Tip for TIG welding. Do it or not

[langy]

I use a pack of 10 ceriated tungstens about every 5 months, ground at one end and used until they become a pain to grind! (about 2" long) welding thin stainless assemblies and titanium skins for aircraft engines.
It's easy to go into a daze while welding and not pay attention closeness of the tungsten to the workpiece, resulting in a touch down.
When I was honing my skills I made sure I paid more attention to this distance, trying to keep it as constant as possible.
These things will only come with practice, that is if you're not happy with just being average.

How wasteful, only 2" , Shox Dr would get them to 1/2" at least

 

[Hitch]

We tnd to only use the blue ones now, so colour isnt much of an issue...

Sharpening, hold it above the wheel so it pulls it out of your hand if it grabs, not fires it through your palm....

If its a real bad mess, just snap it off and regrind

In the workshop, i don't tend to grind both ends, but if i'm going out to do some tig, i will normally sharpen both ends just to have more done ready.

 

[Shox Dr]

How wasteful, only 2" , Shox Dr would get them to 1/2" at least

Hahahaha ha. Nowt rong wi' bin Yorksha lad

But not far off, If I'm feeling that way, I have been know to use them until a short collet won't hold

As I've said I grind both ends, but then so does the lad who gives me his cast offs.
So I have little choice really, bar grinding one end flat, and using something to only 50% of potential is crazy


And there's nothing worse than crawling in and around something to get to a weld, only to touch down, and find you haven't bought the 'tin' with you, or you can only just move your hands without something sticking where it shouldn't

 

[langy]

Hahahaha ha. Nowt rong wi' bin Yorksha lad

But not far off, If I'm feeling that way, I have been know to use them until a short collet won't hold

As I've said I grind both ends, but then so does the lad who gives me his cast offs.
So I have little choice really, bar grinding one end flat, and using something to only 50% of potential is crazy


And there's nothing worse than crawling in and around something to get to a weld, only to touch down, and find you haven't bought the 'tin' with you, or you can only just move your hands without something sticking where it shouldn't

Just checking to see if you had nodded off Dave

 

[biffa]

If you ever break a torch dont throw it away remove all the rubber and save the boss, then with some consumables you can make a tungsten holder for sharpening that way you can slways keep the same point regardless of it its a full tungsten or 20mm long

 

[Jim_gsxr1000]

Thats actualy a quality idea, could also use a spare drill chuck

 

[Shox Dr]

Pin vice, otherwise called fingers

 

[Seano]

Pin vice, otherwise called fingers

you must be almost down to stumps by now Dave.....

 

[langy]

Pin vice, otherwise called fingers

I use a pin vice too, maybe a have a bit of Yorkshire in me

 

[NDriver]

I only sharpen one end but keep 10/15 sharpened tungstens at the ready.

The only reason I do this as I have sharpened a filler rod on a few occasions and it annoys me haha.
Plus it helps me not mix between red and grey.

 

[Shox Dr]

I have sharpened a filler rod on a few occasions

You're not the first and won't be the last.

The best one is (and they've posted up on here) is where they have thought the filler rod goes in the torch, and wondered why it disappears

 

[langy]

You're not the first and won't be the last.

The best one is (and they've posted up on here) is where they have thought the filler rod goes in the torch, and wondered why it disappears

I've never done that but would love to see it done

 

[chevy2]

I've never done that but would love to see it done

you'll laugh at this one then...
while doing some ali tig welding i picked up a silver allen key off the bench thinking it was a filler rod due to the folded end,

i now have a set of allen keys with one thats 2" shorter than the rest

 

[langy]

you'll laugh at this one then...
while doing some ali tig welding i picked up a silver allen key off the bench thinking it was a filler rod due to the folded end,

i now have a set of allen keys with one thats 2" shorter than the rest

Now i can believe that !!!