Arcing thru torch lead?

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I was tig welding with my miller 180sd last night and I heard what sounded like the high frequency start while I was welding. Stopped, started again. Normaly you hear the noise for a second when starting the arc and then it goes away. I looked at where the noise was coming from and saw a small arc coming thru the lead. I checked my ground and it was good. I have never had this happen and assume I may need a new lead? Any insight?ThanksEric1995 supra 6-speed. 9.91 @148 mph on e85
Reply:Continuous HF can slowly burn through the insulation.  It'll look like your lead is covered in bee stings.  You can wrap the spot in rubber tape to get a little more life out of it, but if one of those holes is near you, you may get zapped.The HF tends to burn through the thinnest parts first, so having a lead cover to protect the insulation makes it last longer.  I use a cloth (fake leather) zip on cover for the 6 feet by the torch, and have ENT smurf tube covering the rest, back to the cart.
Reply:yup HF will jump thru just about anything, I've seen it go through the side of my torch (into my hand) before.not much more than also trying to reposition your lead and ground so that it doesn't create a shorter loop than the one used by welding, or its not resting on or near a grounded part.Not always possible but it can help.
Reply:scrap it.. like take it to the local recycling center and scrap it for #2 copper.. don't even bother stripping it cause it's #2 no matter what.. but anyways.. cash it in and buy new lead..if you're not livin on the edge, you're takin up too much room..