Chem Sharp?

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Anybody use chem sharp for sharpening their tungsten?  Is it worth the money?Can you use it on ceriated, and thoriated tungsten? All replys welcome.  Thanks SnitzBeing "over the hill" is much better than being under it!
Reply:that's all we use at school and it works great, no thoriated grinding dust. super easy to use, just stick your tungsten out about an inch, strike your arc on some scratch steel to get your tungsten red and dip it in the jar and it will bubble it to as fine a point as you want. just don't stick you head right over the jar when using it! use it for any/all tungsten. most folks that try it never go back to grinding.johnjohnwelding instructorwww.williamrmoore.orgMooreTech College of Technologywelder/fabricatorJGWilson, Inc.www.jgwilson.com
Reply:I am so glad you asked this question.  I have been researching this very topic with some depth.  My findings say that chem sharp is nothing more than a substance known as 'sodium nitrite'.The difference between sodium nitrite and chem sharp is -only- the cost.  You get 5 oz for 20 dollars where you could usually get 1 lb for 20 dollars.I have been grinding my tungsten with a coarse wheel and it doesn't work out so well.  I was looking into buying a fine grit diamond wheel which can be very expensive, that is when I remembered seeing chem sharp and began doing research.  It looks as though the technique for sharpening a tungsten electrode is far better when using sodium nitrite and it is also much cheaper and safer (no radioactive or heavy metal dust to breath into your lungs).Miller 330 a/bp water cooledI believe in gun control, I hold my gun with two hands.  If you want to know why, click here.Buy American or bye America.
Reply:I've never had good results using chemsharp with a fresh tungsten.  I felt it worked fine for when a grinder isn't nearby, and I just need to resharpen.  If a grinder is close or I have a blob of weld metal on the end, I'll go for the grinder.  Maybe I'm not using it right?  I stick the tungsten out 3/4" or so, then touch it to the copper ground lug on the clamp, stand on the pedal until it's red hot, then dip in the jar to the depth I want the point to be.  I just use a fine grit stone, works fine as long as you dress it when the grooves get too deep.
Reply:I only used it once, but I always wondered if some of that stuff would adhere to the tungsten and end up in the weld?