Welding Tips and Tricks

What is your favorite TIG torch and TIG welder setup?
Best to everyone...Jody
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I use the CK flex-loc almost 90% of the time, I have both an air cooled and a water cooled version. My only complaint is the fact that the head itself is not cooled by the water on the water cooled version. The CK 200 is my favorite ridged head torch and can handle most of the welding I do.

I have a Weldcraft 18 SC if I need to weld bigger stuff and if I want to rattle the sides of the old Syncrowave 700 at work, I have a couple Weldcraft # 12 torches which somebody gave me. The 18SC is plenty heavy enough for anything I can weld with my Dialarc HF and it never heats up, It has the wide water jacket like the CK that was pictured in the video.

Len

I've not yet used the CK Flexloc, but barring that, I don't have anything close to a favorite. Every one I've ever used has at least one thing about it that kinda sucks. Sometimes it's a compromise torch, trying to serve several goals. Sometimes it's a specific purpose torch that's hard to change consumables. My closest to a favorite is my personal WeldCraft PF-20 air-cooled, as it's the most flexible, and I can use 150A in short bursts with a personally customized (shortened) alumina cup. It gets too hot too fast, but is the most versatile torch I have.

I'm slowly absorbing all this, trying to determine what features would be perfect for a TIG torch. I have a handful of conflicting requirements. I would, for one, combine CK's flexloc with a flex neck, to increase the number of approach angles available. I would, for another, want to develop a coolant with a higher efficiency than glycol/water to reduce head size.

(I often weld in extremely restricted places that were never designed with maintenance/repair welding in mind, with limited access, visibility, and working room.)

Steve S

I have decided to go water cooled! Just too many times the air cooled gets too hot to hold! I'm old, I don't like it so change is coming... Bought a Coolmate 4 and now trying to decide on which torch.

The current torch of interest is the CK 200 series CK225SF-FX The Flex-Loc seems to be too radical of a change

Ck Flex-loc 150 air cooled with super flex cable. Great torch, just keep the super flex hose away from a fresh bead. Learned that the hard way.


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At work I have a big water cooled torch, with rigid head, build-in torch switch and amp controll.
I don't like it.

I want a flex lock-type torch, with a light weight hose - AND one of those loose torch switches that can be placed where I want it. Everything still has to be water cooled. I really like that quick inter-changeable flex lock-thingy, that Jody shows in the video.

My main issue when welding is, on some jobs, I end up hurting my wrist, because I'm in an unhealthy position, and the load in my hand is too heavy for long work hours.