Just Thought I'd Show Off My New "Old" Toy

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after years and years of use i decided it was time to get a new torch for my machine as i have burned this one to a nub! i run a lincoln squarewave 175 machine and weld chromoly and aluminum almost exclusively. my ONLY complaint about this machine is that there is really not a good way to add a water-cooled torch nor does lincoln provide many options to upgrade itin the process of replacing my torch i was determined to add a water-cooled torch as it seems i end up doing more and more aluminum work as time goes on. at first i was simply gonna make a small circulating system with a small reservoir as i have seen others do but i ran across an older miller radiator on ebaywell you know how ebay purchases can go. i could tell from the pics that the unit needed to be cleaned up and the seller told me that he didn't know much about the unit other than the fact he knew the motor worked and that he bought it at an auction.when it arrived i was kinda let down... it was all there BUT it was quite a bit dirtier than i could tell from the pics. so i decided rather than risk plugging up my new torch i would at least take it apart and clean the tank. damn good thing i did... what a freakin messso i totally disassembled the whole machine and restored it like an old chevy... and it ended up being a pretty nice machine. i even gave it a fresh black/silver speckled hammer toned paint job. anyways... just thought i'd share what i ended up with. paid $135 for it and should be a pretty reliable machine nowoh and a word on TIG fluids... i know there was a huge thread discussing what to and NOT to put in your cooler/torch. i plan on flushing this machine fairly frequently due to the age of the radiator cool so i opted to fill it with distilled water and run an inline filter as well as filtering all the liquid that i put into the machine. and i took a lesson from our geekier friends (with super-brain gaming computers) who run radiators on their computers. i purchased a product called Hydrx that is used as an additive to distilled water in computers to keep bacteria/algae/etc from growing in the system
Reply:Nice. One thought on the in line filter. Since your concern is a lot of crud in the system, be sure to check and replace that filter. If it loads up, the results won't be much better than if the crud got into the torch. In fact it could be worse. Small particles would pass thru the torch and not affect it, but those same small particals will quickly clog the filter and reduce or stop flow that will destroy the torch. Right now I can't think of a good way to double check flow with out an actual flow gauge. Line pressure may or may not show the beginnings of a restriction in flow..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Look good. Black goes with red better than blue. I think you nailed it on the fluids, just, I don't think I would add the anti-bacterial before flushing the cooler, unless it sat idle while full for an extended period shortly before acquiring.$$$  It takes quite a bit of time for bacteria to form in a circulating system."SOUTHPAW" A wise person learns from another persons mistakes;A smart person learns from their own mistakes;But, a stupid person.............never learns.
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWNice. One thought on the in line filter. Since your concern is a lot of crud in the system, be sure to check and replace that filter. If it loads up, the results won't be much better than if the crud got into the torch. In fact it could be worse. Small particles would pass thru the torch and not affect it, but those same small particals will quickly clog the filter and reduce or stop flow that will destroy the torch. Right now I can't think of a good way to double check flow with out an actual flow gauge. Line pressure may or may not show the beginnings of a restriction in flow.
Reply:Nice job.  I bet it will last you many many moons.What gallon size is that unit?  I may need to read back for that answer. weld it like you own it
Reply:Originally Posted by lewrayNice job.  I bet it will last you many many moons.What gallon size is that unit?  I may need to read back for that answer.
Reply:I just got through doing the exact same restore on a Radiator-1 that came with my Airco Heliwelder. I knew it was dirty when I picked it up, but didn't see the extent until I got it into the shop.There was a leak for who knows how long, and the chassis was darn near rusted through. I spent a lot of time wire brushing, scraping, and sanding what I could. I painted anything that needed it. Replaced old hardware with stainless. Replaced all hoses, gaskets, and grommets...couldn't reuse anything after i saw what was growing in there.It almost looks new.
Reply:Nice work on the restore. I'm eagerly waiting for UPS to deliver my Coolmate 3 so I can try out my new water cooled torch today!
Reply:wow!! got to put my newly acquired/restored cooler to work tonite on my new parts for the racecar... and well i'm mad!!mad that i spent so many years welding aluminum tanks/tinwork with an air-cooled torch!! between the cooler i added and the water-cooled torch i am in heaven welding aluminum now!i'll post pics of my 'project' soon... i'm sure it won't be overly impressive for the crowd around here... but for a 'jack of all trades' like me i'm pretty happy with the results so far