The shielding gas exits the collet body (or gas lens) and fills the gas cup (nozzle) that screws onto the collet body.
Consumable | Names Used |
---|---|
TIG Collet Body | Collet Body |
Gas Lens | |
Gas Assembly | |
Nozzle1 |
1 The name ‘Nozzle’ is sometimes used incorrectly. It’s more of a generic name for the whole end of the TIG torch assembly.
Collet Body Type | Names Used |
---|---|
Standard | Collet Body |
Short | Stubby |
Wide | Wide |
Lens | |
Large Diameter | |
Diffuser | |
Furick1 | |
Monster1 |
The Different Types:
A bog standard collet body. Great for straight forward TIG welding.
The ‘Stubby’ collet body is basically a shortened version of the longer standard collet body (to aid usage in tighter spaces).
The ‘Wide’ collet bodies are designed to give a good shielding gas coverage. A diffuser is often fitted, to try and focus the shielding gas. This often allows the tungsten electrode to protrude further from the gas cup, aiding visibility when welding in restricted spaces. They also allow for a shorter TIG gas cup to be fitted, giving easier access (with a now shorter TIG torch) in restricted spaces.
Collet bodies are available in a variety of sizes. The size of the hole in the middle, (to fit the different size Tungsten electrodes, typically between 1.0mm (0.040″) and 6.35mm (1/4″)) usually dictates the actual size given to the collet body.
As you can see, the outside diameter tends to remain the same for a set of collet bodies, however the length can vary and are often classified as standard (long), or stubby. The actual length may vary between manufacturers
The collet bodies will need to fit the size of TIG torch being used. This is often split into two groups – See the article Which Parts Fit Which TIG Torch?
TIG Torch Fittings Thread – Gas Cups (Nozzles) to Collet Body to Torch | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cooled by: | TIG Torch | Ceramic Cup (Nozzle) Thread | Collet Body to Torch Thread |
||
Type1 | Group | Standard2 | Stubby2 | ||
Air | WP-17 | A | 13/32 UNS | 3/4 UNF | 3/8″ UNF |
Air | WP-26 | ||||
Water | WP-18 | ||||
Air | WP-9 | B | 3/8″ UNF | 9/16 UNF | 5/16″ UNF |
Water | WP-20 |
This is only a guide, please refer to the manufacturers data sheets…
1 Manufacturers may use a different code, sometimes replacing the first two letters with their own combination.
2 There may be differences dependant on the gas nozzle fitted.
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