See How Hot a TIG Welding Torch Gets (Before Meltdown)

One of the challenges of TIG welding is holding the hot torch for extended periods as you work. The longer you weld, the more the heat builds up. Even the best set of gloves can’t keep several hundred degrees at bay for long.

Eastwood developed an inexpensive TIG torch cooling system that can be fitted to many late-model TIG welders that use the WP18F torch. But a lot of folks were concerned such a simple cooling system wouldn’t be effective enough for serious welding projects. So to put some numbers behind that claim, our product engineers ran a torture test on two torches.

Using Eastwood’s popular TIG 200 AC/DC welder, they mounted the torch head to our 4’ x 4’ CNC plasma cutting table. This allowed for a controlled, repeatable test for both units, eliminating the chance for human error (and injury). Running a programmed pattern on ¼” steel plate, the welder was set at full load and operated continuously until failure. Along the way, temperatures were recorded at the torch head and the handle, as well as the ground strap. The water temps were also tracked throughout the run with the water-cooled torch.

There were several surprises, not least of which was how well the TIG 200 AC/DC worked under continuous load. Not only did it exceed its amperage output by 10 percent, it also ran perfectly at 100% duty cycle. Not bad for a machine rated at 60% duty cycle. The temperature of the cooling fluid on the water-cooled torch also never exceeded that of a nice relaxing bath.

Spoiler Alert…

Okay, we cooked the air-cooled torch in about 12 minutes of welding. The water-cooled torch ran out of material after 25 minutes and lived to tell about it. As for the torch temperatures? Well, you’ll have to check out the video to see for yourself.