Tig welding tips, questions, equipment, applications, instructions, techniques, tig welding machines, troubleshooting tig welding process
Poland308
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    Thu Sep 10, 2015 8:45 pm
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I use 1/8 and 3/32 99% of the time. I've only recently begun to experiment with smaller sizes.
I have more questions than answers

Josh
Graveyard
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    Wed Feb 25, 2015 8:31 am
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    Burnsville MN

LtBadd wrote:
Graveyard wrote:
LtBadd wrote:Thanks for the review, have you had to replace the wheel yet?


No sir, still using the same wheel and I'm told that when one side wears out you can flip it. Not sure if there is any truth to that but I'm going to try when the time comesz
What diameter tungsten do you typically use? I use mostly 3/32 and 1/16"

I use 3/32 (red) 99% of the time.
Futterama
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    Wed Jul 12, 2017 10:25 am
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So I've been in contact with CK and this is their response to the discolored tungstens:
I looked at our stock of T0207GL and there is some discoloration on the electrodes. I did some digging and it is actually an oxide layer. The surface oxide layer can be more aggressive in hot humid weather. I think you guys have been experiencing that this year. If you take a clean emery cloth and run it up and down the electrode, it will clean it up and be back to shiny silver. The small diameter, .020” (.5mm), would be more susceptible to having a more visible oxide layer than a bigger diameter. I am sure that even the first striking of an arc would burn it off. I don’t see this as being anything to worry about but just to cross your t’s and dot your I’s put an emery cloth on it and remover the oxide layer before you weld.
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....hot humid weather. I think you guys have been experiencing that this year.
:lol: Coldest summer in a hundred years in Scandinavia this year it was.
Futterama
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I just received my diamond grinding discs from ebay today:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/6-Grit-60-to-30 ... 2749.l2649

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-80-3000-Diamo ... 2749.l2649

These work fantastic, much better than sandpaper!

Now, I learned that sandpaper is not the best for metal grinding, so I got some emery cloth to try out too, and I'll compare to the diamond discs.

The diamond discs are 120 grit and 320 grit. After grinding using the 320 grit, the tungstens look like on the photos. The first photo is a 2mm - 5/64" tungsten, and the second photo is a 0.5mm - .020" tungsten.

Do they look like they should or do I need to get a finer grit diamond disc for the final grind?
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Last edited by Futterama on Tue Sep 12, 2017 3:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
Futterama
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2mm tungsten final grind with 400 grit emery cloth.
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Futterama
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2mm tungsten final grind with 1000 grit emery cloth.

What's good enough for hobby work?
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Poland308
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lol that's plenty good. At work or in the field sometimes the only thing handy to clean up a tungsten is a 4-1/2 inch grinder with a hard wheel. Those are so rough you can see the grooves at arms length. But they weld!
I have more questions than answers

Josh
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