torch rated at 200 amps or more has a ⁷⁄8-in.- 14 thread, right-hand male fitting. An air-cooled torch rated at 150 amps or less has a ³⁄8-in.- 24 thread, right-hand male fitting. While these fittings may look like parts you can buy at your local hardware store, they are unique to the welding industry and are available only from welding suppliers.

3. Standardize Your Connections

To simplify switching from one torch to another, upgrade your machine to accept a Dinse-style plug. For a large manufacturer, this means standardizing the connections to run different applications at different times, accommodate different shifts, and remove and store torches to protect them from theft or damage. Small fabrication

CFIGURE 2 With a gas-through Dinse connector, gas flows from the tank to the connector and into the torch, eliminating the need for an additional gas connection.

BFIGURE 1 On new welding machines,

a Dinse connector plugs into the power supply and locks in place. On older machines, the torch bolts onto the power supply with a threaded stud.

shops also will benefit from the ability to use different torches on the same welding machine. All torches will connect the same way with the

Dinse connectors. You do not need tools to change the torch, and the connection is insulated with a rubber boot.

If you have an older welding machine with the threaded stud, you can buy a stud-to-Dinse female converter to thread onto your machine’s stud connection. A machine with a Tweco-style connection also can be converted to accept a Dinse-style plug using an adapter that mounts onto the machine.

4. Use Quick-release Gas and Water Hose Couplers

Standard gas and water hose couplers require the use of a wrench to tighten the mechanical connection. Changing torches frequently in the field or in the shop can be cumbersome. Like the Dinse connectors, quick-release couplers allow you to change the torch without tools. They thread onto the fitting at the end of your gas and water hoses and mate by twisting and locking into place.

Heavy-duty gas hose couplers are also available and are a good choice for welding in the field.

5. Use Quality Cables

Cables are an often-overlooked but critical component in hooking up your GTAW torch. Because there are only a few tubing suppliers in the marketplace, less expensive cables may look the same as higher-priced cables from the outside. Low-cost cables

Want more information?

Visit www.thefabricator.com; enter the article number (digits only) in the home page search box:

• “Improve your GTAW in 3 steps” 1446

• “Guidelines for tungsten electrodes” 1276

• “The shocking truth about welding” 1222

The FABRICATOR | An FMA Publication March 2007 | www.thefabricator.com

often use bare copper rather than tinned copper, which resists corrosion. This is especially important when you’re hooking up a water-cooled torch. Water mixed with copper and electricity forms a patina. The oxidized copper that forms that patina can flake off and clog the small passages of the torch, water cooler, coolant pump, and filter.

BFIGURE 3 Make sure you have the correct fitting for your air-cooled or water-cooled GTAW torch.

Cable construction also is important and best left to a skilled professional with the appropriate tools. A well-crimped cable won’t pull out of the torch fitting; it will minimize resistance, maximize power flow, and dissipate heat well.

Cables also should be built to specifications so that they do not bunch up inside the tubing, which can cause argon or water flow problems, ultimately leading to torch failure. ■