GTAW electrode identification

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Is there any good GTAW electrode color chart somewhere on the net?  Like a good quality picture.  TIG is a bit new to me.  I have text to make the identification but how do I know if what I have in my hand is gold, yellow, orange or brown?  I actually know what gold look like (since I purchased them new) but I have used electrodes that came with my (used) equipment and I cannot be sure what it is.  Hmmm, it's either brown or orange?!?  From the attached, what is the left one?Is there anything I can do with electrodes that doesn't have any color on them?  Any special trick I can do to investigate what they are? Attached ImagesUSINUM - CNC routing workshopPaco's area - blogspot---Lincoln MIGpack180 (GMAW - FCAW)Miller Syncrowave 250
Reply:FWIW:I'm a self taught hobby guy with a Sync 250. When I started red and green were my only two choices. On one LWS visit, someone said use red for everything.  So I tried it and it worked. The Sync will run anything you can get (or already have). I know this doesn't answer your question; but since you're new to TIG, it doesn't matter what Tu you use. I don't care what color I'm using other than green on alum only, no green in an inverter. It's my opinion that there are other things to worry about when learning. Grind it, truncate, weld, dip in puddle; repeat. The above works in my home garage, for me. AWS and WPS don't pertain to me, I do the best I can.  I'm in my fourth welding class. TIG 102 now, using a Sycn 250 with green on alum.The following is something I found online from someone I respect. I wrote none of it.This is transformer info tho it relates to everything just in varying degrees.GREEN is crap...it just goes into thin air compared anything else. I wonder what it was ever compared to?RED is the standard that everything is measured up against. I find by using it all day on AC on aluminum which I do everyday like it or not it will make a ball on the tip nicely. But it will begin eroding away and start making several little b@ll$ and then splitting etc. If you consantly dip your tungsten or touch your filler then it would be fine cause you'll be grinding before it cycles out.BROWN.... is the ultimate OLD SCHOOL stuff. (for aluminum) It makes a nice ball on the end and will last forever untill you dip. It will even go after that if it is a light touch as will most tung. But brown is the best at cleaning itself IMO. IT would be my first choice to use if I was wanting to knock out a bunch of work as fast and maintenance free as I could and was using a transformer style machine. You just keep pulling it out as it wears away. When you want a more focused arc with a point then you begin to look into more exotic metals.With your Syncrowave, the green is the "standard" tungsten for Aluminum or any AC work. You can use the orange but it will eventually start to fracture the end and you will lose some performance. The absolute best AC tungsten on Syncrowaves is the Brown- Zirconiated tungsten. It is a higher current carrying tung with X-ray quality and hold a tighter ball which gives you better control of the arc.ORANGE...welds great and will hold a point on a transformer longer than most.If you are wanting to get the most out of your syncrowave then this is a great choice to use because it will weld all day without splitting.GOLD....I find this about the best and is what I currently use. it is now readily available and will replace all colors. It will hold a ball nicely and will hold a point nicely. It holds up better than orange at high amps. It is 1 1/2% lanthanated and BLUE is 2% lanthanated but blue is much harder to find.Using lanthanated will cause you to let all your other colors to just sit and collect dust. So go get it NOW before you sink more money into all the other colors that you will never use once you get into this stuff.2% lanth. is all i use. works great for AC & DC, so no problems keeping them separate after the paint comes off.although its debated as the the true risks of thorated, i just don't see the point of risking it when lanthanated works so well.i'm a big fan of the lanth. try it on some aluminum you will really like it.Yes the alloyed rods will carry more amps than the same sized pure tungsten. The functionality is that the alloy agents are "electron emissive oxides". That is to say they give up their valence electrons easier than the pure form of tungsten. Other benefits include: improved arc starting, arc stability, usable life increase, contamination resistance, and ability to maintain a sharpened tip longer.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:i dont know what to tell you about your orangeish yellowish tungsten but i was taught red is for steel, sharpen the tungsten to a sharp point ( either 1/16" or 3/32" diameter)and green is for AL, and let the tip "ball up". iv only used 3/32" tungsten for ALgood lucki am interested too with that funny colored rod!
Reply:i dont know what to tell you about your orangeish yellowish tungsten but i was taught red is for steel, sharpen the tungsten to a sharp point ( either 1/16" or 3/32" diameter)and green is for AL, and let the tip "ball up". iv only used 3/32" tungsten for ALgood lucki am interested too with that funny colored rod!
Reply:Here's another link to the colors.http://knol.google.com/k/carmen-elec...p51vtaf10264/2
Reply:Looks like you have a brown and a gold in the picture.