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A welding torch comprising: a main cylindrical conductive assembly with a front diffuser section having a plurality of circumferentially spaced shielding gas diffuser orifices for directing shielding gas radially outwardly from the assembly, a forwardly facing threaded bore extending through a cylin

A welding torch comprising: a main cylindrical conductive assembly with a front diffuser section having a plurality of circumferentially spaced shielding gas diffuser orifices for directing shielding gas radially outwardly from the assembly, a forwardly facing threaded bore extending through a cylindrical support nose and an elongated wire passageway coaxial with the threaded bore and opening at the rear end of the assembly. An insulated, cylindrical protective sleeve fitted around both the support nose and the diffuser orifices where the sleeve has a front clearance opening and circumferentially spaced openings communicated with the diffuser orifices and a contact tip having a central wire guide bore with a diameter only slightly larger than the diameter of the welding wire, a threaded rear body, a front extension passing through the front clearance opening and a radially extending flange between the rear body and the front extension to hold the protective sleeve around the nose when the body is screwed into the threaded bore of the main assembly.

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1. A torch for directing a welding wire with a given diameter toward a workpiece, said torch comprising: a main cylindrical conductive assembly having a diffuser for directing shielding gas outwardly from said assembly; a contact tip having a central wire guide bore; and, a cylindrical metal nozzle

