Zirconiated tungsten...Fantastic

I have been sayingthat for years. Why anybody buys pure tungstens is a complete mystery to me.

Ernie, You are the reason I bought them. Once again thanks!!!

Randy

are you grinding them to a point and taking off the tip? does zirc. work better than thor.? I was experimenting a little this past weekend with aluminum and ran into something on the miller site talking about using any 2% pointed tungsten with a inverter machine. I ran out to the garage to try it out before I could finish reading the article but sure enough I was able to lay down some nice welds. are there guidelines to using pointed tungstens with aluminum? and what's with all this balled end tungsten stuff I learned in class and read about in books?

I was also wondering about getting large well defined beads like these:

I can get nice looking welds using the pulse on my dynasty welder but the beads blend in to each other a little more than the weld in the picture.

dave

Ernie,

All of my employers have listed the price as the #1 reason for not using Zirconiated. What is the difference in price? I realize prices may vary, I am in Chattanooga, Tn, but is it twice the price? Higher?

Thanks in advance, Jim C Roberts

Not much written stuff. So far nobody has been willing to publish the stuff. Kind of like Pulser settings. Everybody wants to sell you a pulser, but nobody will tell you how to use it.

That is for standard transformer based TIG machines running true AC.

Inverters don't actually output true AC, it is much stranger than that but works better for welding aluminum.

Some of that is a lot of practice, and sicne those guys weld nothing but bike frames for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, they develop some ungodly skill. Also it is about how much filler you shove into the puddle.

I buy most of my tungstens online from these guys.

Their tungstens work fine.

They list a box of 10 3/32" 2% Thoriated tungstens at about $12. The same box in Zirconiated is $16.50.

Yeah I can see where $4 is going to bankrupt the company.

Plus they outlast pures about 10 to 1.

Often welding stores sell Zirconiated and Lanthanted tungstens at really inflated prices because they don't sell as many of them, so they aren't getting the great price breaks from their distributors.

That is why I buy them online.

Ernie,

All of my employers have listed the price as the #1 reason for not using Zirconiated. What is the difference in price? I realize prices may vary, I am in Chattanooga, Tn, but is it twice the price? Higher?

Thanks in advance, Jim C Roberts

I just tried out some new zirconiated tungstens for tig on aluminum. I cannot believe how much better than pure tungsten they are. If you haven't tried them for your aluminum, do yourself a favor..... spend the money and enjoy doing aluminum. Worth every penny.

Regards, Randy

I have been sayingthat for years. Why anybody buys pure tungstens is a complete mystery to me.

Ernie, I recently started following this group, and see that the 2% thoriated and pure tungstens I've been using for steel and aluminum aren't exactly "Plan A". I see it's time to get some new tungstens and have some questions.

Due to my house wiring I'm limited to about 125 amps. Is there any advantage to Zirconiated over Lanthanated, on AC at these currents?

has Lanthanated in 1%, 1.5% and 2%. I can't find any info on the relative merits of the 3. Which do you recommend?

If it makes any difference, I build recumbent bikes, so most of my welding is done on 0.035" to 0.049" wall 4130 tubing or 0.058" to

0.125" 6061 tubing.

Zirconiated will always outlast all other tungstens on AC. Never use them on DC. This also means you can use a smaller tungsten, which makes it easier to get into tight spots and fillets.

I used to get 1.5% Lanthanated (Gold Band), but now that the 2% ones are available I buy those (Blue Band). They last even longer.

Then all you need are 1/16" , 2% Lanthanated and 1/16" and maybe 3/32" Zirconiated.

Slightly off topic.. Since thoriated tungsten are radioactive and probably a health hazard. Why are they still used/sold?

__________________ Note: To reply, replace the word 'spam' embedded in return address with 'mail'. N38.6 W121.4

Because they technically fall below current OSHA hazzard levels. In truth is would take extensive exposure to them to equal a hazzardous exposure level. Thoria is an Alpha emiter, whish is not a kind of radiation that is likely to cause cancer, but it is possible.

I just prefer Lanthanted for practical reasons. They are just as good on AC as DC, and Thoriated tungstens can't match their perfomance on DC. Thoriated Tungstens are terrible on AC.