I got a call from a customer TIG welding high-end aerospace parts. He bought a complete setup from us a few years ago that featured the Weldcraft® WP-20-25-R TIG torch customized to a WP-20-25-Pro™ package by Arc-Zone.com® with all the goods needed for his new TIG machine.
The reason for the call was that the customer asked us to custom build him a TIG torch with “vinyl plastic” gas hose.
We generally recommend the rubber hose leads as opposed to vinyl. They are more flexible and easier to handle. Vinyl plastic hoses are more economical, but they get stiff over time and the water hose / power cable are susceptible to damage from heat generated by the power cable, along with the water pressure from the water-cooling system — you have a recipe for hose failure. Not to mention that the hoses melt quickly when they come in contact with a hot TIG rod, or welded part!
The WP-20-25-Pro™ package that he received features Weldcraft’s high-quality rubber lead set. And that can be problematic — it seems that the rubber gas hose, in certain conditions, can absorb moisture from the atmosphere and it can cause impurities in the weld. This may show up when welding reactive metals such as titanium, molybdenum, nickel-based and aluminum based alloys as well as non-reactive metals like stainless steel.
Based on this customers request we put together a custom HPT™ “High-Purity TIG™ torch package. If you are doing high-quality work and don’t want to settle for an “off-the-shelf” commodity TIG torch, give us a call or drop us an email. Let our staff know that you have a high purity application, and one our technical experts will be happy to put a quote together for you.
I would be interested to know what your thoughts are — do you have an experience with this issue –let me know by commenting below — first commenter get a free Arc-Zone.com® T-Shirt!
