Build Your Own TIG Torch Cooler On The Cheap

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I built a Tig torch cooler. It costed me about 12 bucks because I had quite a few of the necessary items around the shop. I had a five gallon bucket and lid, hose, clamps and one of the necessary fittings. Here's a laundry list of what I used...The pump I used was from Harbor Freight. Part number 45305-5VGA. It's currently on sale for $5.99 if you print this add and take it to the store with you or order it online. If you miss the sale, it's only $9.99 Here's a link to the pump... http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=45305 This pump is submersible so it just sits in the coolant reservoir and connects to your output hose.I needed a fitting to adapt the input hose on the torch to 3/8" clear rubber hose. Airgas is a local welding supply that is common in my area. They have a fitting that converts the 5/8-24 LH thread of the torch's inlet hose fitting to 3/8" NPT. To that I had to use a barbed fitting that threaded over the coupler and had a hose barb 1/4" OD. The couple was about 3 bucks and the barbed fitting from the hardware was about a buck.The only other fitting I needed was also available at Airgas and was a male 5/8-24 LH on one end and a hose barb on the other end. This fitting screws into the power lug where the water returns from the power cable on the torch. You could also use the same fitting I used to connect the input hose as described in the last paragraph but this was a little cleaper do do less parts. This fitting was right around 3 bucks as well.I used 3/8" clear rubber (or more likely vinyl) hose from the local hardware to connect the barbed fitting to the pump I got from Harbor Freight. I used the same hose to connect the output from the torch which is also the power cable to the coolant reservoir. The coolant reservoir was simply a five gallon bucket and lid. I have several around as I use them to store used motor oil until I take it to the recycler. I also use it to collect used cooking oil for my biodiesel processor...a whole other story. At the time I bought the buckets at Menards, which is a home store in my area, I paid about 5 bucks for the bucket and 2 or 2.50 for the lid.The only other item required was a hand full of 5/16" hose clamps. Four to be exact and were about 50 cents a piece.I assembled the fitting and hoses as described above, fed the hoses through a hole I cut in the buckets lid, poured water in and plugged it in. Later I'll get some coolant for it. I live in a cold winter climate so the antifreeze is a must. I'm going to use automotive antifreeze which is about 9 bucks or so a gallon pure and about 5 or so for the 50/50 pre-mix. I know some say not to use automotive antifreeze but many say it is fine and it's quite a bit cheaper than the stuff from the LWS. I should only need about 1 quart of antifreeze to keep my 3 gallons of coolant from freezing. But I'll probably go ahead and use half a gallon to be save. The other half a gallon won't go to waste around my place. I have 6 cars and an old beat up plow truck that leaks coolant. If you don't have any of the necessary items laying around like I did and have to go out and purchase all of the required components, it'll cost you right around 29 bucks plus tax and antifreeze if necessary.I got creative and with an addition fitting  or two, which I had, I was able to use 1/2" ID garden hose that I had lying around.If I've omitted anything or have any questions, feel free to ask.Obviously if you want a really good quality, reliable and expensive unit you're going to spend considerably more money than 29 bucks. It was recommended that I use a Procon pump which is considerable more expensive and you might want to build a steel or aluminum enclosure and maybe you want to use pipe or copper tubing to plumb the thing. Cha ching. I'd love to have all the best stuff in my cooler but I'm pretty broke. And I really really need to practice. Who knows, maybe I'll never catch on to tig welding. This way I haven't spent much money to get a cooler that works. Besides, there's a certain feeling of accomplishment that comes from building you're very own special and unique tool.I need to test how much coolant is returned to the reservoir. It sure doesn't seem like much but I believe it's enough. If not I'll need to step up to the slightly beefier pump which was about 10 bucks.Wayne
Reply:I admire your initiative in building an economical TIG torch cooler, but be careful about how much current you put through your torch.Most commercial coolers provide something on the order of 40 PSI or more at the input of the cooling water hose to provide sufficient cooling water flow to the torch AND the cable inside the cooling hose for rated current through the torch.  Your rig is going to provide slightly less than 2 PSI (about 1/20 of normal or less), assuming the pump will maintain it's rated 47 inches of water head against a very restricted outlet relative to the flow that the pump is designed for.Your rig will certainly work for torch current well below rated, which, depending upon what torch you are using, may be adequate for your intended training usage.Considering the very limited coolant flow that you will be providing to the torch and cable, you may want to consider installing an immersible thermostat or at least a thermometer in the outlet hose from the torch.  While you might find a suitable thermostat for a few dollars at surplus, unfortunately they would probably cost $50 or more new.Have fun.awrightLast edited by awright; 11-01-2007 at 03:25 AM.
