tungsten care

Date 07-03-2007 04:23

i have started tig welding and am unsure about the tungsten. i sharpen all of my tungsten on a peanut grinder. i have a tungsten only wheel. do i need a seperate wheel for each different type of tungsten (thoriated, ceriated, lanthanated)? if i contaminate my tungsten do i need to cut off the entire tip or just resharpen it? i have noticed the tip of my tungsten is discolored after i use it. is it contaminated or just too much heat? btw im welding autobody metal and 1/16 sheet metal with an htp 130 dc/hf and 1/16 2% ceriated tungsten. thanks for any help.

By Lawrence (*****)

Date 07-03-2007 04:42

Hazel

1. One grinder for all your tungsten electrodes is fine.

2. If the contamination on your electrode is big like a ball it is ok to just break it off and regrind the end.

3. If your tungsten is getting discolored after the weld, one of two things is usually happening.
   A. You are pulling your electrode away from the weld with a jerk and air is getting to it.
(Keep your electrode directly over the weld termination until the post flow stops)
   B.   Your post flow setting needs to be increased.
   (8 seconds should be fine for sheet)

By Greg G. (**)

Date 07-05-2007 17:47

Also if you have a ball on the end of your tungsten you may have a pure tungsten in the torch. This is used for welding aluminum. If you are welding aluminum then the ball should be no more then 1.5 times the dia. of the tungsten you are using. The size of tungsten that you are using will be determined by the metal thickness that you are welding on. Aluminum is also a tricky thing to weld. You will need some good instruction. I have done this alot in my past and can help you with this process.

By MBRANSON Date 07-05-2007 19:24

Have you tried chemical sharpener for Tungsten?

By rtnnhazel (*)

Date 07-06-2007 02:05

no i have never heard of chemical sharpner. what is it? with my machine i cant weld aluminum which is ok because im only doing steel. im pretty sure im overheating my tungsten. but im just starting to get the hang of it. im currently only welding 1/16, what i assume is 19 gauge, and just practicing on some 1/8 steel. im having trouble figuring out what size tungsten to use with the above mentioned. thanks for all of your help.

By Lawrence (*****)

Date 07-06-2007 04:52

A 1/16 tungsten electrode should hold a point up to about 100 amps with a water cooled torch and a bit less with a air cooled torch..

If it is balling up at lower amperage settings check polarity and make sure electrode is Negative...

By MBRANSON Date 07-06-2007 11:25

DynafluxCHEM-SHARP Chemical Tungsten Sharpener, CR600. The safest way to sharpen tungsten without grinding. Chemically mills a perfect point on pure, thoriated or ...
www.dynaflux.com/pages/productsdescrip/CR600.html - 9k - Cached - Similar pages