Walking the Cup, Breaks the Cup...

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While I was welding a fillet weld on 1/4" MS and walking the cup, I heard this snap sound.  I thought it was something with the steel, but when I was finished the top of my cup fell off.Is there a reason for this?  There is very little weld time on this cup.I have attached a photo.Thanks! Attached ImagesBuild a Barstool Racer at BarFlyRacers.com!
Reply:you have a gas lenz and I can bet were you got it.  I bought 5 that did the same thing, so I quit using the gas lenz for a while.  Then I bought different sizes from the same place and have had no problem.Don't give up, just get moreDavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:I got the gas lens and nozzle at my LWS.  But I do remember actually tightening the nozzle up right before that because I was testing the walking technique and I noticed the nozzle was lose.  I wonder if I tightened it to hard and the additional heat from walking on the joint popped it. I did have a spare and ran two more welds the same way and it did not break.Build a Barstool Racer at BarFlyRacers.com!
Reply:You probably did get it too tight.  Then as it expands, it can crack.  It may be that you put too much pressure on the cup also.  Many people push down too hard when learning to walk the cup.  You should be holding the torch so lightly that if somebody hit your hand, it would fall to the floor....well, almost.
Reply:Hey Engloid,I figured that out after I broke the cup.  I remember my hand started to cramp and I had a bad angle.  I found it much easier to do like you said and barely hold it and walk in through the joint.Build a Barstool Racer at BarFlyRacers.com!
Reply:To tight and too much pressure, relax and have fun. Remember no such thing as the perfect weld 35+ years and I am still just practicing. Jimmy
Reply:I've never had that happen.. ...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:It seems that you may have over-tightened the cup. Above suggestions regarding holding the torch loosely when walking the cup are good, too. I've also never had one break yet. They do sometimes get a littlle dirty and I bead blast them with fine grit to get them clean.Miller Millermatic 252Miller Syncrowave 200Liincoln AC-DC 225Victor O-A Set
Reply:sometimes, if you're using a LOT of heat, they are more prone to breaking, also.
Reply:that happen to me sometimes while welding aluminum especially if i have to use a small cup to get into a recessed joint the cup will get blazzin hot and fall apart like taffy