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Straight answers to the questions people ask most when choosing and looking after a MIG torch.
The number is the torch's size class and gives a rough idea of the current it can carry, in amps. The real rating depends on the shielding gas and on how long you weld without a break, so it can be lower than the headline number suggests.Always check the maker's rating for the gas and the duty cycle you will actually use, and choose a torch rated comfortably above the current you plan to weld at.
Duty cycle is the share of a ten-minute period that a torch can carry a given current before it needs to cool down. A rating of 60% means it can weld for about six minutes in every ten at that current.Welding for longer, or at a higher current, than the rating allows overheats the torch and wears out its parts sooner. For long continuous runs, choose a higher rating or a water-cooled torch.
The parts that wear are the contact tip, the gas nozzle, the diffuser and the liner. A worn or oversized contact tip, or a dirty or kinked liner, causes erratic wire feed, the wire burning back into the tip and an unsteady arc. Spatter building up in the nozzle upsets the gas shield and can cause porosity in the weld.Change the contact tip when the hole wears oval or the arc becomes unstable, clean or replace the nozzle when spatter builds up, and replace the liner if the wire no longer feeds smoothly.
Choose the shortest cable that still lets you reach the work comfortably. A longer cable gives more freedom to move, but the wire has further to travel and more friction to overcome, which can cause feeding problems, especially with soft wires such as aluminium.Most general fabrication is comfortable with a torch a few metres long. For long reaches, a wire feeder that you can move close to the work usually works better than a very long torch.