One of the major priorities for splashing the boat is welding in new raw water thru-hull standpipes. The original ones were 1.5″ diameter, which wasn’t enough for the Cummins 6CTA turbodiesels in the boat now.
I planned to weld the standpipes in using my Miller Trailblazer NT280 portable welding machine and Miller 30A Spoolmatic, but the frames and stringers near the hole in the hull are too close for the spoolgun nozzle to fit at the right angles. I could buy a flexible nozzle, but they’re $400 and I’m not a professional, so I very likely will only need it this one time.
I also have an AHP Alpha-TIG 200X that I used to make my stainless dry-stack exhaust risers and a bunch of other stuff. I can’t tell you enough how handy it is to have a TIG welder in the garage. I could TIG weld the standpipes, but not with the torch I’ve got.
The Alpha-TIG comes with a 17-series gas-cooled torch, meaning the argon shielding gas takes heat away as it leaves the torch through the nozzle. The only other way that heat leaves the torch is by radiating it into the air. That’s fine up to 150 amps, though the torch will get hot in your hand. And aluminum takes a lot of amps to weld.
Given the thickness of the hull and standpipe (1/4″), the 200 amp maximum output of the Alpha-TIG is on the lower end of the power required to weld. But it’s 50 amps more than the OEM torch can take. So I decided to upgrade to a 20-series water-cooled torch from USAWeld.com, which is much smaller than a 17-series, but it can take up to 250 amps. The kit comes with the water-cooled torch, a 35 Dinse Power Connection that will fit my Alpha-TIG, 5/8″-18 LH water connections and hose, and a 9mm quick connect gas fitting.
I also picked up a stubby gas lens kit at weldmonger.com that will shorten the torch even more, down to about 2″ long. That will easily fit in the space available around the standpipe. Jody, the owner of weldmonger, has a youtube channel that has great instructional videos if you want to learn to weld aluminum, stainless, etc.
The only thing left that I needed was a torch cooler. I could just hook up to a water hose, but it looks like tap water kills torches relatively quickly. I’m not a pro, and I’d prefer to protect my gear if I can do it economically. Prices for torch coolers, which pump coolant in a tank through the torch, back to a radiator in the cooler, and back to the tank. Prices start at $275.
But the thing is, I’m not a pro. I’m not welding all day long, even when I made my exhaust risers. I’d also read in many places that the Made in China coolers on the low end of the price spectrum have weak pumps that die before long.
So I decided to make a cooler rather than buy one. The requirements are 1) a robust pump, 2) a large enough fluid reservoir to manage the heat any project I do will create. I don’t need a radiator because I’m not a pro who’s working an arc 6-7 hours a day.
My solution: a Little Giant air conditioner condensate pump and a 2.5-gallon bucket with
a lid
The Little Giant condensate pump at my house worked for the 17 years we’ve owned the place, and who knows how long ago it was installed? It runs daily during the summer (i.e. it’s very robust) and has a maximum lift of 15 feet, which is 2.5 feet longer than my TIG torch cable and hose bundle. I bought a new, open box Little Giant VCMA-15UL on ebay for $35. I bought the bucket and lid at Lowes for $7.
First, I disassembled the pump to get the essential pieces I need
The reservoir under the Little Giant would hold ~1 quart of coolant. So an alternative approach would be to put a radiator in the return line and not disassemble the pump. But I decided to keep it simple and cheap and just use the larger bucket reservoir.
Stripped to the essentials
No switches required, just run the power cord straight to the motor wiring
Next, I traced the outline of the pump mount opening onto the bucket lid
A razor knife easily cut through the lid
Some sealant and a couple of screw secure the pump base to the lid
With experience comes knowledge: if anybody else follows this how-to, don’t cut the big hole in the lid like I did. Instead, trace a line 1/4″ inside the hole in the OEM pump mount and cut there. That’ll give you more lid for the pump to sit on.
The coolant has to fill the bucket to within 3″ of the top so the pump impeller will be submerged
I drilled a hole for the return line fitting that came with the torch kit
The fitting threads into the hole (9/16 IIRC).
I also picked up a female 5/8″ LH-to-3/8″ hose barb fitting that connects the hose from the pump to the cooling supply line on the torch.
Ready to prime the system
TIG torch cooling system primed and ready to weld!
Confirm coolant is returning to the reservoir
Total cost for my TIG cooler, including a gallon of automotive-grade glycol antifreeze, was $53. It works great, and the CK Worldwide 9-series torch is so much lighter and easier to use than the 17-series gas-cooled one. The lines are super-flexible, which is a big help for the kind of projects I do. I can’t imagine ever using the 17-series torch again.
The only thing left to upgrade is the power for the pump. Currently, there’s no switch. I just plug it in and it starts running. But I’ve heard of guys starting to weld but forgetting to turn on their coolers, which smokes their torches immediately. Some day I’ll open the case of my Alpha-TIG and see if I can tap into the power switch so turning it on activates the pump. But for now, it’s good enough and I’ve got other priorities.
Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Wrapping Up the Helm Windshield
1969chriscraftroamer46 
Ingenious, well done!