Michael D. Porter wrote:
> A water-cooled torch is my preference, because I used one for years, but
> they do stay cooler than an air-cooled torch, and for long, continuous
> work, they are clearly better (air-cooled torches seem to be the item
> most often bundled with hobbyist machines which have low duty-cycles).
> Note that a water-cooled torch cannot be readily adapted to a machine
> designed for an air-cooled torch, but it is possible. Whatever feeds the
> shielding gas solenoid can be used to engage a water solenoid, too. If
> worse comes to worse, one can always use the city water supply with a
> pressure regulator and turn the water supply off by hand (of course, one
> must then remember to shut the supply off, or the water bill goes up).
I also prefer a water cooled torch. A water cooled torch will be
significantly smaller than an air cooled torch of the same current capacity.
I disagree with the statement that the TIG machine needs to be specially
equiped to handle a water cooled torch. I have a water cooler on my
ThermalArc machine which has no special provision within it. The cooler
circulates water through the torch whenever the cooler is powered, and I
have the cooler wired off of the welder's power switch. The coolant is fed
into the torch cable bundle at the dinse connector that plugs into the
machine. My understanding is that the coolant is generally carried in/around
the power conductor so as to cool the conductor as well as the torch.
Harry Phinney
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