First time using gas lens...wow!

[Ron66]

I bought some gas lenses for my torch and all I have to say is wow! I had to weld a cap on some mild steel tube today. Did a fusion weld. The arc was very stable and I was able to get 1/2" stick out so I could see what I was doing. It made me a better welder. I don't know why anyone would use a normal collet.

[sportbike]

They are available in very large 12 and 15 sizes as well. They consume much more argon though when they are very large.

You can also get extended length cups for the gas lens setups, sometimes allowing you better access if it is tight.

[hobbymachnst]

Cool, I haven't gotten to tig yet with my 256 because I don't have a water cooler. Tomorrow I should get my new CK air cooled torch and be ready to light up. I opted to get their gas saver front end for it with the pyrex cover just because being able to see more will probably help me learn to tig faster. If all the hype is true, I'll get improved shielding and be able to turn the flow down a little.

[jakeru]

I don't know why anyone would use a normal collet.

If you're welding something dirty, like galvanized steel, or material where the back side can't be cleaned, the contaminants can boil, pop, etc onto your metal screens, and ruin them in a gas lens. IME, those are good situations for using a standard collet body.

[Ray C]

Slightly off topic here but, with galvanized metal, you should grind off all the plating within about an inch of the weld area. The zinc in the plating boils off and if inhaled, will put you in the hospital with some pretty serious lung issues and will contaminate your body with hundreds of times more zinc that it's prepared to deal with -much akin to lead poisoning. If you've ever stick welded galvanized metal (where the heat is much more intense) that white powder that coats everything is pure zinc...

If you're welding something dirty, like galvanized steel, or material where the back side can't be cleaned, the contaminants can boil, pop, etc onto your metal screens, and ruin them in a gas lens. IME, those are good situations for using a standard collet body.

[Rambozo]

I don't know why anyone would use a normal collet.

The gas lens cups are a lot larger in diameter than a standard 9/20, so for some tight places it won't fit, extra stickout or not.

Slightly off topic here but, with galvanized metal, you should grind off all the plating within about an inch of the weld area. The zinc in the plating boils off and if inhaled, will put you in the hospital with some pretty serious lung issues and will contaminate your body with hundreds of times more zinc that it's prepared to deal with -much akin to lead poisoning. If you've ever stick welded galvanized metal (where the heat is much more intense) that white powder that coats everything is pure zinc...

It's always a good idea to wear a respirator especially around galvanizing. For example if you are welding galvanized pipe, you may have ground it all off the outside, but it can still boil up from the inside where you might not have access to grind. And to get back on topic, it can then pop up into your weld puddle and ruin your gas lens screen.

[MoparCar]

I didn't know the gas lens would make that much of a difference. It does make sense that it would consume more Argon for the given area I guess. I hadn't really thought of that before. Sort of sounds like use them when needed, but otherwise select the best standard cup for the use?

[Rambozo]

I didn't know the gas lens would make that much of a difference. It does make sense that it would consume more Argon for the given area I guess. I hadn't really thought of that before. Sort of sounds like use them when needed, but otherwise select the best standard cup for the use?

It always comes back to the same thing; Use the right tool for the job.

[jakeru]

I agree that removing zinc near the weld, front and back side, is ideal for safety. Not always practical, or even ideal for corrosion resistance. Sometimes zinc is intentionally added to the back side or even the front side of a weld (e.g., "weld-through primer"), for corrosion resistance. Automotive body panels are a typical application, where it is commonly used this way. (Albeit I think much more often with wire feed than with TIG process, but TIG can be used here, too.) The weld-through primer does not make for a very quiet, gas lens-friendly puddle.

Steel rust is also a really good example that can be really unpredictable with flaring up and showering sparks if you encounter it with your welding arc sometimes. Sometimes it can't be removed from the back side. Let's give an example of, say, filling a hole on an automotive panel, with rust on the back side, where there is no access back there to clean it.

I do use a gas lens the vast majority of the time (> 90%), and I like them for sure. They are more expensive than regular collet bodies to replace, however, and more prone to being damaged when welding dirty stuff.

[sportbike]

Cool, I haven't gotten to tig yet with my 256 because I don't have a water cooler. Tomorrow I should get my new CK air cooled torch and be ready to light up. I opted to get their gas saver front end for it with the pyrex cover just because being able to see more will probably help me learn to tig faster. If all the hype is true, I'll get improved shielding and be able to turn the flow down a little.

You can just hook up the torch to a garden hose with some extra rubber hose, a few hose clamps, and a place to let the water drain. It doesn't take much.

[hobbymachnst]

You can just hook up the torch to a garden hose with some extra rubber hose, a few hose clamps, and a place to let the water drain. It doesn't take much.

I thought I might be able to do that, in fact I considered hooking up my flood coolant pump to the thing just to have some fun, but plasma cutting and stick welding kept me busy until today... I lit up the tig today. I didn't have time to do much but destroy a little piece of aluminum, but it was fun.

[Ron66]

Cool, I haven't gotten to tig yet with my 256 because I don't have a water cooler. Tomorrow I should get my new CK air cooled torch and be ready to light up. I opted to get their gas saver front end for it with the pyrex cover just because being able to see more will probably help me learn to tig faster. If all the hype is true, I'll get improved shielding and be able to turn the flow down a little.

I just use the hose for water cooling. I don't weld enough to justify a water cooler. It's also nice cause as a beginner welder I tend to need to sharpen the tungsten a lot due to contamination and it's instantly cool.