Gas lens fitment issues

[Shamus13]

Hello all. I'm new to Tig and welding in general but have purchased a machine with a basic 26 torch. Given the benefits I have heard using a gas lens and wanting to make the torch smaller and more manageable given my inexperience I have purchased a cheap stubby gas lens kit to try to help build up some confidence. This is the kit I purchased:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01LXWGETZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The problem I have encountered is when the gas lens is fully screwed in there appears to not be enough protruding to allow me to engage with the threads in the cups body making it unusable. It's as if the lens is too short. The lens bought is advertised as a 17GL116.

Here are some pictures that I hope shows the issue I have and may be obvious to someone what the problem is. Thanks.

 

[Kram]

Think you have torch wrong way around? try screwing it the other side. The lens looks same as mine anyway.

 

[Shamus13]

Think you have torch wrong way around? try screwing it the other side. The lens looks same as mine anyway.

I checked that Kram when I first found the issue. It's definitely the right end as the rear doesn't have the groove on the head or an insulator between the rear of the head and the rear cap.

 

[Matchless]

wrong way around? try screwing it the other side. The lens looks same as mine anyway.[/QUOTE]

here we go again, too much smut on here! or is it just me?

 

[roblane65]

He can't have the torch the wrong way round the white insulater ring will only fit on one way could be that you have a stubby gas lens not standard length .

 

[Popcorn]

Kram means the insulator (white) bit is on the wrong way, take it off and turn it around.

 

[Shamus13]

Kram means the insulator (white) bit is on the wrong way, take it off and turn it around.

The Insulator fits over the groove in the head fine, it physically won't fit the other way round. Checked it against the CK item and it's fitting. Thanks thou Popcorn.

 

[Shamus13]

He can't have the torch the wrong way round the white insulater ring will only fit on one way could be that you have a stubby gas lens not standard length .

I believe it is a stubby gas lens mate. The kit was advertised as a stubby to fit the 26, 17, etc and came with the short nozzles. Are you saying it's the wrong gas lens Roblane and you need longer (standard) lens for use with the short (stubby) nozzles? Thanks

 

[Kram]

Can you get a photo gas lens fitted with no insulator, screwed all the way in, and measure the gap?
After comparing mine, I think its the wrong insulator. I have about 5 different sorts and easy to mix up.

 

[roblane65]

I'm not that well versed with the many variants of tig fittings but as Kram says above it may be insulater is too deep
its got to be fairly simple reason why the threads on the ceramic aren't reaching the lens

 

[Shamus13]

Can you get a photo gas lens fitted with no insulator, screwed all the way in, and measure the gap?
After comparing mine, I think its the wrong insulator. I have about 5 different sorts and easy to mix up.

I'm not that well versed with the many variants of tig fittings but as Kram says above it may be insulater is too deep
its got to be fairly simple reason why the threads on the ceramic aren't reaching the lens

Thanks chaps, I'll take some more pictures tomorrow with just the gas lens in and more of the insulator. Thanks for the pointers, cheers

 

[Hitch]

Its not a setup im overly familiar with, but looks like the insulator may be round the wrong way to me, the insulator is a larger diameter than the ceramic?
If you remove the insulator, does the ceramic fit in the recess that you must currently have facing you?

Some insuators can be hard work to get on, usually push on when screwing the rest together.

 

[Shamus13]

Its not a setup im overly familiar with, but looks like the insulator may be round the wrong way to me, the insulator is a larger diameter than the ceramic?
If you remove the insulator, does the ceramic fit in the recess that you must currently have facing you?

Some insuators can be hard work to get on, usually push on when screwing the rest together.

Thanks Hitch, the insulator at one end has a ridge on the ID and is the same diameter as the torch and the recess so fits into that groove. The other end has a much smaller ID diameter which won't fit over the torch but is just enough to allow the gas lens to go through. I'll have another play around tomorrow with everyone's suggestions and take more pics. The only way I can get the cup to screw a couple of threads onto the gas lens is without the insulator which I know it needs.

As you can see from the first two pictures, the insulator when installed only adds about 2mm up the gas lens body to the start of the threads. If as some have said they have a similar setup working it's almost as if the threads in the torch head are too far back pulling the gas lens further in or the threads on the cup start to far from the rear of the cup. Either way I'll look again tomorrow and take some more pics and measurements. Thanks all.

 

[mdr]

There may be something up with that kit. Reviews on it aren't 100% positive...


Just looking at the gas lens I have...they seem similar but way more seems to be sticking out when screwed tight...

 

[Shamus13]

There may be something up with that kit. Reviews on it aren't 100% positive...
View attachment 262087

Just looking at the gas lens I have...they seem similar but way more seems to be sticking out when screwed tight...

View attachment 262088

View attachment 262089

I did notice that review MDR but took a punt anyway. Could you do me a huge favour and measure how far the threads in your torch head sit back from the front face of the torch? The distance is as pictured in the second to last pic, at least that would answer one question as to whether the threads for the gas lens sit further back than yours. The insulator looks the same, I even filed down the ridge at the front to try and gain a mm. Thanks for taking the pics too, much appreciated.

 

[mdr]

Np...

Stuck the caliper end in there...


...and got about 7.5mm...

 

[Shamus13]

Np...

Stuck the caliper end in there...
View attachment 262108

...and got about 7.5mm...
View attachment 262107

Much appreciated, I'll check that tomorrow against my 26 torch and I'll also measure how far into the nozzle the threads start. Thanks

 

[mdr]

Yep. Interested to know if it's your torch or that kit. As mentioned on this thread there are different types of insulator collars (they kept falling over so I wedged them between cups)...


...but I'm not sure if changing that would help or not. All the ones (bar the extreme right one in the photo above) all work. The extreme right one just doesn't fit on the WP26 torch (not sure where I got that!).

 

[Shamus13]

Yep. Interested to know if it's your torch or that kit. As mentioned on this thread there are different types of insulator collars (they kept falling over so I wedged them between cups)...
View attachment 262117

...but I'm not sure if changing that would help or not. All the ones (bar the extreme right one in the photo above) all work. The extreme right one just doesn't fit on the WP26 torch (not sure where I got that!).

Thanks again, if anything my cups appear a little shorter and the insulator looks much like yours second from the left. Thanks

 

[mdr]

Yeah, the cups in the photo are not important - I just grabbed some to support the collars. Cups of the same number can look different...


You're looking for a stubby set up so they'll be the one in the middle of their grouping (shorter and wider than others).