Im starting to experiment with Thoriated, Ceriated and Lanthanated tungstens on stainless steel. I like Ceriated best. I have also heard of 2% Yttrium tungsten. I believe it is very high quality, and mostly used in the military and aerospace industry. I was wondering what it is like, has anyone used it? and where can you buy it from.
- Thread starter jhammer
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Never used Yttrium Tungstens before, generally use Thoriated for steel/stainless and Zirconiated or Ceriated for Aluminium.
Bsmith you can distinguish between tungstens by the colour code on the tip. Thoriated is red, Zirconiated is white and Ceriated is grey. There are many other types including pure tungsten but the three above will cover most if not all of your needs.
Bsmith you can distinguish between tungstens by the colour code on the tip. Thoriated is red, Zirconiated is white and Ceriated is grey. There are many other types including pure tungsten but the three above will cover most if not all of your needs.
Angusdog
Well-meaning amateur
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The tables below are from WeldingWeb, so apologies if there's any infringement of copyright, although they probably came from somewhere else anyway. I had this for reference.
It appears Yttrium is classed as a rare earth tungsten - I haven't heard of it before, but I'm hardly the last word on welding tech. Personally I'm waiting for Adamantium tungstens so I can make wolferine claws...
It appears Yttrium is classed as a rare earth tungsten - I haven't heard of it before, but I'm hardly the last word on welding tech. Personally I'm waiting for Adamantium tungstens so I can make wolferine claws...
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NTwoO
More skill with grinder than welder
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Hi, I changed from pure tungsten to Cerium for Alu. The arc starts much better, but it is noticable that the tip does not ball as easily. This must be due to the higher current carrying capacity. I grind my alu tungstens with a flattened tip. This results in a very fine ball when running above 120Hz and this makes the arc far more controllable. The arc is a little more unstable when it starts with a freshly ground tip.
http://www.diamondground.com/Guidebook0105.pdf. Never seen yttriated tungstens for sale, lots more 'mixed flavours' around these days that contain yttrium though. Those Huntingdon Fusion multistrikes work really well with both DC and AC
RapidResponse
Forum Supporter
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I always use thoriated and store them in a warm dry place. "my wif'e knickers as it happens". Saves a fortune on Readybreak.
pedrobedro
Man at Matalan
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I use Ceriated for everything, saves on effort and saving them separately. I've never seen Yttrium for sale anywhere, if one of the others works for you why look for a scarcer more expensive option ?
Yttrium is suppose to have a very narrow arc beam with great penetration. Good for producing tiny welds and inducing less heat into the work piece. At times it can be very difficult to weld Stainless without it looking all black which is either due to poor gas flow or just way to much heat input.
I've never noticed much if any difference in DCEN arc shape with different flavour tungsten, most noticable is differences with regards to arc striking (especially used tungstens) and tip longevity i.e arc time before a touch up is needed.
Arc shape and puddle depth to width ratios can be altered with changes to tip geometry, obviously a bit limited in that you have to balance arc shape against stability.
High frequency pulse (into hundreds of Hz) also tightens the arc cone noticably increasing the welds depth to width ratio and making for a more stable, stiffer low amperage arc.
Arc shape and puddle depth to width ratios can be altered with changes to tip geometry, obviously a bit limited in that you have to balance arc shape against stability.
High frequency pulse (into hundreds of Hz) also tightens the arc cone noticably increasing the welds depth to width ratio and making for a more stable, stiffer low amperage arc.
