New Welder

[EdK]

Hmm, Amazon said "Estimated Delivery: Feb. 26 - March 7 if you choose Standard at checkout." This afternoon I got an email with a UPS tracking number.

I could use some advise on what electrodes to start out with and any other accessories I'm going to need to use this new welder.

Ed

[Highpower]

Hate to say it Ed but MIG really is easier.  

You will need a tank of straight Argon of course - you can't use 75/25 for TIG.  
And you'll need some filler rods as well. Start with steel, and move on to aluminum after you've got the hang of running beads on steel.

I would recommend you use 2% Lanthanated tungsten electrodes for everything. They will work great with your type of machine for all types of metals.

And not an absolute necessity but a really helpful item to have is one of Jody's "TIG fingers".

[EdK]

(02-13-2016, 07:05 PM)Highpower Wrote: Hate to say it Ed but MIG really is easier.  

You will need a tank of straight Argon of course - you can't use 75/25 for TIG.  
And you'll need some filler rods as well. Start with steel, and move on to aluminum after you've got the hang of running beads on steel.

I would recommend you use 2% Lanthanated tungsten electrodes for everything. They will work great with your type of machine for all types of metals.

And not an absolute necessity but a really helpful item to have is one of Jody's "TIG fingers.

Oh, I know MIG is easier. No confusion there. I'm hoping to set up the TIG in the basement so I can weld during the cold months. I know I'll need to ventilate but I have a plan for that.

Straight argon it is and thanks for the electrode recommendation. I'll get some of those on order. The TIG finger is already on my list. I've been watching Jody's TIG videos for the last couple of hours.

Thanks Willie.  

Ed

[EdK]

Question Willie. What's the difference between these two, other than price?

The one you linked to: http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Tungsten-E...gsten+3+32

And this one: http://www.amazon.com/Welding-Tungsten-E...2470955011

And what's the significance to the color on the one end of the electrodes?

Ed

[Highpower]

Good question Ed. The color denotes the type of tungsten blend. The red one's are Thoriated tungsten which are used for welding steel. No good for aluminum. They are also slightly radioactive, so you don't want to breathe in any of the dust created while grinding them. Very low level radiation, but still.....

Do a Google search for tungsten types and you'll get an idea of what types there are, and what color goes to each type. Most of them are a mixture of different elements. Pure tungsten (green) is the old school type used for welding aluminum with a transformer based TIG welder. Not used so much anymore these days.

With your inverter based welder you can use the Lantanated tungstens for steel, aluminum, stainess, copper, etc., etc.

[EdK]

Bad comparison on my part. How about this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013KZ2...bw_g469_i5

Compared to the one you linked to:

http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Tungsten-E...gsten+3+32

I guess my real question is what do I get for 3 times the price? And how long does an electrode last?

Sorry for the basic questions.

Ed

[arvidj]

I would go with the cheaper ones to begin with. The tungsten is not measurably consumed as part of the process. It is simply the last part ofthe current path to the work. Cheaper is better to start with ... at least in my opinion ... because I'd mess them up from brain fade much more quickly than current erosion.

At least for me, when starting out the tungsten got shorter because I kept accidentially dipping the electrode and had to stop and grind a new point. Even at my high 'klutz' rate I've yet to go thru a full 10 pack of electrodes.

[f350ca]

Aw but the second one is DIAMOND GROUND. Unfortunately that lasts about a nano second, before you dip the tungsten in the puddle. Go cheap, I have both thoriated and lantanated, think the latter is maybe better but Im a total hack at tig. They last a long time even with rapping them with a hammer to break off the contaminated part.
Best of luck

[Highpower]

Arvid is spot on. Use the cheaper tungsten's when you are starting out. How long they last will depend greatly on your hand / eye coordination. You will be trying to concentrate on several things at once, and you WILL end up dipping the tungsten in the puddle and/or touching the tungsten with your filler rod. You'll know it when it happens.

DIAMOND GROUND is a BRAND of tungsten's and high quality stuff. Consider them the Hardinge of welding electrodes compared to what comes off of the Chinese freighters. Definitely don't need those at this point.

When I first started with TIG, I think I went through a full 7" tungsten in the first HOUR!
Yeah, it wasn't pretty.

[Roadracer_Al]

One of the big hurdles I had to get over when learning to TIG weld was the tendency to dip the tip in the puddle then just forge ahead with a contaminated tungsten (in my defense, I was young and impatient when I learned, and developed a LOT of bad habits).

I have finally broken that habit and one tool in particular has helped with that -- I made a 2-sided "pencil holder" for tungstens. One side is "CLEAN" the other side is "DIRTY". I use a cordless drill at the belt sander with a fine-grit belt to point BOTH ENDS of all my tungstens, yes the whole box all at once... this assumes you only keep one flavor of tungsten in your shop. That way there's very little down time for switching to a clean tungsten. When the "DIRTY" side is full, it's time to go spend some quality time at the belt sander.

I've experimented with the "scratch direction" on the tips - I've read on the internet that it could make a difference. IMHO, it doesn't. It might make a difference when grinding a tungsten with very coarse abrasive, but IMHO, the arc is more stable and tight if a fine abrasive is used and a good clean finish applied. I also find that a light polish/cleaning on the shank seems to help arc stability, too.

Also, I'd studiously avoid sharpening your tungstens on your bench grinder -- it'll quickly wear a groove in the wheel and you'll have to waste an enormous amount of the wheel when dressing it for regular grinding tasks.

And, BTW, a 2% Thoriated tungsten *will* weld aluminum, and it's superior to pure tungsten on thin sheet stock -- it keeps a nice tight puddle -- but it's NFG for plate or heavy castings, it just breaks down. I'd be curious to try some Lanthinated, but I have a lot of Thoriated on hand.

Here's my last fun tungsten trivia: those of us who are of a "certain age" and had drafting lessons at school may recall a pencil-ish device called a "lead holder". Turns out that when your tungsten gets down to about 1" and is too short to hold in a torch, putting a point on the electrode and slipping it into your antique, obsolete lead holder makes a really nice scribe for doing layout tasks, and they stay sharp a really really long time.