SWITCHKLIP

How-to guide

How to Mount a TIG Torch Button Switch (The Right Way)

By Landon LaRocqueFounder, Switchklip

This is the step-by-step for mounting a remote HF start button switch on a TIG torch handle without destroying the switch in the process. The shortcut version: don’t use tape or zip ties; use a clip that grips the body, not the housing.

The longer version is below. Total install time is under two minutes once you have the right size clip — half of which is choosing your thumb position.

What you need

  • Your TIG torch (any major brand — Miller, Lincoln, Fronius, CK Worldwide, etc.)
  • Your remote HF start button switch — Radnor SW-1F, ATTC SW-1, EWS Pro ETSW-1, or equivalent
  • The right size Button Clip GTAW for your torch handle OD
  • Calipers (or a tape measure if you don’t have calipers — measure the handle’s OD twice and average)

Step 1 — Measure your torch handle OD

Get the outer diameter of your torch handle just behind the cup. That’s the measurement that determines clip size — not the brand of your torch and not the part number. A WP-17-style handle on a CK torch and on a Miller-branded torch are dimensionally identical and use the same clip size.

Use the size guide to match your handle OD to Small, Medium, or Large. Most production welders running a standard Series 17 torch land on Medium.

Step 2 — Place the clip on the handle

Position the Button Clip GTAW at the location on the torch handle where your thumb naturally falls when you’re holding the torch in your normal welding grip. Snap the clip onto the handle. The clip flexes open enough to seat over the handle, then locks closed with full mechanical retention — no adhesive, no zip ties, no tape.

Don’t worry about getting the position perfect on the first try. The clip slides along the handle while the switch is unmounted, so you can re-position it before you drop the switch in.

Step 3 — Seat the switch into the cradle

Drop your SW-1F, SW-1, or ETSW-1 momentary switch into the clip’s cradle. The body of the switch seats against the cradle walls. The cradle grips the switch at its outer body geometry only— there’s no compressive force on the housing or the internal PCB. (For why that matters, see why your TIG torch switch keeps failing.)

For SW-1F (flat momentary): the switch sits flat against the cradle floor. For SW-1 (bulb): the bulb seats into a contoured cradle that supports the dome from underneath without squeezing the apex. For ETSW-1: similar to the SW-1F. Per-switch install notes are on the per-fitment pages — SW-1F, SW-1, ETSW-1.

Step 4 — Rotate to your thumb position

With the switch seated, the entire clip-and-switch assembly rotates 360° around the torch handle. Rotate it so the button cap sits directly under your thumb in your normal grip. Most right-handed welders running a push-style TIG technique end up with the button at roughly the 1–2 o’clock position when looking down the torch from the rear.

For pipe welders running fixed-position work the "normal" thumb position changes per joint. The 360° rotation lets you re-position mid-job without re-mounting — which is the install’s biggest practical win. More on this in the section below.

Step 5 — Test the action

Press the button before you strike an arc. The momentary contact should feel crisp — a clean click on press, a clean release on lift. If the action is mushy or you have to press twice for a single fire, the switch itself was already damaged before install (almost always from prior tape / zip-tie compression) and replacing the switch is the fix. The clip can’t un-damage a switch that was already killed.

Step 6 — Re-position any time

When you change positions — overhead, vertical, in-tank, around an obstruction — your normal grip changes too. The Button Clip GTAW lets you grab the assembly and rotate it to a new position in seconds, no re-install. This is the install feature that pipe welders end up using the most.

Tuning thumb position for different welds

The button position is one of the underrated ergonomic decisions in a TIG setup. Most welders set it once and forget it; the welders who tune it per-job get better thumb endurance and fewer mis-fires.

Push technique (right-handed)

Most production welders use a push technique — leading the puddle. With the torch held in the right hand and the cable trailing back, the button at ~1 o’clock when viewed from the rear of the torch sits under the thumb pad with no wrist rotation needed.

Pull technique

A pull / drag technique reverses the wrist a bit — the button ends up sitting better at ~10–11 o’clock so it falls under the thumb at the new wrist angle.

Out-of-position pipe

Around the bottom of a 5G or 6G pipe joint, your wrist rolls. The 360° rotation lets you push the assembly to roughly the 6 o’clock position so the button still falls under your thumb when your hand is upside-down. This is the single biggest install win for pipe work — see TIG button vs foot pedal for the broader pipe-welding case.

In-tank / restricted access

In a tank or vessel with restricted access, you sometimes weld with the torch braced against a knee or the inside wall. Re-position the button to the opposite side of where you normally use it so it doesn’t fire when the torch gets bumped against the wall.

Common install mistakes

  • Mounting too far forward. If the clip sits too close to the cup, the switch fouls on the cup or the lens cap when you adjust gas. Set the clip back behind the trigger area of the handle, where your thumb pad naturally lands.
  • Wrong size clip.If the clip slides along the handle under glove pressure, you bought a size too big. If it won’t fully snap closed, you bought a size too small. Re-measure the handle OD and order the right size — see size guide.
  • Forgetting to test before welding.Always test the momentary action with the machine on but no arc started. Catching a mushy-feeling switch before you’re mid-bead saves a wasted weld.

Per-switch install variations

The high-level install is the same across switch families, but each one has minor seating differences. Detailed install photos and notes per switch are on the compatibility pages:

References

For OEM torch handle dimensional references, see Miller TIG torch line, Lincoln Electric TIG torches, and CK Worldwide TIG torches. For the broader best-practice on TIG torch consumable care, the AWS educational library has a thorough overview at aws.org.

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