Bad idea to run a water cooled torch without water. The next time you run water through it you may find a leak.
Make the cheapskates buy their own friggin torch!
Lawrence is correct but there are remote tanks and pump set ups available that could be added to the system so that you had coolant flowing through your torch. Cost is not cheap.
Have a Great Day, Brent
I have read that some people built their own water coolers using an old car radiator and fish tank pumps. I don't know how safe or effective they are though. You might check this forum and online to see what others have done. Probably best to go with a real deal though. Try Ebay or Craig's list for used equipment.
But, they do make air cooled torches that support 250 to 300 amps. They are usually just bulky and awkward and not well suited to delicate TIG projects.
When I first bought our current shop of 17 years the GTAW set up had a 5 gal bucket and the pump was a small household type decorative fountain pump. It produced plenty of flow and kept the gun quite cool for years. I later bought an actual external tank from..Miller I believe with a proper pump. I set it on the back tank platform as my tank cannot sit there due to machine location. The whole thing works more dependably than the old one but then we never had problems with it keeping the gun cool. And it was definitely cheap.
Have a Great Day, Brent
It pays to be practical I guess. Sometimes the solutions are simple. I have used water coolers with no radiator - just a tank. Some of them use a special alcohol based coolant though - just like for a car.
That is another point for consideration, the old one used tap water for many years. When I got the new one I went ahead and bought the 'approved' coolant for the application.
Have a Great Day, Brent
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