How do I clean the quarts tubes when they are dirty? Is it ok to clean the welding gun tank for eletrical contact?

[John Matthews]

Can you clean the tubes that are made of quarts? I also had a problem with my welding gun. The thing had so much resistance that the welder would not fire up. I cleaned off the corrosion in the internal workings of the gun and it seems to work fine.

[Rob Taylor]

Hi John,
In the Multiplaz manual I read that "If required, clean quartz tube of copper residue and soot by placing in acetic acid (or ferric chloride) for several hours or by grinding with fine sandpaper under exceptional circumstances. If copper residue cannot be removed, install quartz tube to position copper-contaminated section in tapered section of evaporator (Section 6.6 Step 4) or replace with new one."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetic_acid

Best practice is to break down your torch for maintenance at the start of every day of work. Check that everything is in working order and clean any corrosion in the internal workings.

You should also check the cathode after every 3rd torch refilling to make sure it is tight.

At the start of the work day if you have left water and/or water-alcohol in the gun you should flush the torch by using the syringe to fill the torch and continue adding liquid while the liquid runs out of the torch nozzle. This will flush out any concentration of minerals left in the water from the last use and ensure that a water-alcohol mix is consistent. When the gun is hot the alcohol will continue to evaporate faster than the water and the percent of water to alcohol will be off.

Take Care,
Rob