My TIG Torch Cooler

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I upgraded to a water-cooled torch a long time ago and up until recently I was using a 5 gallon bucket as a coolant reservoir for the torch.  The lines connecting my pump, heat x-changer and torch were snaking over my machine in a disorderly fashion.I tossed around the idea of buying a Lincoln coolmate ? and finally decided I could build a custom cooler that exactly fit my needs for less money.  My build tally is as follows:Procon adjustable pressure pump = 74Carbonator motor = 38Heat x-changer (NOS chevy pick-up heater core) = 243/8 Hose = 10Billet Al. filler = 15Brass fittings = 12Other fittings = 8Flowmeter = 7Glycerin filled pressure gauge = 5Muffin Fan = 0  (out of a used computer)Aluminum sheet = 15 worth +/-As an over estimate I spent about $ 250.  Figure that a base line unit will run you about 355 + and higher end models can run as much as 700 +.  Overall I really enjoyed the project.  And like everything else that I have built, I get great satisfaction when using it.   Enjoy the pictures below.Was testing tig techniques (fusion shown)Mounting brackets affixed ready to weldfrontal view-Graham-Mechanical EngineerAutosport Mechanic/Fabricator
Reply:Graham - that is the best looking home made water cooler I've ever seen! Great job!John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:Originally Posted by MicroZoneGraham - that is the best looking home made water cooler I've ever seen! Great job!
Reply:Hey graham,I'll also just add my commending your work....SUPERB!! Your talent and quality indicate your nature.....a true craftsman.....DennyComplete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:THAT looks great.  where did you get the flow meter?I have a carbonator pump just begging to be used... i guess it will give me an excuse to upgrade to a water cooled torch.
Reply:Graham, that cooler is awesome!!!And then, after so much work...... you have it in your hand, and you look over to your side...... and the runner has run off. Leaving you holding the prize, wondering when the runner will return.
Reply:Graham,             Great job !                                                                                                                                                                                                 I am almost ready to build mine. I have a cooling unit from a "Sub Zero" walk-in cooler (radiator and fan set up) and I am going to build the tank from aluminum with the Procon pump. What pressure and flow rate am I looking for?MikeLast edited by MJDamiani; 06-28-2007 at 12:39 AM.
Reply:great job that thing is pimpen350P 30A spool gun cut master 51  syncro 250 other stuff " take a dog off the street and make him prosper and he will not bite you sad the same cannot be said for man" i didnt use punctuation just to piss you off
Reply:Nice looking tool there. Nothing hillbilly about that. Fine job Sir !!Anything worth doing is worth doing RIGHT
Reply:Nice job!!!... quick question.. If I have your flow right; why did you decide to cool before the pump? Its always a better idea to run the heat x-changer right before your output. The heat soak from the pump eventually kills your efficiency. No matter what your efficiency is to begin with.. when your system reaches steady state your ability to cool after hitting your sump (now hot) and pump (heat soaked) is diminshed. The work required to drop that entire sump's temp down just a little is exponentially higher than if you were just to drop only the fluid exiting the system. I hope that fan is run in a push configuration so it serves double duty to pull heat from that motor.My comments are only valid provided I have your flow right. Sorry to sound anal.. but I've spent waaay too much time in grad school doing thermo work rather than enjoying life.That fusion weld is uber cool! Clean..BTW Where did you go to school? I just finished my Masters in ME at Virginia Tech.Last edited by yellow; 06-28-2007 at 03:13 AM.
Reply:Awsome job.Miller DVI2Lincoln Precision Tig 225Thermodynamics Cutmaster 38Everything else needed.
Reply:Thats unreal.. Nice job.....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:If you could buy such a cooler "off the shelf," it would have cost a lot more than 700 for one as nice as that.Also looks like you made it to fit perfectly in a drawer that slides under your machine?Great job.How is it hooked up?  You mentioned the flowmeter and I think I see it behind the pressure gauge there.  Was wondering if that regulates pump pressure or do you use that so no arc start without flow?  Or maybe both?Favorite right now is a Miller Syncro 200.Tons of tools and I blame at least one of them when things don't go right.
