On the fence

[jdt1986]

I own a power tig 250 ex i do alot of aluminum work and stainless boat railings. I am on on the fence as far as what kind of gas lens to get i need someone to weigh in on the matter.here are my options arc zone they have the kits for the wp 20 :deluxe standard large and pro. the deluxe is the one i was leaning toward but then i thought about why would i ever need a 1 1/8" clear pyrex cup dont get me wrong if i could validate IT i have no problem investing in tools. So thatS when i thought about the pro kit it doesnt use the push on style so that means whenever the weldcraft nozzleS wear out i can order the cheapies off ebay because the push on style is only offered through arc zone and you have too buy atleast 10.
Then the other way would be to cross reference all the part numbers on ebay and buy the cheap gas lens and cups but i dont know if they would last.
I HAve looked on the forum but i never really found anything solid on the matter i could have over looked it. So if anyone has any experience with arc zone or ebay gas lens plz dont hesitate to voice your opinion. I also loOked on jodys site not reallY anything there about the kits or cheapies just something about cutting preferated mesh or what ever to fit the cup tight which i guess would work pretty good if i did my part just dont want to lose money or waste time i have a stainless tank coming up to build in a week or 2.
Thanx in advance for the advice and help

[Grizzly1944]

I think that the folks at arc zone are nice people. But they arent the only. When I was looking up nozzles for small gas lenses they only sold them in packs of ten. Unless you also use your torch as a hammer, the nozzles should last a long time. Any good LWS like Airgas sells them individually for only a couple of bucks. I have the small gas lens collet bodies for my WP20, which are the only ones found in the Airgas catalog.

I just got done with welding up a rifle rest in stainless, and these lenses and cups work very well. You will also notice a significant savings in gas consumption.

It seems that 2/3's the amperage you would normally use for carbon steel, works very well on stainless.

I tend to stay away from Arc Zone and that other outfit in the Chicago area because they tend to take advantage of thier customers.

It always pays to research and shop around. I find that the best deals on this stuff are right down the road.

I hope this helps!

Don

[jakeru]

"push on cup" sure sounds like CK Worldwide's "gas saver" brand of gas lens system. Here is a thread about it:
http://www.everlastgenerators.com/fo...clear-gas-cups

I second to check out what styles are normally stocked by your local welding supply. When you break a cup or collet or some part, it's awfully convenient to be able to get a replacement just right down the street, when you are having your gas bottle refilled. My guess is that your local welding supply won't have any CK gas saver parts in stock. If they can get them, everything will be a special order.

I finally found a welding supply that stocks the gas saver parts, they are not very close to me however. They are actually just down the street from CK Worldwide headquarters. They actually sent me to there once, on their behalf, to pick up a special order they placed for me:
Attachment 2443

[worntorn]

I've got a cheap Ebay on the torch I use the most and an expensive Linde on the larger torch. I can't fault either (other than cost) Tig is a clean weld process so the lenses last a long time.

I would like to try one of the pyrex setups but I'm guessing it won't make much difference for most of my work. With the gas lens you can run with more stick out so there is a little better visibility of the arc.

Glen

[jdt1986]

Settled on the ak4 pro kit from arc zone it was 100 with shipping and comes with everything i need for the wp 20 including a basic slection of gas lens

[performance]

I recently put a small wp 9 into service with a gas lens. The lens works fine, but by no means is it expensive. Its a cheap chinese one. Probably costs less than 10 dollars. Pyrex cups get into some pretty rarified TIG welding skills. They are cool to look at and of course they do deliver what they promise. But their fragility and the type welding most people do, really, I don't see the advantage to have one. But hey, if I had one, or the spare $ laying around for some, I'd definitely give them a shot. Most people I know do regret having to replace the cup everytime they turn around when they "tick" the cup.

Has anyone looked at HTP?

[jdt1986]

Yeah i thought about the pyrex cups but i thought when would i ever need a cup that big. I think it was one of those things like my eyes were bigger than my stomach. Something like that lol

[jakeru]

Mark - I started out with an inexpensive gas lens kit for WP17 from HTP, I'm going to say it cost about $40. It came in a little plastic box with four sizes (.040", 1/16", 3/32", and 1/8") of collet bodies and collets, and four different sized cups, plus a teflon insulator. The plastic box is pretty handy for organizing TIG torch parts. I could use a second one of those plastic boxes.

The HTP kit was a pretty good value at I'm going to say about $40 shipped IIRC, and the quality seems just as good as (domestically made) CK Worldwide brand parts.

I do like the CK Worldwide "wedge" collets and also their "stubby" (series 4) gas lens parts. That's what I am using mostly now on my trimline aircooled torch. They are a little pricey though. I will see how long I can make the screens last and not get splattered with spatter.

[jdt1986]

Hey mark arent you on the east coast? Im in jacksonville just wondering if any how the smoke is your way its terrible here somedays; were doing field work this week yesterday i could barely stand it.

[everlastsupport]

Mark is in Ga and I am in Fl. If you would keep that smoke up there it would be nice, or send it up to Mark I can smell it in the mornings.

[jdt1986]

Its horrible i tell ya never been in anything like it before. Some days you dont even know its there and then other you think the fire is right up on ya how far are you from all of this MIKE?

[performance]

jdt,
I am in Fitzgerald GA, about 50 miles north west from it. It blows this way every night. I am about 120+ miles from JAX. I have friends that live in Homerville. They are getting it bad.

[Wrenchtamer]

I'm in Savannah, just a couple of hours from Mark, it;s hanging pretty heavy here too.

[everlastsupport]

Its horrible i tell ya never been in anything like it before. Some days you dont even know its there and then other you think the fire is right up on ya how far are you from all of this MIKE?

I am a far bit away from that one. But we have other fires in the middle of Florida and they all seem to fine us. Really depends on the wind, but it is amazing how far it can travel. And the drought we have now. You have to ask for water if you eat out. Our water supply, you can walk 40 feet until you hit the water line. And no rain in site so far.

[jdt1986]

Funny thing ive been doing alot of shop work in the past month or so basically when the drought was in full affect were i am and it was smoky as crap in the mid morning to mid afternoon so i was pretty happy to be in doors and then for the past couple of days ive been doing some field work it went ok the first day until about noon then the smoke hit the fan so to speak unbearable i thought man ill be glad when we get some rain. The next it was perfect until 1-2 pm then it just seemed like the bottom fell out in a couple of min all the tools the torch we were scrambling to get it all in the truck everything got soaked including me and my boss the same thing happened today. Oh well glad to be workin.
I received the kit from arczone all in all im glad i bought it but when things start needing to be replaced i will hit ebay (welding city)
here are some pics of the kit and also the weldcraft wp 20 that i pieced together off
ebay and fyi the dinse connector was 38 with free shipping its a weldtec looks to be of decent quality and the cable cover is a profax from my lws everything it very flexible it was 38