[atatro]

I just purchased my first tig welder about 6 months ago. It is a Miller syncrowave 250 DX. It had about 10 hours on it when I purchased it. It was purchased new in 2007. My question is how often should you have to sharpen the tungsten. I'm sure that some of it depends on how good you are at tig welding. I'm new to this but it seems like I sharpen more then I weld. One thing that I'm not doing is using a dedicated grinder for sharpening. I'm sure that this isn't helping any. I really struggle when welding Aluminum. Any tips would be great.

[atatro]

I'm using straight Argon gas and about a 1/4" stick out. I sharpen my tungsten to a point and use 2% Thorated.

[weldin mike 27]

Hey there,

The thing with aluminium is as Jody says, everything that can happen in tig welding will happen alot worse on aluminium. And that it can be impossible to weld if there are contamination issues. Not like steel were you can still weld if there is a bit of dirt and crud around. The tungsten will almost explode if you touch it on the weld or on to the filler rod. And yes the dedicated grinder is a must with Al because any contamination and you're gunna have a bad day. Don't stess too much, practice makes perfect. Well better anyway. And remember with aluminium the rule is clean clean clean. Gloves, work, rod, grinding wheel, everything is a possible source of contamination. Make sure you use a dedicated STAINLESS STEEL wire brush because a steel one will embed steel in the Al and screw it all up. Jody has made lots of videos on Al welding on this site (bless him).

Good Luck.

Mike

[weldin mike 27]

PS Also it helps to have a few Tungsten electrodes ready, so when you mess one up you can just swap over and keep welding. If you cut and or break a new electode it gives you two electrodes for the price. Avoid sharpening both ends of the electrode because more often than not you will end up with two big globs on the ends and the collet and diffuser stuck in the middle. It doesn't save any time in the end.

Good Luck again
Mike

[finewoods]

I've noticed that Jody has repeatedly advocated the use of 50/50 mix of argon and helium as a big improvement with aluminum--maybe that will help.

[TheExpert]

Determine if your tool needs sharpening. Find a professional sharpening service. If you are interested in learning how to sharpen blades yourself, it is recommended that you locate a teacher. Carbide tools require diamond for sharpening, due to their hardness.

[Greg From K/W]

Carbide who is talking about carbide? Its Tungsten he is talking about not carbide any grinding wheel will do.