tungsten prep

admin

What do you guys do to prep you tungs. just acetoneafter you sharpen? Anything different betweenalum. vs. steel? Also do you keep everything seperatealum. from steel? like gloves,tungsten,or anythingiam forgetting. I know different brushes are used.Still learnin tig so I will take every tip I can get.
Reply:Obviously, anything you can do to reduce contamination helps, but if you're not doing critical code work/x-ray stuff, a lot of impurities will burn off when you strike an arc.  If you're just a hobbyist, basic cleaning with acetone to clean smudge/oil/grease is pretty much all you need.  If I see my tungstens "darken" from being exposed to the elements, I take a 180 or smoother sanding strip from a roll, and give 'em a good "shoe polishing" (referring to the hand motion) cleaning. 1st on WeldingWeb to have a scrolling sig! HTP Invertig 400HTP Invertig 221HTP ProPulse 300HTP ProPulse 200 x2HTP ProPulse 220MTSHTP Inverarc 200TLP HTP Microcut 875SC
Reply:I use 2% thor for everything except AL. For AL I use 2%lanthanated. I use 100 grit 3" roloc grinding discs on an angle grinder to sharpen. Never could justify the cost of a dedicated tungsten sharpener.  Of course dedicated to tungsten only. For AL I sharpen to a point and put a flat land on the end. Everything else is a sharp point. Hit youtube there are a TON of tungsten vids.I use the same gloves for all material. Keep your stainless brushes for cleaning separate. One for steel and one for AL. Don't cross contaminate. In a pinch 2% thoriated will work for AL although its not recommended.Last edited by tig dummy; 07-26-2013 at 07:15 PM.