1. A torch for directing a welding wire with a given diameter toward a workpiece, said torch comprising: a main cylindrical conductive assembly having a diffuser for directing shielding gas outwardly from said assembly; a contact tip having a central wire guide bore; and, a cylindrical metal nozzle with a rear end held on said main assembly, wherein said rear end of said cylindrical metal nozzle includes a gripping mechanism, said gripping mechanism including: a first generally cylindrical collet as the rear end of said nozzle and having an outwardly facing surface and at least one axially extending collapsible slot extending through a thickness of said rear end; and a second generally cylindrical actuator ring with an inner generally cylindrical surface sliding around said outwardly facing surface, where at least one of said surfaces is slightly non-circular whereby rotation of said actuator ring on said collet at least partially closes at least one collapsible slot to clamp said rear end of said nozzle onto said cylindrical assembly. 2. A torch as defined in claim 1 wherein said cylindrical assembly includes a coolant passage with an inlet conduit and an outlet conduit formed in said assembly. 3. A torch as defined in claim 2 wherein coolant passage is cylindrical and coaxial with said threaded bore. 4. A torch as defined in claim 3 wherein said coolant passage has a front-most portion and said threaded rear body has a rear-most portion with said portions overlapping. 5. A torch as defined in claim 2 wherein said coolant passage has a front-most portion and said threaded rear body of the contact tip has a rear-most portion with said portions overlapping. 6. A torch as defined in claim 2 wherein said contact tip includes a radially extending flange between a rear body and a front extension of the tip to hold a protective sleeve about a portion of the diffuser when the rear body is positioned within said main assembly. 7. A torch as defined in claim 6 wherein said flange is rotatably mounted on said contact tip. 8. A torch as defined in claim 6 wherein said cylindrical protective sleeve is formed from a heat resistant, non-magnetic material. 9. A torch as defined in claim 8 wherein said cylindrical protective sleeve is formed from a thermoplastic material. 10. A torch as defined in claim 9 wherein said sleeve is formed from tetrafluoroethylene. 11. A torch as defined in claim 6 wherein said sleeve has a first cylindrical internal cavity matching a cylindrical support nose and a second cylindrical internal cavity matching said diffuser where said cavities are cylindrical with the second cavity having a diameter greater than the diameter of said first cavity. 12. A torch as defined in claim 7 wherein said sleeve has a first cylindrical internal cavity matching a cylindrical support nose and a second cylindrical internal cavity matching said diffuser where said cavities are cylindrical with the second cavity having a diameter greater than the diameter of said first cavity. 13. A torch as defined in claim 11 wherein said cavities are machined into said protective sleeve. 14. A torch for directing a welding wire with a given diameter toward a workpiece, said torch comprising: a main cylindrical conductive assembly having a diffuser for directing shielding gas outwardly from said assembly; a contact tip having a central wire guide bore; and, a cylindrical metal nozzle with a rear end held on said main assembly, wherein said rear end of said cylindrical metal nozzle includes a gripping mechanism, said gripping mechanism including a first cylindrical surface fixed with respect to said cylindrical assembly, said first surface having a groove with a snap ring protruding from said first surface and said rear end of said nozzle including an inner surface generally matching said first surface with a plurality of annular grooves, each of the plurality of grooves being arranged to selectively receive and hold said snap ring when said inner surface is slipped axially over said first surface, and thereby position nozzle in one of a plurality of axial positions relative to said cylindrical assembly. 15. A torch as defined in claim 14 wherein said inner surface includes a sealing groove behind said first mentioned groove with a sealing ring in said sealing groove to create a seal with said inner surface when said snap ring is in a receiving groove. 16. A torch as defined in claim 14 wherein said inner surface includes a second groove behind said first mentioned groove with a sealing ring in said second groove to create a seal with said inner surface when said snap ring is in a receiving groove. 17. A torch for directing a welding wire with a given diameter toward a workpiece, said torch comprising: a main cylindrical conductive assembly having a diffuser for directing shielding gas outwardly from said assembly; a contact tip having a central wire guide bore; and, a cylindrical metal nozzle with a rear end held on said main assembly, wherein said rear end of said cylindrical metal nozzle includes a gripping mechanism, said gripping mechanism including a first cylindrical friction surface fixed with respect to a cylindrical surface of the main assembly, and an inner cylindrical friction surface of said rear end of said nozzle, the inner friction surface generally matching said first friction surface to hold said nozzle onto said first friction surface by frictional force. 18. A torch as defined in claim 14 wherein said diffuser and said nose are integral. 19. A torch as defined in claim 18 wherein said integral relationship is formed by threading said nose into said diffuser. 20. A torch as defined in claim 17 wherein said diffuser and said nose are integral. 21. A torch as defined in claim 20 wherein said integral relationship is formed by threading said nose into said diffuser. 22. A torch as defined in claim 2 wherein said diffuser and said nose are integral. 23. A torch as defined in claim 22 wherein said integral relationship is formed by threading said nose into said diffuser. 24. A torch as defined in claim 1 wherein said diffuser and said nose are integral. 25. A torch as defined in claim 24 wherein said integral relationship is formed by threading said nose into said diffuser. 26. A torch as defined in claim 17 wherein said cylindrical assembly includes a coolant passage with an inlet conduit and an outlet conduit formed in said assembly. 27. A torch as defined in claim 26 wherein said coolant passage has a front-most portion and said threaded rear body has a rear-most portion with said portions overlapping. 28. A torch as defined in claim 14 wherein said cylindrical assembly includes a coolant passage with an inlet conduit and an outlet conduit formed in said assembly. 29. A torch as defined in claim 28 wherein said coolant passage has a front-most portion and said threaded rear body has a rear-most portion with said portions overlapping. 30. A cylindrical metal nozzle for use on a torch for directing welding wire toward a workpiece, said nozzle including a rear mounting end and a front end for directing shielding gas around a wire issuing from said front end, said rear end including a gripping mechanism for attaching said nozzle to said main assembly, said gripping mechanism including a generally cylindrical collet as the rear end of said nozzle and having at least one axially extending collapsible slot extending through a thickness of said rear end; and an outwardly facing surface and a generally cylindrical actuator ring with an inner generally cylindrical surface where at least one of said surfaces is slightly non-circular whereby rotation of said actuator ring on said collet at least partially closes said at least one collapsible slot by a camming action to clamp said rear end of said nozzle onto said torch. 31. A cylindrical metal nozzle for use on a torch for directing welding wire toward a workpiece, said nozzle including a rear mounting end and a front end for directing a shielding gas around a wire issuing from said front end, said rear end including an inner cylindrical surface with a plurality of snap ring receiving grooves, each of said grooves adapted to selectively receive a snap ring carried on the outer cylindrical surface of said torch to provide a plurality of axial mounting positions for said nozzle upon said torch. 32. A torch as defined in claim 1 further including a cylindrical insulator sleeve surrounding said main assembly, wherein said gripping mechanism clamps said nozzle to said insulator sleeve. 33. A torch as defined in claim 14 further including a cylindrical insulator sleeve surrounding said main assembly, wherein said gripping mechanism clamps said nozzle to said insulator sleeve. 34. A torch as defined in claim 17 further including a cylindrical insulator sleeve surrounding said main assembly, wherein said gripping mechanism clamps said nozzle to said insulator sleeve. 35. A torch as defined in claim 17 wherein said first friction surface is ceramic. 36. A torch as defined in claim 17 wherein said first friction surface is an outer cylindrical surface of a sleeve positioned between said nozzle and the main assembly.