Tig Consumables

admin

Hi all,I'm confused on some consumables. I have a Lincoln PT185.First off, the difference between a "Collet" and "Gas Lens Collet" is that the Gas Lens is some sort of gas saving device? I can't find anywhere online selling these, KP2018s, KP2034s, and KP2037-3.Is it worth getting? I've seen similar descriptions on sites and they weren't too expensive.Also, I don't really understand the parts coding system, especially what "aftermarket" parts are compatible with my TIG.Second, are there short-body alumina caps/Lens Nozzles? I'm still a beginner and was advised by a fabricator to cut the electrodes in half and sharpen both ends. That way, they can be flipped (most of the time) if I contaminate on end. However, I've found that a half-stick isn't always long enough for my torch (PT-17).A too short piece does not get clamped down and simply slides out. So I figure a shorter alumina cap would help.Oh, one more, what are the different size back caps for? Personal preference, tight quarters?Thanks!Owen
Reply:Howdy!  OK, you have a 17 series torch?  then you can get a "kit"  that has all the accesories in it you could want!  They have standard kits, gas saver kits, mini kits, and full kits.  Not to discredit our local retailers, but you can get a "master" gas saver kit on ebay for less then half price, with tungstens, 3 collet bodies for 3 sizes, then a bunch of collets, angles not split which are better, short, medium, and long back caps too.  Then the actual lens part.  You can also get pyrex lenses!  the master kits have 1 clear pyrex gas lenses, which, allthough they get smokey after a bit, make for a great beginners way of seeing the puddle, I have heard. Tig torches are somewhat standardized by the style number.  "17"  is the series of your torch, so any it designed for 17 series will fit all the pieces for your torch!  Hope this helps, Brian Lee  Sparkeee24
Reply:I think you confused me more! But I will do searches on the parts you mentioned and see what I need.I know about a kit for my torch made by Lincoln, KP508 or something. But it doesn't have the lens collets and cups - do these actually save gas, make for a better weld?What do you mean by, "then a bunch of collets, angles not split which are better"?I asked about a gas saver at a local shop and was told that was for a specific torch, not Lincoln's. I guess the gas lens is Lincoln's version.Thanks again,Owen
Reply:Owen - A gas lens is a collet BODY which has a mesh screen used to reduce turbulence in the shielding gas flow, resulting in better coverage of the weldment and possibly less oxidation of the tungsten.  It won't necessarily save you gas (inherently, anyway) but you may be able to get away with a bit less gas flow if you're very careful about it.  If you plan on doing any stainless or titanium, a gas lens is a MUST.  For Ti, you'll want a massive lens and a trailing cup etc. to shield the weld for an extended period of time while it cools, to prevent brittleness (but I digress).  In short, a gas lens is something that will markedly improve the appearance (oxidation wise and by association possibly inclusion/defect-wise) of your TIG welds on a variety of materials.It's important not to confuse a collet and a collet body, since one is the portion that directly contacts the tungsten (collet; looks simple, sits inside the collet body and clamps the tungsten) and the other is a gas distribution/collet tightening screw-in piece.As mentioned, finding parts that are compatible with your torch is as easy as specifying the model number - in your case, it'd be a 17 series as mentioned.  A great place to go is arc-zone.com where you can select your torch model and pick from an exploded-view diagram what you need (or if not ordering, at least write down the part number and take it to your local shop for a pickup since the numbers like 15N65 and the like are pretty much standard).Not to step on your toes here (that's not my intention in the least!) but if you're cutting a 7" tungsten in half and it won't clamp securely in your torch, you're doing something wrong.  Anything over or around an inch should be clampable using the proper collet and collet body.  Check the collet and collet body for their stamped sizes - make sure they match the size of tung you're running.  For example, if you're using 1/16" tung then make sure the collet and CB both say something like:1/16 = 1.6 where 1/16 is the proper size in inches, and 1.6 is the size in millimetres.  1/8" = 3.2mm; 3/32" = 2.4mm.  The tungstens, collets and collet bodies must match perfectly, otherwise the collet won't be properly tightened around the electrode and you'll be in a world of hurt when your torch melts due to internal arcing...Also, the back-cap plays an important role in tightening down the collet within the collet body; if it's not screwed in tightly, you're not giving the collet anything to press against so you might as well not screw in the collet body either... I'm not sure if that makes any sense as stated, but take the torch apart and look at it and I'm sure you'll get it.And to answer the question about back caps - yes, they're for personal preferences (torch balance, view) and when working in tight quarters.MR
Reply:Thanks a bunch blowin   Very detailed, nice explanation.  Brian Lee  Sparkeee24
Reply:Thankeee, Sparkeee.   MR
Reply:Damn, sorry, I didn't get an email notification of the replies. Anyway, thanks everyone, I found some kits on ebay that look like what I need.Blowinbreakers (love that name, BTW, just rewired my garage the other day!), yeah, when I cut the electrodes in half, they just fall out. Sometimes I get "lucky" and cut 60/40 by accident and one size stays in...I checked the collets, they're the correct ones...the black cap is only like finger tight correct?Thanks,Owen
Reply:To clarify, I CAN tighten down my shortened electrodes but only without the alumina cup. If I screw that on, I can't see the electrode. Do they make short ones?Owen
Reply:Owen - thanks for the kudos on the name; it's fitting since my entire garage is running off of a 120V/15A branch circuit... thank GOD for inverter-based TIG machines like my invertec!  Seriously, I have to shut the lights out to get more than 100A of output TIG/60A SMAW.To address the electrode/collet issue, make SURE you have the right size... the collet (outside the collet body - just electrode and collet, held in your hand) should be pretty snug on the electrode.  Mine fit such that the painted band on the end of the electrode makes it a very tight slide over the end - this is what you're looking for.  Also, the back cap should be screwed down relatively tight - probably close to a half-turn past finger tight, since it's the bottom mating surface of the back cap that presses on the thickened rim of the collet, forcing the split halves down into the collet body and thus tightening it around the tung.  Put it this way - if you can slide your collet on to a brand new 7" tungsten and it slides off the end, it's probably one size too big.  This mix-up becomes VERY easy when dealing with 0.040" and 1/16" sizes - they look pretty close to the eye, but there's a big difference in holding capacity.Regarding the stubby alumina nozzles - yes, they do make them.  Check out www.arc-zone.com for a pretty darn good selection - that's where I really fleshed out my collection of TIG accessories, including gas lenses and alumina cups for the lenses etc.I don't know what else to tell you - if checking all the things above doesn't work, you may want to check and see if the collet body you have is actually for your model of torch - 9 series and 17 series CB's are not interchangeable, but they look like they are... if it's not allowing the collet to travel forward enough to clamp down, nothing else you can do will help the situation.Let us know how it goes!MR
Reply:One more thing I just realized I didn't cover...If you are accidentally combining stubby and long collets/collet bodies then you're going to be screwed no matter what.Take a look at this page:http://www.arc-zone.com/catalog/web_...=6383098_13781Check out the items numbered 9/10 and 21/22.  Try and mix/match those parts and you'll be in a world of hurt - the only way it'd actually work would be the stubby collet (21) with the long collet body (9) as far as fitting into the torch, but it wouldn't hold your tung worth a damn.MR
Reply:Are all pt 185's using 17 series torches?