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Reply:I plan to take a couple of shot of it when I go out there today, I didn't have the energy for it last night when I was done building it.But usless? Come on, that parts listed alone is usefull.Wayne
Reply:Sorry I haven't had a chance to take and load any pics. I recently had surgery and most days are great but some are still kinda bad. The last few days haven't been very good. The little bit of time I've spent out in the shop was wrapping up a hemi stroker build project so it could be sent out for boring on schedual.The only issue I'm having at this point, besides being a little leary about the volume of coolant is that the hose I've used wants to bend over the side of the bucket and nearly kink off. I may have to put a clamp over the kink or change to a stiffer/thicker walled hose to remedy the situation.I'll try to get some pics shot of the thing tomorrow. I have to warn though, it's just going to be a picture of a bucket with two hoses and an electrical wire coming out of it. The hoses go where they have to go, no sense in posting pics that show the obvious. Maybe I should take a close up of the fitting connections? Wayne
Reply:I can sympathize with the surgery recovery.  I spent half of September in the hospital, first for emergency 2 AM surgery, then another round to fix  complications.  Knocks the pins out of under you. Worst month of my life.  But just when you think this will go on forever, you start feeling better and forget all about it except for feeling a little tired and except for the war stories (at lieast I did - hope it works out that way for you).  I'm still getting sympathy calls from friends and relatives and I have to think back to figure out why.But I do have a question:  What in the world is a hemi stoker?Consider finding a tension spring whose I.D. closely fits the O.D. of the hose, extend it far enough to stretch it permanently with about one spring wire thickness gap between windings of the spring, and pull the hose through it.  The spring will allow the hose to bend but will support the walls of the hose and prevent kinking.Have you asked the torch manufacturer what water pressure and/or flow they recommend?  I don't claim to know much about fluid dynamics, but I would expect the cooling effect for a given temperature rise of the coolant to be pretty directly proportional to coolant flow.  The point is, be careful about using anything close to rated torch current with your cooler for any extended time.awright
Reply:Sorry you had to get surgery.  Hope it wasnt anything serieous.
Reply:Thanks for the concern about my health and surgery. I had major back surgery. They did a three level lumbar fusion. Which means they took out the disks between the bottom four vertebra and fused them together. This used to be a fairly simple and easy to recover from surgery because they cut you open from the back, removed the disks, bars, pins, screws and bone grafted you back together and sent you home. Now they, for the most part, do the back as described above and send you home for three weeks. Then you come back and they cut you open from the front, scoop your guts either out or out of the way and plate, pin, screw and graft you back together from the front. This requires the orthopedic surgeon to bring in a general surgeon to deal with your guts.When I woke up from the first surgery, I demanded some dinner and was home two days later. The second surgery, I woke up in the recovery in pain worse then I could even imagine anyone having and live through. Had I known it was going to be that painful I would never have gone through with it.The recovery from the first surgery was a piece of cake. Other than the discomfort of having to lie on your metal staples, or in my case not lay on them, it was a pretty easy and fairly low pain deal. The second one though...three words...OH MY GOD!!! It's been over two months since the last surgery. I'm recoverying about as rapidly as they've ever seen for some reason. But I still have issues with my guts where they cut me and dug around in there. Honestly, most days it's fine and I'm ok with the rate of speed in which I'm recovering. But because I get run down so easy, often times I feel pretty useless. All in all I can't complain, the pain is pretty low, I'm taking less narcotics now then before the surgery and I'm able to get out and around and even build a race engine.  The surgery is a total sucess. It just takes so damn long to recover. I'm being as patient as possible and so far so good. I know it'll get better soon.awright, sorry I didn't describe what a hemi stroke is. It's a race engine. A Hemi is a type of engine with a Hemispherical, essentially domed, shaped combustion chamber. A stroker is an engine that has a crankshaft that has a larger stroke than before. The only issue with building a stroker is making room for the extra stroke or swing the crankshaft produces as it rotates the connecting rods around thus making the pistons go up and down. More stroke makes the pistons go higher up and or lower down in the cylinder which provides more displacement. The one I'm working on now started out with a displacement of 426 cubic inches and will end up with 500. Long winded answer, sorry.Wayne
Reply:Sorry I took so long but here are a few pics of the cooler. Let me know if I should maybe take another or different shot of something to help describe it better.Wayne Attached Images
Reply:How does it handle the back pressure from the small in torch tubing?
Reply:It seems to handle it fine. There's a smaller amount coming out of the return hose as a result of the hoses in the torch being so small I guess. But so far so good.Wayne
Reply:That looks really good. The main thing is to verify that you have flow through the torch every time you initiate welding. I guess a pressure gauge could tell you that the system is working.Miller Millermatic 252Miller Syncrowave 200Liincoln AC-DC 225Victor O-A Set
Reply:Just in case you decide to install a thermoswitch to protect your torch and cable, here's what looks like a suitable unit offered on ebay.  Item #  150131827236.  $12 "Buy It Now" + $6.xx shipping.awright