Good tungsen grinder?

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I am looking for a grinder and i came across this form harbor freight..http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=94071any inputs? I figured it would be nice and small. I just been reading that a fine grit wheel is better. So i have to see if i can find on. It seems like i can only find 36, and 60 grit. .Troy
Reply:Any small grinder should work ok.  I just grind on my belt sander.  While it is reccomended that one have a dedicated tungsten grinder that's not totally true except for code or X-ray welds.  one thing to keep in mind is to grind into the wheel so that any impurities are carried toward the rear of the tungsten.DennisThermal Arc 185-TSWMillermatic Challenger 172VictorO/AAtlas Craftsman 12 by 24 LatheEsab PCM-875Wholesalem Tool Mill-Drill
Reply:That one would work. I just use one side of my regular grinder. That mini one would be a nice addition to my shop to have right near the welding area so I don't have to walk back and forth. John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:Just wanted to mention that there are a number of specialty tungsten grinders on the market these days.  They commonly have some sort of built in jig to hold a specific angle, and range from portable "angle" grinders to larger precision table top models with diamond wheels and dust vacuums, or wet grinding setups.In my opinion, if you are involved with critical automated welding, where you need to eliminate as many day to day process variables as possible, you should precisely grind each each electrode the same, and should probably invest in a good diamond wheel setup.  In plasma welding, the tungsten is recessed within a copper nozzle and the grind is critical.  At my last job, we ran 30 automated plasma systems, and we sent our 3/16" diameter tungstens out to a local shop to be precisely machined.  We changed tungstens every 500 to 700 welds, and probably went through around 60 to 90 tungstens in a 10 hour shift.Otherwise, as I think most here will agree, grinding by hand on a bench grinder or belt sander is just fine.
Reply:a bench grinder (240 grit wheel) and my fingers.. ...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:I saw a post on here a while back with some guys using sewing machine motors, so at work i found a nice little motor but the shaft was 1/4" so i am having a hard time finding a abor to mate a grinding stone too. Then i came across this one and thought it would be a perfect grinder to mount on my welding cart. Would a 80 grit grinding stone be ok? because i am having a hard time finding replacements for this mini 3" grinder.Thanks for everyones input....Troy
Reply:I would have two concerns with this grinder: 1) finding replacement wheels, not that you'll need them often and 2) will it be possible to hand-hold the tungsten at the proper angle when grinding. Maybe I'm just used to my 8" wheels, but I like the fact that I have quite a few positioning options and good visibility due to the larger wheel size... Of course, I also like the fact that the 8" grinder works with all of my woodworking jigs, setups, buffing wheels, etc.
Reply:I would echo Pulser's comments exactly.I don't do precision automated welding, so I chuck mine in a drill and use a dedicated belt on a cheap 1x30 belt sander.  The results are excellent though not absolutely consistent.-Heath
Reply:good tip, halbritt!  (pun intended) Sometimes the tungsten gets a bit hot, so a pin vise is ok, but the cordless drill would be geat.Some of the high end precision grinders use a motor with collet arrangement to hold the electrode and spin it while grinding.
Reply:Originally Posted by halbrittI would echo Pulser's comments exactly.I don't do precision automated welding, so I chuck mine in a drill and use a dedicated belt on a cheap 1x30 belt sander.  The results are excellent though not absolutely consistent.
Reply:I have had good results using a cordless drill and a 36 grit belt sander (the most coarse belt I could find).There will be noticeable groves on the sharpened cone but arcs like to jump off of sharp edges and they all lead to the tip.36 grit works fast also.80 grit should be fine, but I'm no welding robot, I just deal with whatever tip I grind.
Reply:Interesting that you chose to go with a coarse grind that leaves ridges.Probably works fine, except maybe at very low current.Generally the theory is that smoother is better at preventing arc wander and maybe at increasing tip life, so the "professional" grinding machines use very fine diamond wheel.Also, it's generally accepted that longitudinal grinding marks (if you have grinding marks) are preferred over circumferential grinding.  This tends to promote electrons leaving the tip, not the ridges up around the tip.  I see you mention that your grind marks lead to the tip (longitudinal).And hence the company "Diamond Ground Products" that specializes in tungsten and tungsten preparation for precision welding.http://www.diamondground.com/index.html
Reply:I use the finest grit belt I can commonly find.  I believe it's 120.  They're Norton aluminum oxide belts from the Home Depot.-Heath
Reply:I bought a diamond wheel (120 grit) off ebay and adapted it to my 8" delta grinder and use it for tungsten only.  It'll sharpen a 3/16 or 1/8 electrode in about 20 seconds with no problemos.