure that all the parts of your torch work together the way they are supposed to.

TUNGSTEN

Thoriated tungsten is often recommended for TIG welding, however, 2% Ceriated or 2% Lanthanated tungsten are good non-radioactive alternatives. Always buy your tungsten from a trusted supplier to ensure quality, and grind your tungsten on a dedicated tungsten grinder, away from your clean welding environment.

Arc-Zone.com recommends the ArcTime™ brand tungsten, formulated with state-of-the-art alloys to deliver balanced migration and evaporation rates as well as outstanding ignition and re-ignition properties. In other words, it works great, and the best part is that it works for all metals, and all machines.

And last, but not least, have fun!

Do you have any tips for TIG Welding Like A Pro? Feel free to drop a comment here on this blog, or send an email to Carmen [at] Arc-Zone.com.

–Carmen Electrode

What do I need to get started in TIG Welding? This is a question we get asked often at Arc-Zone.com, and it’s really hard to answer unless we know exactly what you’re hoping to accomplish.

I can offer a few tips here, covering the basics.

First, you’ll need a welding machine. There are several welding machine manufacturers, the most popular being Miller Electric (a member of the ITW family), Hobart Welders (also a member of the ITW family), Lincoln Electric and ESAB.

Each of these manufacturers offer a quality product, but Miller has a terrific online tool they just launched called the Smart Selector which you can use to determine which machine is right for you.

Next, you’ll need a TIG torch. TIG torches are either water-cooled, and require some sort of connection to a water source, or air-cooled, and require no additional air or gas hookup other than the shield gas you’ll already be using.

Several manufacturers offer some sort of start up kit to go along with their machine. Not a bad place to start, but not necessarily the TIG package that is the best for what you’re going to be doing. Miller, for example, offers a “Contractors Kit” which includes a 17 series TIG torch, a basic accessory kit,
a regulator, a remote amperage control, a DINSE plug, work clamp, gas hose and gas hose coupler. And it comes in nice carrying case, for out in the field.

Don’t get me wrong. The 17 series is a fine torch, just not necessarily the best torch for you. If you’re working in a shop, and have access to a water source, you may want to consider a water cooled torch, for example. Maybe a WP-20 TIG torch– it’s lighter weight, smaller and easier to handle and allows you keep welding without having to stop to let your torch cool off.

One of our customers, David Anthony of Empty Tomb Choppers got tired of burning his hands on his air-cooled TIG torch, “Especially when you’re doing a long run on a seam. I’d be in a hurry to finish before my torch got too hot,” he said.

We upgraded his set up to a WP-20 and he hasn’t looked back since. We offer a complete Cool Kit(TM) for a water cooled TIG torch set up.

When buying a TIG torch, make sure you get the front end parts (nozzles, collets and collet bodies) for welding, and the connectors you’ll need to hook up to your machine. Often welding suppliers offer what is called a Torch Package, which only includes the torch body and the cable set. Be sure to ask if you need an accessory kit for your torch. At Arc-Zone we sell a TIG Torch PRO kit which has 3/32″ front end parts already installed, and comes with a DINSE connector and a cable cover. Our PRO TIG Torches are fully loaded and ready to weld. You may also want to consider adding a gas lens to your TIG torch set up. This will provide a more coherent sheild of gas over your weld zone, which means less turbulance and less contamination. Arc-Zone’s PRO Accessory Kits all include gas lens collet bodies.

You should also have a TIG Welding Flowmeter / Regulator to improve overall welding performance and regulate the flow of gases.

Which tungsten you choose to use, and how you prepare it is an important step, and often overlooked. There is a huge difference in quality of tungsten electrodes out there in the market. At Arc-Zone we not only sell our own premium brand of tungsten electrodes, Amplify(TM) we also offer Weldcraft(R) Tungsten Electrodes. Ceriated or Lanthanated tungsten is recommended for use with the newer welding machines, or for even better performance check out the our own ArcTime(TM) All Purpose Hyperformance tungsten, or Weldcraft’s Rare Earth blend. Whichever you choose, go ahead and spring for the 10 pack– as a new welder you’ll need it.

Other accessories you may want to consider: a fingertip remote amperage control or a foot pedal, a water cooler (if you’re going with a water-cooled TIG torch). And last, but not least, you may want to prepare your tungsten electrodes with a dedicated tungsten grinder.

If you want to take welding lessons, check with your local adult education program, community college, or here in California we have the Regional Occupation Program. The American Welding Society has a Welding School Locator on their website.

And finally, you’ll need a gas tank as well as a good relationship with your local welding supplier for gas (that’s one thing we don’t sell online yet– argon!).

Did you know you can upgrade your older style TIG welder to accept international style DINSE plugs? This will make it a whole lot easier to connect, disconnect, and re-connect TIG torch(es). No tools required, and the DINSE plugs are insulated with a rubber boot.

At Arc-Zone, you can buy a stud-to-DINSE connector for about $30. Put a DINSE plug on the end of your TIG torch and you’re in business.