Try changing yourcolletI always gat a mark - looks like a burn mark where the collett pinches the electrode on my ck torch.
I never got this on my other torch. Similar collett designs.
Does everyone get this?
Perfectly normalI always gat a mark - looks like a burn mark where the collett pinches the electrode on my ck torch.
I never got this on my other torch. Similar collett designs.
Does everyone get this?
Lol we will have to agree to disagree here mate. It’s heat tint (surface oxides) and where there is no inert gas protection behind the lens when the tungsten cools rapidly. this is very common. It’s also completely harmless contained behind the collet. It also rubs off in seconds with a bit of scotch bright. I wouldn’t be cutting an inch of tungsten off every time I saw that. I’d have no flipping tungstens left.Contamination travelled up the tungsten.
Cut it off.
Lol we will have to agree to disagree here mate. It’s heat tint (surface oxides) and where there is no inert gas protection behind the lens when the tungsten cools rapidly. this is very common. It’s also completely harmless contained behind the collet. It also rubs off in seconds with a bit of scotch bright. I wouldn’t be cutting an inch of tungsten off every time I saw that. I’d have no flipping tungstens left.
Tbh mate I don’t I’ve been welding for 5 years now and have got past touching down for the most part.You must get through a lot of tungsten Brad.![]()
Brad if that heat tinted spot was a result of touching down it wouldn’t be an inch away from the point it would be contaminated from the point up wards. Look it’s a perfectly straight line exactly where the collet nips it and the rest of the tungsten is bright. That’s nothing whatsoever to do with touching down. it’s not getting sufficient gas protection and it can’t because the collet is nipping it tight. I’d say the op probably wasn’t getting this before because he’s gone from a Fronius torch (wedge collet) where gas can get in due to design to a ck torch which is probably a split collet and this squashes the tungsten and you will get a discoloured tungsten quite often Under a split collet.Yep I think we will mate.
There’s gas behind the Lens. Gas goes right up into the back cap.
I also wouldn’t touch a tungsten with scotchbrite either. You’re gonna put all scratches in to it and some types of scotchbrite are impregnated with a lubricant soap.
I see people time and time again get that stuttering start and black soot on AC.
They’re wire brushing and cleaning their part, checking their gas, when all it is, is the last time they touched down they just reground their tungsten.
On AC the tungsten gets much hotter than DC as we all know. The current is also going in two directions.
From the torch to the workpiece in the electrode negative EN cycle and from workpiece to torch in EP cycle.
If you do have a touchdown this increased heat and current going back up the tungsten carries the contaminants further up the tungsten to where it is below the temperature that dilution in solution can occur.
It would be a boring world if we agreed on everything mate.I’m not going to split hairs over it rich. In aerospace we cut the tungsten back.
I’ve never got what OP has got with a straight line. I use CK consumables too.
I thought I'd test Richard's theory;
View attachment 148304
A tiny brass ferrule crimped onto the tungsten should make a band of oxide under the collar and under the ferrule. After a minute or so of welding it looked like this;
View attachment 148303
That's about what I was expecting but I did contaminate the tip of the tungsten so I got s fresh one and took a blowtorch to it;
View attachment 148306
The oxide layer looks similar (though more distinct) and definitely isn't caused by tip contamination. No idea why there's no oxide in the middle where the flame was on it?
And finally here's three tungstens at about 60x magnification, cleaned with, from left to right, fine sandpaper, scotchbrite and nothing.View attachment 148305
Scotchbrite doesn't touch it (Didn't do a brilliant job of cleaning it either to be honest).