0 items in your basket
Total £ 0.00 EX VAT
MIG Gloves
TIG Gloves
Baseball Caps
Armguards
TIG Heat Blockers
Shop 55,000 Products
SERVICEDEPT.
RAPID BLOG
FEEDBACK
HIRE
Questions about adaptor kits and conversion parts that let an air-cooled TIG torch take a gas lens body, larger cups and clear cups.
An adaptor kit swaps the parts at the front of the torch head so the torch can run a different style of cup, usually a larger or clearer one and often with a gas lens in place of a standard collet body. Typical contents are a collet body or gas lens body, a collet, a heat shield or insulator, O-rings and sometimes a cup.The torch handle, cables and back cap stay the same. Check the kit contents against the torch you own and the electrode diameter you weld with, because the parts only work together as a matched set.
Start by identifying the torch type. Air-cooled TIG torches come in a small number of common head styles, and the style decides the size of the collet body, gas lens and cups you need. Look for the type marking on the torch head or in the manual, and compare the length of your existing collet body with the product description.Cup threads are not universal, so check the thread on the body you are fitting before buying cups for it. If the markings are worn or you are unsure, the data plate, the manual or our team can help you confirm the match before you order.
Both parts are made for one electrode diameter. The collet grips the tungsten and the body supports it and carries the gas, so a 2.4 mm electrode needs a 2.4 mm collet and a 2.4 mm collet body or gas lens.A mismatch usually shows up as an electrode that slips, sits off-centre or arcs poorly inside the torch. When you change electrode size, change the collet and the body or lens together rather than trying to make the old ones grip.
A standard collet body releases the gas through a ring of small holes, so the flow can swirl as it leaves. A gas lens passes the gas through fine screens first, which gives a smoother, less turbulent stream and generally better shielding coverage.The practical gains are that the electrode can usually be extended further from the cup, which helps in tight joints, and that coverage is more consistent on work where discolouration matters, such as stainless steel. A gas lens also needs cups made for its thread, not the cups from a standard collet body.
Cups are matched to the thread of the body or lens, so a gas lens body needs gas lens cups and a standard collet body needs collet body cups. Check the thread and the cup size marking before ordering.Once the thread fits, choose size by coverage and access. A larger opening gives more gas coverage and suits larger electrodes and higher current, while a smaller cup gets into tight spaces but speeds the gas up, which can add turbulence. Use the largest cup the joint allows.
It sits behind the cup, between the cup and the torch head, and is generally there to protect the head from heat and to help hold the cup and seal the gas path when a wider gas lens cup is fitted. It is a wearing part.Replace it if it is cracked, distorted or scorched, and always use the one made for your torch type and body style. Leaving it out, or using the wrong one, can leave a gap where gas escapes and the head is exposed to more heat than it was designed for.