Cleaning soot on restarts for Ali tig

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I'd love any advice or tips on this , can find nothing anywhere , how do you guys clean up for a restart after dipping the tungsten without leaving a mess ? Diegrinder , scotchbrite pad , it's still really hard to get rid of the black......I'm sure some you Ali guys have some good tricks and yes I know it's easier if you don't fo it in the first place Miller xmt 350 , 54 series , 12vs , xr control , spoolmatic 30Arcon 'animal' 300 msDynasty 200dxLincoln Vantage 575 , Ln 8Kemppi miniarc 200, Hypertherm 65, ESAB 160 W.I.A 395
Reply:All depends on where I dipped, if the area being welding is accessible then a small abrasive wheel on a die grinder. If your welding in a tight spot then a small stainless wire brush and some acetone.
Reply:Stainless brush with Acetone. Snap the tip off the tungsten. Regrind, or reball on scrap. Continue to weld.
Reply:Originally Posted by turismolover22Stainless brush with Acetone. Snap the tip off the tungsten. Regrind, or reball on scrap. Continue to weld.
Reply:Also, I don't think the "soot" is a Huge concern, you don't have to get every bit of it as the cleaning action will disperse it quickly to the edges. Often there's that little bit in the remainder of the "coma" you just can't get to with anything but a die grinder That soot isn't like a real contaminant as far as I'm concerned ...
Reply:I pay for all my tungstens. But if you dip in AL, and you are runnig higher amps, it can absorb like a sponge. Even with a regrind, I've dipped bad enough when my hand slipped that it still blew everwhere at the beginning of a weld. Tungstens arent expensive, in the grans scheme. But yes, for the most part I snap off a short section. Lanthanated doesnt break like Thoriated, it snaps because its contaminated.
Reply:For purty welds I will clean smut off the bead with a brass brush which is less aggressive than SS. Then wipe the smut side adjacent with a clean paper towel. When restarting I start a bit ahead and back into the weld. The discoloration usually lifts off. If the weld does not matter I just scour with a SS brush and blow off.Weld like a "WELDOR", not a wel-"DERR" MillerDynasty700DX,Dynasty350DX4ea,Dynasty200DX,Li  ncolnSW200-2ea.,MillerMatic350P,MillerMatic200w/spoolgun,MKCobraMig260,Lincoln SP-170T,PlasmaCam/Hypertherm1250,HFProTig2ea,MigMax1ea.
Reply:Cheers , thats what I was wondering re brushing , stainless or scotchbrite destroys the "sheen" of the weld I'll try brassAnd backing into restart ....Miller xmt 350 , 54 series , 12vs , xr control , spoolmatic 30Arcon 'animal' 300 msDynasty 200dxLincoln Vantage 575 , Ln 8Kemppi miniarc 200, Hypertherm 65, ESAB 160 W.I.A 395