Whether you’re using an air-cooled TIG torch from Weldcraft, or a water cooled TIG torch from CK Worldwide, and you bought a torch package off-the-shelf from your local gas supplier, you probably didn’t get any front end parts included. So then, you looked at the basic set up, bought some to 3/32″ tungsten electrodes — a box of Alumina TIG nozzles for ten bucks and some change, and a package of collets and collet bodies for another ten bucks or so, a few insulators and a couple of back-caps… and went on about your business.
What you could have done–for a few extra bucks–is purchase gas lens collet bodies and the related collets for your TIG torch.
Maybe your gas supplier didn’t tell you about the gas lens option. Maybe you didn’t want to spend the extra four dollars. Maybe you have been using this torch set-up for years and it always works fine….
Or maybe not.
The primary benefit of the gas lens collet body is the way it delivers your shield gas over your weld zone. The gas lens contains a series of screens inside (pictured above) . As the gas is forced through these screens, the gas lens smooths out the flow and eliminates turbulance (which can draw in contaminants–like oxygen–from the environment). This is especially important when you are welding some of those sensitive materials like titanium, aluminum, or stainless steel.
Another benefit of the gas lens is that the tungsten electrode can be extended out beyond the TIG cup (nozzle) improving your visibility of your weld bead.
Now if you don’t want to mess with any of this, you should consider Arc-Zone’s TIG Torch PRO packages, ready-to-weld out of the box with all the top quality front-end parts you’ll need.
And if you really want to WELD LIKE A PRO™ you’ll check out the accessory kits–assembled by our TIG Welding experts. Whether you’re using a CK Worldwide TIG torch or a Weldcraft TIG torch, we’ve got just the kit you need!
For more tips on improving your TIG welding, and your TIG / GTAW torch, check out this article over on The Fabricator: “Improve your GTAW in 3 steps.”
