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Replacing hoses on a water cooled TIG torch

rimcanyon

Diamond
Joined
Sep 28, 2002
Location
Salinas, CA USA
My 25' TIG torch needs new hoses. It is a Weldcraft WP-20 used on a Miller Synchrowave 250. I checked with the local welding supply (Barnes Welding) and they were less than helpful. I guess I need to do it myself. Any recommendations as to parts availability and technique? The hose currently has a threaded power connector tube and the gas and water tubes are wired on with some small ga. stainless wire. The salesman at Barnes Welding said, "Oh I think I have seen that before..."

My Crafter 12.5' torch has nice braided hoses with threaded ends and crimped ferrules, but this torch is old school and I don't think those new hoses can be adapted to it.
 
The gas and water hose are easy, almost any hose the same size will work . The small wire twisty is a pre made piece that is available, I used to have some, maybe still do??. I tried using larger dia (.032?) safety wire in its place and didnt really work that well.
The tricky one is the water line with the power cable in it, probably best to just get a new one of those. IIRC the cable is slid into the hose and then on or both of the cable ends are crimped on with the hose slid back, then the hose is slid up and crimped to the end fittings.
 
I think I paid like $65 for my last water-cooled 25’ hose assembly for my 350 amp TIG welder from a reputable local brick and mortar shop. Kinda feel like trying to fix an old one is a fools economy. I
 
I ended up replacing the whole torch rather than replacing only the hoses when facing the same situation.

Here is a screen capture showing the prices of the hoses and a new torch at miller4less.com.

For about $65 more you can get a new torch compared to buying just the hoses.

I have found miller4less.com to have the best prices on most parts.

TIG torch.jpg
 
You can take your chances and buy a replacement on E-bay. I did. I should clarify I only replaced the electrode cable that carries the fluid coolant, I did not replace all three hoses. I would encourage you to very carefully take the old hose off of the torch before you buy a replacement hose. Those connections are a little delicate and could be destroyed if they are a little corroded. Would be a pity to buy a replacement hose then when you go to install it break the torch and have a new hose you can't use. I think my hose only cost $45 for a knock off on Ebay. Worth a try.

Steven
 
It's very easy to change the hoses on a WP-20, you can buy the twisty "hose clamps" from miller for something like 5 bucks for a 3 pack (I tried safety wire as well and wasn't happy with the results.) I would highly recommend getting the Super flex leads, you won't regret it. The power lead on a wp-20 is just a screw-on fitting at the torch end, the other two lines take the twist clamps, takes about 5 minutes to change out leads.
 
I bought a set of three Weldcraft hoses for about $90 from a local welding supplier. They came with four of the tie wires, which is good. The hardest part was getting the new hoses to slide into place, a little silicon spray did the job. Thanks for the suggestions.
 








 
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