Reply:Very nice.  What is the purpose of the muffin fan?Millermatic Passport PlusMillermatic 200Millermatic 350P with PythonXMT 304 /w S-64 feeder and 12RCDynasty 300 DXVictor O/APremier Power Welder for my trail junk.
Reply:Originally Posted by slamdvwTHAT looks great.  where did you get the flow meter?I have a carbonator pump just begging to be used... i guess it will give me an excuse to upgrade to a water cooled torch.
Reply:Originally Posted by yellowNice job!!!... quick question.. If I have your flow right; why did you decide to cool before the pump? Its always a better idea to run the heat x-changer right before your output. The heat soak from the pump eventually kills your efficiency. No matter what your efficiency is to begin with.. when your system reaches steady state your ability to cool after hitting your sump (now hot) and pump (heat soaked) is diminshed. The work required to drop that entire sump's temp down just a little is exponentially higher than if you were just to drop only the fluid exiting the system. I hope that fan is run in a push configuration so it serves double duty to pull heat from that motor.My comments are only valid provided I have your flow right. Sorry to sound anal.. but I've spent waaay too much time in grad school doing thermo work rather than enjoying life.That fusion weld is uber cool! Clean..BTW Where did you go to school? I just finished my Masters in ME at Virginia Tech.
Reply:Originally Posted by yellowI hope that fan is run in a push configuration so it serves double duty to pull heat from that motor.My comments are only valid provided I have your flow right. Sorry to sound anal.. but I've spent waaay too much time in grad school doing thermo work rather than enjoying life.That fusion weld is uber cool! Clean..BTW Where did you go to school? I just finished my Masters in ME at Virginia Tech.
Reply:That is gourgous!!! nice work...Lincoln PT225Lincoln Tombstone ac/dc 225Hobart HH180Miller ThunderboltPlasma Victor O/A
Reply:Nice chiller, nice welds.  Always a pleasure to see home built stuff.  The retail prices for stuff like chillers, positioners, pulsers, etc. is outrageous!
Reply:Originally Posted by grahamtheengineerQuick question....ha ! Since you asked.......I received my B.S. in mechanical engineering from NJIT (New Jersey Institute of Technology)Currently I am finishing up masters degrees in both mechanical and materials science engineering at the same university.  And as you did, I also took a lot of thermo!  I had the pleasure of studying multiple levels of it:  Thermo 1, thermo 2, advanced thermo (625 ?) , heat transfer, thermodynamics of materials, combustion......blah blah blah..Hope I answered your questions !
Reply:Originally Posted by yellowGreat! Its always cool to find someone that has suffered... errr.. enjoyed as much thermo as I did! Sorry if I sounded like I was nit-picking... just some engineering talk amongst ourselves. Funny, but when I went to bed last night I thought the same thing. I wondered if you set it up the way you did bacause you did not want to run pressure through the heater core. Us MEs always seem to over-engineer or over-analyse things...  at least I do. Great work.. I look forward to seeing all your other creations. Your an inspiration.
Reply:Very nice work.  I must say that's the best homemade cooler I have seen yet.  Thanks for the pics.  ~JacksonI'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:Tops. I love it. One thing I thought was ugly...the 90  degree plumbing elbows. Swap em out for some aluminum or some brass ones....then it's All good.I wish I would have made mine. Yours is so nice looking.Lincoln Power Mig 210MP MIGLincoln Power Mig 350MP - MIG and Push-PullLincoln TIG 300-300Lincoln Hobby-Weld 110v  Thanks JLAMESCK TIG TORCH, gas diffuser, pyrex cupThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 101My brain
Reply:WOW! That looks really nice!
Reply:Originally Posted by Joker11Tops. I love it. One thing I thought was ugly...the 90  degree plumbing elbows. Swap em out for some aluminum or some brass ones....then it's All good.I wish I would have made mine. Yours is so nice looking.I may even have some excess aero-quip fittings and lines hanging around from left over jobs....that would be slick, but an extreme over kill
Reply:Instead of those cast elbows, just make your own billet L's or TIG some pipe or tube into the config you want.Your next stage in the project is to TIG cooling fins onto the entire exterior of the reservoir.  I mean come on, you had a whole 5 degree coolant temperature rise going on there!   With another $110 worth of fins and fans and filler, you should be able to get that delta-T down to 3 degrees.   Nice job.
