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Hey all ! Newbie here,site is awesome ! Question (also newbie to welding ), in tig torch designations,whats the difference in "wp" , and " sr " ? Is this a Brand thing , or some sort of standard ? In class  we have water cooled Weldcraft torches with wp20.I recently acquired an old Synchrowave with an air cooled torch,no brand stamp, just sr17 on torch.I want to order online collets,cups etc.just want to make sure I'm ordering the right parts.I've found parts labled "wp-17(sr-17) which look right ???????Thanks in advance !
Reply:I'm sure someone will answer your question but in the mean time Arc Zone is a really good place to do business with when you are ready to order.They are also very friendly in answering questions.They also offer educational discounts"Educational DiscountMany of the manufacturers we represent offer additional discounts for educational institutions, so don't forget to ask. We'll do our best to deliver high-performance MIG, TIG and Plasma Arc Welding supplies at a price you can afford."http://www.arc-zone.com/index.phpEd Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:The original TIG torches were made of a hard thermoset plastic molded over copper or brass. WeldCraft the manufacturer of WP torches started in the California aerospace industry over-molding silicone onto used torch bodies after striping the plastic of off burned out hard plastic torches. Teflon cup and backcap gaskets were added to add durability. The founder sold off WeldCraft a long time ago, and started a new torch company. BTW the owner of Arc-Zone was a long time WeldCraft employee.My guess is SR stands for silicone rubber. I don't think there is a specific manufacturer of SR torches, but WP is WeldCraft. In general, the parts the parts: collets, collet bodies, backcaps, nozzles... all interchange for similar style of torches 9 and 20, 17, 26 interchange between manufacturers. TIG torches as we know them haven't changed much over the last few decades.
Reply:If "WP" is Weldcraft, why does Weldcraft make some torches with other designations?  For example, the LS-17 that comes with a Diversion 165?__David Hillman
Reply:Weldcraft makes several different Series of torches. They make the WP, which has been the go-to torch for years. They now have the SC, which is a newer series that they call the Crafter series. IIRC, they have a Legacy Series that you see sometimes, probably the LS referred to. Many of the consumables are interchangeable between different torches. For example the 9 is an air cooled torch, which uses the same guts as a 20 water cooled. The 17, 18 and 26 share the same parts.
Reply:This link has some good info on TIG torches...  http://www.weldcraft.com/pdfs/Weldcr...ll-Catalog.pdf  ...for the record, I was wrong about the LS being a Legacy series, according to the info in the link above they would be a LGC ...