What is this magic stuff?

[awemawson]

What on earth is this stuff that presumably can disolve tungsten?


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TIG-TUNGS...377?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item33502a86b9

Anyone used it? Does it work? - seem too good to be true

 

[Tiggy_dorset]

Sounds too good to be true, but I have never used it so I have no grounds to comment really.

I just know that using the belt sander means I can achieve my prefered angle depending on the job I am doing.

 

[Paul.]

It does work but a lot of messing about compared to grinding, I tried some ages ago, the selling point at the time was for the prep of thoriated tungtens which are mildly radioactive.

 

[hotrodder]

It's a salt albeit not one of the flavours you'd want to put on your chips. Sodium nitrate aka saltpeter iirc. The tungsten needs to be red hot when dipped to get the reaction going and basically you keep dipping the tungsten until you get the point you want. 'Chem sharp' is probably the most well known brand name, probably vids showing how to use it on youtube.

the selling point at the time was for the prep of thoriated tungtens which are mildly radioactive.

Perversely sodium nitrate is also considered a carcinogen

 

[Paul.]

The one I tried was a Dynaflux product, American, complete with the hard sell and over exaggerated health concerns regarding tungsten grinding.

Edit: Chem sharp thats the one Clicky

 

[awemawson]

Well that's interesting. Sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate are very similar chemicals, and I use potassium nitrate (which is actually saltpeter not sodium nitrate) when I'm curing bacon and ham. So I'll try a bit and see what happens!

 

[hotrodder]

My bad. Now got an inkling that it might be sodium nitrite rather than nitrate. Whichever it is it's overpriced as tungsten sharpening 'stuff' and as Paul said a ball ache when there's a grinder/linisher etc to hand

 

[StickNtig]

They tried to get us to use that when we were on an oil rig in Brazil a few months ago as part of their health and safety, its a pain in the ars3 compared to grinding!

 

[langy]

My mate had some Chem Sharp, I tried it but found it to be a total ball ache compared to a few seconds on a green grinding wheel.

 

[c4tini]

I used this at college when the grinder was broken. My teacher said everyone building the illustrious used this stuff. Its not only more portable than a grinder but it also stops any contamination from a contaminated grinder eg. people grinding different tungstens or sharpening pencils.
Its good stuff in my opinion. gives a nice point too. the grinder is probably a little bit easier though if you have one to hand.

 

[backpurge]

Used to use it all the time when we were welding inside pressure vessels and didn't have access to grinders, thought it was great stuff in situations like that

 

[Omniata]

Well that's interesting. Sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate are very similar chemicals, and I use potassium nitrate (which is actually saltpeter not sodium nitrate) when I'm curing bacon and ham. So I'll try a bit and see what happens!

On an aside, apologies for "off track" but it should be nitrite not nitrate for curing meats alone, or rarely in addition to the nitrate
I would be careful using Sodium or Potassium Nitrite with a hot tungsten, the reaction might not be as predictable as for the Nitrate...

 

[awemawson]

No - potassium nitrate, which forms nitrites within the meat and kills the nasties, but not too much as it kills you too! :

http://store.theingredientstore.com/saltpetre-food-gradepotassiumnitrate.aspx

 

[matt1978]

I watched a video on you tube of how to use it and it seems a right long winded way to put a point on Tungsten! Something that usually takes a few seconds on a bench grinder takes a couple of minutes. Don't see the logic behind using it

 

[Ragnarok]

i saw a thing about that stuff awhile ago, it's supposed to be for site work and things where you don't have a bench grinder, seems pretty long winded to me an angle grinder with a sanding disc would probably be quicker and easier!

 

[dannyp]

i just sharpen 10 at a time and at both ends ( kno i shouldn't do that but i do)

 

[Ragnarok]

nothing wrong with sharpening both ends if you only have one type of tungsten I guess, like all ceriated on lanthanated