Reply:Originally Posted by MoonRise      Instead of those cast elbows, just make your own billet L's or TIG some pipe or tube into the config you want.Your next stage in the project is to TIG cooling fins onto the entire exterior of the reservoir.  I mean come on, you had a whole 5 degree coolant temperature rise going on there!   With another $110 worth of fins and fans and filler, you should be able to get that delta-T down to 3 degrees.   Nice job.
Reply:That would be good for "On The Road" jobs... I'm sure you have a spare plug with a mobile unit.......zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Wrong thread, sorry to revive this, although it's a damn fine setup.
Reply:Originally Posted by 65535Wrong thread, sorry to revive this, although it's a damn fine setup.
Reply:Is there a way to get the pictures that were in this thread? Does anyone have them? I realize how old this thread is but I am searching the forum for information to help me build a cooler for my tig. Everyone's comments about this particular one were so positive I would like to see what it looked like. thanksMiller millermatic 251Miller aircrafter 330st, wp201961 Lincoln SA200Ellis 1600 bandsawLogan 820 latheSouth Bend 13"Bridgeport M Head
Reply:I'd like to see it also  I just purchased a ESAB heliarc161 & am going to need some sort of cooler for itIF IT WORKS, DON'T FIX IT2 Lincoln CV-300 / LN-7 GMALinde-VI 253,400 & 450 w/MIG35 feedersCNC Table with Oxweld O/A & Hypertherm 1250G3Lincoln Ranger GXT 250Hobart-MicroWire 300ESAB Heliarc 161ESAB-Mobilemaster 2 CC/CV Feeders& more
Reply:hey guys-I'll get some new pics up tomorrow once I get back in the shop-Graham-Mechanical EngineerAutosport Mechanic/Fabricator
Reply:X 2 on the photos.I just started gathering some parts,I need some ideas/photos to work with.P.S. who did you purchase the lines/torch fittings from?
Reply:I spent a few minutes rummaging through pics and came up with a few from the beginning stages of the build.  As stated previously, when I return from vacation I'll snap some pics of the cooler in it's finished and operational state.  Cheers !Graham-Reservoir (Note: Access plate on the RT side.  Allows for maintenance of the pick-up andreturn lines from reservoir.  Filler cap on LT)    -Brackets and mounting tabs added to reservoir (tabs and brackets hold the pump, heat-x, flow meter, press gauge, lines, and fan in place) more to come Last edited by spiral-cut-bevel; 05-25-2009 at 07:18 PM.-Graham-Mechanical EngineerAutosport Mechanic/Fabricator
Reply:Nice Job !!! I am still in the process of gathering my parts to build my cooler.Just need the motor.In reguards to to the torch and the adapters,etc what should I get.It will be going on a Miller 180.I was looking at the Weldcraft 20 torch.I need everything that comes out of the machine now,fittings,torch,new lines and I think that there is an adapter that screws into the the machine.Does someone make some type of kit?
Reply:some more photos....finished with the cover installedup frontplumbingLIGoomba  -I'm using a WP20 torch as well....It's been a great tool...had one minor issue with the coolant hoses slipping off the connections at the torch head. I ended up brazing new barbed fittings onto the torch head..solved the prob.  Yes, you will definitely need to purchase an adapter from Weldcraft.  The adapters are listed on their site (click here) and can be bought/ordered from your LWS or a web store.  Be aware of the fact that you may need more than just one adapter.  I had to make some couplings out of brass that would allow me to connect the left handed threads of the adapter to the fittings on my cooler (coupling can be seen RT, lower corner of pic 2).  I do however remember that Weldcraft sold the couplings, but why buy'em when you can make'em. Good luck with your build man !  Post some pics !  Last edited by spiral-cut-bevel; 06-03-2009 at 12:51 PM.-Graham-Mechanical EngineerAutosport Mechanic/Fabricator