Sharpening the tungsten

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I am sorta new to TIG. What is the best way to sharpen the tungsten? I usually use a bench grinder but I find sometimes the Arc is unstable even if I hold the tungsten perpendicular to the grinder.  Any help is appreciated.
Reply:If you are sharpening them along the length then this is the correct way to sharpen them. Some people chuck them up in a drill and then use the bench grinder. I just hold them in my hands and do it. There are several different ways to do it but I think the bench grinder with the proper wheel is as good as any. I think they even make a special sharpener for them but if I already had the bench grinder I don't think I would waste the money on one. If you look on the Lincoln and Miller web sites I think you will probably be able to find some info with some pictures to show the proper way to grind them. It could be the problem is not in the way the tungsten is shapened. I don't think it would be hard even for a new guy to get it close enough of a good arc.
Reply:Here's one, http://www.diamondground.com/dgp-pg3.htmlfor that price though the bench grinder sounds a WHOLE LOT better! no price on this one but had a youtube video showing it in action, http://www.htpweld.com/products/tig_.../sharpener.htmSounds like if you have a grinder that is "dedicated" to sharpening the tungsten only to keep out other foreign bodies it's good. But how many guys out there use these?? Don't know.aka Cumminsguy71 at other forums....would not work here??
Reply:I looked and looked at this. Those sharpeners for DGP are awesome. I can't afford one though. What I ended up doing was buying a sharpening station from a tool store.Has a 200 grit vertical grinder wheel, and a 1000 grit horizontal, slow wheel with a water-drip system. It was $250 CDN. Works just awesome. The finish of the tungsten is just as important as the shape, so the 1000 grit wheel really makes it a stable arc.
Reply:Thanks for all the help. I cannot afford a sharpener so I guess its just practice
Reply:That piranha is nice but $1300 I don't have to blow right now. Besides I don't think I'll sharpen enough tungsten to warrant such costs.I.B.E.W Electrician and Damn Proud of It !!!! .Virtus Junxit Mors Non Separabit http://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/
Reply:Hello big daddy, the diamond ground site is a very good place to learn some of the ins and outs of how tungsten grinding should be done and how the various angles can have an effect on weld performance. I put it that way because there are roughly 7 to nine different tungsten grades possibly and I believe that diamond ground gets into the +'s and -"s of all of them. They also can provide the reasoning behind proper and improper grinding techniques. Additionally, I believe they have a chart that will describe the various tungsten grinding angles and how these angle changes can effect the weld pool. As a beginner much of this information may be totally greek and not mean a lot at this time, as you get further into the process much of it will become important and necessary to know. There are other resources that discuss these issues at length, Google and other search engines will likely provide you with links to check them out. Best regards, Allanaevald
Reply:I have one of those Pirahna grinders and it works excellent. Bought if from the local college when they did an upgrade of equipment for $100, cant go wrong at that price. Looks used, but sharpens like a champ.Miller Dynasty 300dxSpeedglas 9002XMiller Spectrum 375 XtremeLincoln PowerMig 255xtLincoln PowerMig 140cMilwuakee Portaband
Reply:That was certainly a great buy, congratulations on your find. Best regards, Allanaevald
Reply:forget about grinding it and get online and but yourself some sodium nitrite. its almost as cheap as table salt and puts a beautiful finish on tungsten. dont buy chem-sharp because its only sodium nitrite. you might wanna wipe it off with a wet rag after u sharpen it this way and take the cup off when u do it too! the postflow really sends that powder flying lol!
Reply:Dont sharpen perpendicular to the tungsten, always go parallel.Have we all gone mad?
Reply:spinning the tung in a drill works good on a bench grinder. Speeds it all upI do mine on a skate sharpener. works fine also.G