Please tell me that I'm not the only one to do this..

[Protraxrptr17]

I was building a crate out of 1/8 angle (steel) to ship an ATV engine. I was on my knees and using my right knee to operate the foot control. (I guess I'm getting the hang of it if I can do that.) Anyway, I was preoccupied with operating the control and I had just finally learned how to use pulse to manipulate the shape of the weld bead. I was welding the final joint when I smelled something strange. I raised my hood and saw my torch hoses melting away on my next to the last joint. It spewed coolant right as I jerked them away. It burnt a hole in the blue hose and burnt a small spot of the braided stuff off the red one. It burnt the rubber a little bit but it doesn't leak. Please tell me the cable is inside the rubber. I used a small tube to splice the blue hose back together. It doesn't leak and it seems to weld OK. I want to get down on the floor and cry like a little girl. Do ya'll think it's safe to use like this? I still can't believe I let this happen. I always watch for this but I was distracted. Is there an actual splicer for this hose? Or is this torch unsafe and now just a beautiful piece of trash? I love this welder as much as I love my own life. It tears me apart ot see any damage to it. Please help me not hate myself so bad.

[aphexafx]

Well, first of all your welder is fine, and so is your torch. And many people do this. Fact is, weldmets are HOT, and HOT melts rubber and synthetics, and since arc welding requires a cable/hose, it's bound to meet the HOT and then what happened to you happens.

I wouldn't want to recommend you use the cable assembly, or trash it, because I can't see it. If in your estimation it's OK then you can keep using it. It sounds like you just !&@#'d up the cooland supply hose, so you should replace that at least. If your repair gives out while you're welding you could lose coolant to the torch and burn it up. Then you would have to replace it.

Get a cable cover, too. That might have helped.

Cheers!

[Scott V]

I don't know if it is safe or not? I would like to tell you the dynasty has a great setup for using only a button for welding stuff like that. My TSW 300 Thermal-arc has the same thing. I would use some of the wonderful features those machines offer, only because it works way better than the way you are doing it. The button goes for about $15.00 and the amphenol is more, but not to much more if you shop. Wire is pretty cheap too. Well it's cheaper then the superflex hoses anyway. Try Binzel for way cheaper but great quality replacement hoses.

PS- I finally got around to buying a cover from CK Worldwide. They are lightweight leather with valcro. It was about $60.00 and another great product.

[df5152]

on steel you can use the lift arc setting on the dynasty so u dont have to work the pedal. will make things much easier for out of position stuff on steel.

[Protraxrptr17]

It has a cable cover. Looks like it would be some sort of heat resistant material. I don't think you can replace just the coolant hose or can you? I know the welder isn't hurt, it just hurts me when I do something stupid like this. I've been wanting to get a finger control for jobs like this but times is tough right now

[cruizer]

Clean the coolant off the hose, use a bicycle tube repair kit patch, it'll be fine!

The hose is not particularly heat resistant, though it does have strength braids, never the less, the bicycle patch holds up quite well.

No worries.

[dyn88]

you can buy just the hose, in fact you can buy any single part you may need to replace. Ive done this several times on copper weldments(they are incredibly hot, like a blast furnace). You can also get kevlar covers, which I happen to like better than the leather(its a little more forgiving)

[Protraxrptr17]

Where do you get the kevlar cover? Mine is some sort of canvas stuff. I guess it's probably nylon. It came with the Diamondback torch. Leather would be kinda stiff but it would work better than the one I have now.

[Scott V]

http://www.mcmaster.com/

Type "Kevlar sleeve" in the search box.


Also The Ck Leather ones are super light and flexable.


With the button on your dynasty, you can control the weld puddle very well. Ask Hawk what he thinks of a button control setup for out of position work.

[bigwelder]

dont feel bad i burnt up my new 16ft mig gun lead doing the exact same thing i just taped it up and went back to work

[wendell]

Sorry to hear about your torch cables.

As far as controling amperage w/ your knee, if he's talking about what I think he is, Scott V is on the money. Weldtec makes a micro switch that can be tapped on to your torch. When wired to the A and B poles of the amphenol (edit: for a 5pin going into a syncrowave) you get On/Off arc control. While you can't modulate amperage like a full blown finger tip control, for $15 it's pretty sweet.(at least easier on your knee)