Thread: TIG tungsten question

Yep, normal. Grind or ball to what ever size point you like.

Originally Posted by cwcarter

Yep, normal. Grind or ball to what ever size point you like.

Dead right. Balling or pointing will depend on current type - AC or DC. Ball for AC, point for DC. Different types of tungstens too depending on intended usage.

thanks heaps guys. i ran out of argon pretty fast with the disposable i had. going to get an e type bottle plus reg etc . damn TIG is hard....

Originally Posted by Zumanity

thanks heaps guys. i ran out of argon pretty fast with the disposable i had. going to get an e type bottle plus reg etc . damn TIG is hard....

Good choice on the "E" size. What problems are you having with TIG?

When grinding to a point the length of the taper should be 2 to 3 times the diameter of the tungsten as a starting point. It's important that the grind marks run longitudinally along the electrode, not around it, for arc stability.

Ideally the wheel used for grinding electrodes should be kept reserved for that purpose so the electrode doesn't get contaminated with cr@p from the wheel.

Thanks again guys, your help is very much appreciated! No real dramas Karl just going from Mig and stick to Tig is a new learning curve for me. once i get my argon bottle i'll have plenty of time to practice and improve the skills. Im using a unimig 140 DC inverter machine which is my first inverter and way different compared to my toolex 160 arc welder. Much more forgiving and great arc control although ive pretty much got the toolex worked out the weight saving for mobile work that i do is amazing! 4.5 kgs compared to 30 plus with the toolex blows my mind lol

Have you watched a few videos related to TIG welding?
I know it's not for everyone, but getting the basic idea of "walking the dog" really helped get into the little bit of TIG I did when I did a short TAFE night course, I absolutely loved the feeling.
Mind you, not having to worry about the bottle running out will help a hell of a lot. Those little disposables are a nasty little ripoff, if I'm not mistaken they've only got around six minutes of argon in them.

Okay, so you will be running a DC only machine. That simplifies your tungsten choices. Either a 1.6 or 2.4mm Thoriated (red end) tungsten sharpened as Gavin described will see you right.
Don't forget, the electrode goes on the negative terminal of the welder.

If you don't want to use a thoriated electrode (they are getting harder to get in some areas) the ceriated electrodes are a good all round electrode which work well on an inverter welder and will work on both DC and AC.

If you did TIG at TAFE it's likely that you would have been using ceriated electrodes as the TAFE colleges don't use thoriated any more because of the perceived radiation risk.

Originally Posted by Gavin Newman

If you don't want to use a thoriated electrode (they are getting harder to get in some areas) the ceriated electrodes are a good all round electrode which work well on an inverter welder and will work on both DC and AC.

If you did TIG at TAFE it's likely that you would have been using ceriated electrodes as the TAFE colleges don't use thoriated any more because of the perceived radiation risk.

But I like glowing in the dark
Funny you mention the poor availability of Thoriated electrodes. Every welding shop I walk into in my local area stocks either Thoriated or Zirconiated electrodes as their main stock items, with Lanthiated and Ceriated in the minority. To be honest, I've never used anything other than the two aforementioned types, so I might have to give the others a go just for the heck of it.
As you said, Thoriated are slightly radioactive. If I remember correctly respiratory ingestion of the dust produced by grinding is the primary mode of contamination for humans, so observe the usual precautions when grinding any material and definitely don't smoke while you are doing it.

Originally Posted by Karl Robbers

But I like glowing in the dark
Funny you mention the poor availability of Thoriated electrodes. Every welding shop I walk into in my local area stocks either Thoriated or Zirconiated electrodes as their main stock items, with Lanthiated and Ceriated in the minority. To be honest, I've never used anything other than the two aforementioned types, so I might have to give the others a go just for the heck of it.
As you said, Thoriated are slightly radioactive. If I remember correctly respiratory ingestion of the dust produced by grinding is the primary mode of contamination for humans, so observe the usual precautions when grinding any material and definitely don't smoke while you are doing it.

Interesting, it must be a region thing. Over here you can get Ceriated everywhere and Zirconiated if you are look hard but it's rare to find Lanthanated, especially the 2% variety. You are correct about the Thoriated, the danger is primarily during the grinding phase where protection is recommended.

In my experience the Ceriated performs better than the Thoriated when you use an inverter machine, especially at higher currents.

Originally Posted by Gavin Newman

Interesting, it must be a region thing. Over here you can get Ceriated everywhere and Zirconiated if you are look hard but it's rare to find Lanthanated, especially the 2% variety. You are correct about the Thoriated, the danger is primarily during the grinding phase where protection is recommended.

In my experience the Ceriated performs better than the Thoriated when you use an inverter machine, especially at higher currents.

We're fairly set in our ways here and as a generalisation, OH&S is probably not as much a factor in peoples thinking unless you are an employee of a big company, such as BHP Biliton, Rio Tinto or one of the mining companys, (Barminco, MMG, Redpath etc). Definitely not saying Tasmanians are cowboys, but radioactive tungstens are unlikely to come up in most safety meetings.

I can't recall being in too many places where thoriated electrodes were seen as a big risk item. (This is a generalisation without having the numbers in front of me) I suspect that it is one of those things where you either have to be unlucky or be grinding a lot of them for there to be a major impact. In most work places the OH&S people probably don't even realise that they are there...
TAFEs would be different as there would be a lot of trainees grinding a lot of electrodes for various reasons

Michael

Originally Posted by Michael G

I can't recall being in too many places where thoriated electrodes were seen as a big risk item. (This is a generalisation without having the numbers in front of me) I suspect that it is one of those things where you either have to be unlucky or be grinding a lot of them for there to be a major impact. In most work places the OH&S people probably don't even realise that they are there...
TAFEs would be different as there would be a lot of trainees grinding a lot of electrodes for various reasons

Michael

Totally agree that the risk is minimal. Mind you, under my employers rules, I have to wear a mask, mono goggles, chemical gloves and have a chemical neutraliser called Diphoterine on my person to pick up an unopened bag of cement. We have a whole safety department intent on pondering the minor things, but missing the elephant in the room.
I've used Thoriated for 20+ years and so far there has not been an issue. We were warned or made aware of the problem at TAFE, but even there it was not really considered a major issue. That was a few years ago so policies will no doubt have changed since then.
I'm inclined to feel that the dust from normal grinding will get you before the Thorium does.