TIG torch lead question

[idickers]

I am about to upgrade my TIG welder to a water-cooled torch. Is there a need for a 25' length torch lead vs 12' lead?

I have one of the newer inverter machines on a rolling cart. I'll be using this primarily for automotive mild steel sheetmetal and roll cage fabrication in a car, and my aluminum will mostly be accessible to a rolling cart.

[latoracing]

Really would never need a 25' lead, unless you were having to move around a lot. 12' works great for me.

I use an air cooled torch and have no issues with it getting too awfully hot, even when welding for hours. For lower amps on steel / stainless steel I don't personally see the need for a water cooled torch. Now, if you start welding aluminum often, that is a different story.

[idickers]

Originally Posted by latoracing

For lower amps on steel / stainless steel I don't personally see the need for a water cooled torch. Now, if you start welding aluminum often, that is a different story.

Aluminum it is. Thanks for the suggestions.

[crystallographic]

"Roll cage" welding/fab ....
NHRA used to offer specs.
Was .090" wall thickness for some. ... That might tend to get hot, if sustained. Might plan coffee breaks, accordingly? (just noodling the details.)

[idickers]

Originally Posted by crystallographic

"Roll cage" welding/fab ....
NHRA used to offer specs.
Was .090" wall thickness for some. ... That might tend to get hot, if sustained. Might plan coffee breaks, accordingly? (just noodling the details.)

Thanks, Kent! It's for road racing, mostly 1.5" x .095 and 1.75 x .120 wall DOM. I may keep migging the stuff while I explore options with TIG.

[crystallographic]

Originally Posted by idickers

Thanks, Kent! It's for road racing, mostly 1.5" x .095 and 1.75 x .120 wall DOM. I may keep migging the stuff while I explore options with TIG.

Yep, sounds right.
The MIG ain't so bad - if you use dualshield, spatterstop, a quench bucket for the gun ....
preheat can hep, or warm the shop - had one guy call me from N. MI, January, complaining about "crax" in gas welds/4130 airframe.
Hmmmm: "How cold is it in your shop?"
- "Um, 20F."
"Got a heater on your body?"
"...Yes..."
"Why not get another small radiant heater for the area that you are welding? Move it along with your progress on the frame?"
".... Okay."

That extra bit of temp. stopped his post-weld hardening, as I heard back later.....
But that extra 50F also helps weld smoothness/penetration.
Small things matter.

[Tom Fritz]

You can not make a short one long but a long one does not need to be fully extended. Go with the 25' with covered hoses and a leather sheath over all 3 hoses.

[billfunk29]

I have 25 foot on my old transformer machine. It pretty much just sits at the bench. My portable thermal arc has 12 ft. If the machine is easy to move, 12 is best. 25 ft of cable can be a trip hazard most of the time.

[idickers]

Thanks for all the great feedback. I ended up ordering the 25' length. I looked at how I use my 12' air-cooled torch and realized I'm always having to think about how I route the leads to get from the welder to the project, and realized that for me it would be convenient to have a bit more length. So I'll add a hook to my welding cart and loop the excess lead when I don't need the whole length.