Welding Tips and Tricks

I was wondering when do you guys change your collets bodies, collets and ceramic nozzles? Some nozzles I have are pretty dirty and I still weld with them. I don't know if it affects welding in any way. But I have no clue when to change collets bodies and collets.

Collets and collet bodies last a long time but collets wear down a bit from sliding the tungsten in and out of them. When you tighten your back cap and your tungsten is still loose then you will know. Cups last until you drop it on the floor or drop something on your torch and break it, a little dirt won't hurt anything. Most tig welders are parts hoarders and have a lifetime supply. Gas lenses can get crapped up once in a while so check your screen from time to time if you use one...if you're not using one...you should be.

Just make sure you don't get any grease or oil on/in the cups. Otherwise you'll be fighting contamination as the oil/grease burns off right into your argon stream. They can be dirty, just not oily/greasy. Same for other parts.

Some context:

I've been Tig welding for around a year now. I weld at least every couple days, either practising or fabricating, steel and aluminium, with all the usual slips, trips and dips.

I've never broken a cup and I am yet to replace anything other than tungsten electrodes. My collets, collet bodies and gas lenses are all still fine. The worst I've encountered is a sooty gas lens that came from a time I welded some aluminium that simply wasn't clean enough. I cleaned the gas lens screen with some acetone and it's back in service.

I guess what I'm saying is that with a little mechanical sympathy, consumables can be made to last a very long time, even with regular use.



Kym

I think my CK wedge collets are 3 or 4 years old. I do change out my gas lens if there is gunk on the screens. I first try to pull off the first screen. If that doesnt work, I pitch it.

Thanks for answers, will keep that in mind.

When I 1st got my welder, about every other time I used it, I broke the cup. I would go & buy 1 & promptly break it 2nd time I (tried) welding. Bought 6 of 'em, & still have 5 left in like 4 - 5 years, or more, go figure.

-c-

Well, I just changed the collet on my torch today for the first time in 3 years. and I weld a lot.

Aluminum, steel, copper all of it anywhere from 50-200 Amps. The cups last, don't worry about them getting dirty, they will be okay. The grease and oil and what not on the cups you only have to worry about once, that cup gets so flaming hot that it will burn off anything you put on it which includes the floor paint in your shop once you do drop it and it melts the paint Done that too many times.

I also changed my back cap as it was stripped out. Came in today and was making something, went to turn my gas on, it was already on picked up my torch, saw a tungsten rod in there already ( I always remove mine). THEN I picked up the torch, swapped out my E3's to a sharp one and the handle was stripped, so I tried taking the cup off and the collet sleeve was warped, I was just surprised at how many things happened to wrong.

Other people use my welder, but not a lot since I weld most things where I work but this was just odd. changed the collet body and sleeve and put a new back cap on and it was good to go. Rarely have to change things, I take really good care of my torch, frequently take it apart to clean it and make sure its happy, keeps my consumables to a minimum