1% vs 1.5% vs 2% Lanthanated Tungsten

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What differences am I going to notice? Just about to flick the switch and learn to TIG with my Thermal Arc. I'll be welding 80% aluminum and 20% mild and stainless steel, but wanted to use one Tungsten for everything.I can only find 1% in stock locally, and only in 1/16". What benefits or improvements will I get with a 1.5% or 2.0% tungsten?
Reply:At the moment (learning) you won't notice any differences. Differences are subtle and until you're at the point where you rarely contaminate a tungsten are unlikely to be noticedPersonally i feel that 2% lanthanated outperform everything else i've used- more time between touching up the tip and hold a tip better without ever splitting AC
Reply:Hobby guy here.Like Hotrodder said, pick a color; you'll never know the difference (at this level). What I learned is: you'll be dipping often and you'll want to sharpen both ends of the tungsten so you can keep welding. If you have more than one color, you won't know what you're using (since you'll be grinding off the color band).  Buy what the LWS has in .040 / 1/16" / 3/32" and 1/8". A lot of folk seem to like the 2% lanthanated (Blue) as a 'one stop shop'. IMHO / YMMVI can weld most of my stuff with a 3/32" tung. You have an inverter, I can't comment on them.9-11-2001......We Will Never ForgetRetired desk jockey. Hobby weldor with a little training. Craftsman O/A---Flat, Vert, Ovhd, Horz. Miller Syncrowave 250
Reply:Originally Posted by turboguy I'll be welding 80% aluminum and 20% mild and stainless steel,
Reply:yep!
Reply:Originally Posted by Broccoli1That is one crazy alloy you are trying to weld
Reply:My LWS does not have any Lathanated, I have been buying mine from ebay. They ae way cheaper and seems to be good stuff. BTW my vote is for 2% (Blue). Here is the store for Diamond Groundhttp://stores.ebay.com/Tungsten-Dire...QQftidZ2QQtZkmYou can view the other items for sale by that seller and find the other sizes. One other thing, unless you are going to be welding stuff smaller then .050 this skip the .040 electrodes. I have welded .040 3003 aluminum with 1/16 electrode with no problems. -DanOwnerDW Metalworks LLCMiller Trailblazer 302Miller 8RC FeederMiller Passport PlusMiller Dynasty 200 DX W/Coolmate 1Hobart Handler 135Hypertherm PowerMAX 30Smith O/A Torch SetPlus much much more
Reply:I've been using Black (I believe 1%) lanthanated 3/32" tungstens for welding aluminum at around 120 to 150 amps. I have a Thermal Arc 185 so the balance is set to 25-30% (which would be 70-75% on a Miller) and always have the tip melt and either start to form a ball or develop fingers (best way I can describe it) after a couple minutes of welding. I grind the tungsten at about 45 deg. and put a flat spot on the tip.Is this normal? I just ordered a pack of the 2%lanthanated from Tungsen-direct on ebay on Monday. I'm hoping this will stop the melting.Campbell Hausfeld Fluxcore 80Thermal Arc 185Millermatic 250JD Squared model 32 bender
Reply:Like Dan i would skip the 0.040 electrodes, never needed them so farGtcway, Yep, it's normal for the tip to melt with AC. 2% should melt less but the tip will round off with use. Try leaving a slightly larger flat at the end- if it's sized right for the current it'll just round off at the edges rather than change shape drastically
Reply:Is Lanthanated the "right" Tungsten for me to be using if I'm shopping for a single all-around Tungsten to use on everything I weld?I was able to find a local source for the 1.5%, and at the same price I had found the 1.0% at. The 1/16" are comparably priced to what I saw them on the WEB for, but the 3/32" are at a decent upcharge.What kind of tip profile should I be using on these for AC welding Aluminum? What about for welding stainless and low carbon steel on DC?Can anyone point me to some tip profiling "pointers" ? (and no I wasn't trying to be funny there).
Reply:As i've already said, initially it doesn't matter- lanthanated, ceriated, thoriated will all work with DC and AC. Unless you're an experienced oxy fuel hand initially you will probably spend a lot of time grinding tungsten after welding the torch, filler and work to each other- no point in spending more on tungsten than you have to while learningAlways grind tungsten axially- grinding marks run lengthwiseFor DC grind a pencil like tip- taper around 1.5 to 2.5 diameters long. The angle of the taper influences arc shape but don't worry about that for now. For AC grind with a taper around 1 to 2 diameters long  BUT leave a flat at the tip around 0.040" acrossStop over analizing it all, get yourself some 1/16 and 3/32 and get welding . Once you've got some practice under your belt experiment with different tapers, different sized flats at the tip and NOTE the effect on arc characteristicsThere's a good TIG handbook for free online at the Miller website- find it, download it and read it!