I don't have a bench grinder but i do have an angle grinder to sharpen thoriated tungsten electrodes.
I'm having problems with the arc it seems to create bright pulsing flashes making it very difficult for me to see the arc and weld puddle.
is this caused by a contaminated tungsten electrode? OR is that what happens when the tungsten electrode is contaminated with other metal bits from the grinding stone?
perhaps my angle grinder isn't clean enough and contains some steel/ aluminum bits which contaminated the electrode.
but maybe the grinding stone contaminated my tungsten with a few steel/ aluminum bits since my grinder is also used for grinding different metal pieces.
my collet and collet holder seem to have steel bits on it too.
i am using thoriated on steel. pure tungsten on aluminum.
If you are grinding your tungsten because you keep dipping it in the weld pool, you need to grind off whatever was exposed from your collet. The tungsten is hot enough to 'absorb' metal into it's crystal structure and you need to grind it all off or it will melt/ vaporize and ruin your point.
Another thing to keep in mind, your work must be absolutely clean. If there is any oil, water, scale or 'barf' in what you are trying to weld, its going to pop and make a mess of your weld, tungsten and torch. If this happens, grind out the entire part of the weld that got contaminated, grind your tungsten down and start over. With steel, Stainless you should grind tell you see no holes, in al you grind tell you see no black or sparks. You shouldn't see anything near what you are welding that isn't bright clean metal.
The cardinal rule with TIG is NEVER let your Tungsten touch your weld pool or your rod.
Tig is the most complex and difficult manual welding process to get down, so don't get discouraged. Just keep laying down bead and you'll get better.
Nothing... I repeat... NOTHING... should be ground with the stone or disk used to grind the tungsten except the tungsten. It sounds like you're contaminating your tungsten every time you touch it to your grinder. Replace the disk with a fresh one and use it only for sharpening tungsten.
Bench grinders these days are cheaper than a Missouri farmer. You can buy one for less money than a 10 pack of tungsten electrodes. It will save you money, sharpen your electrodes more accurately and efficiently and will improve your tig welding experience overall.
Three key words to remember when tig welding... CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN.
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