Welding Tips and Tricks

hi guys, first post, a very basic question

my tungstens are getting shorter and shorter thanks to my steep learning curve... so, is there a minimum recommended length for the tungsten? i think as long as the collet grips it but maybe there are some other factors to consider.

thanks and sorry for the basic question.

regards. pete

Hey,

Welcome to the forum . Glad to have you,

As for your question, the practical length is the one you can safely sharpen and that the torch will grip. Most general torches (you can get micro torches that can grip about 10mm) will probably grip about 50mm or there abouts. The problem come with sharpening these small electrodes. By hand, it can be done, but it can be difficult , If you have an old pair pliers that you could grind a groove parallel to the jaws, this could help you keep your hands away from the grinding wheel.

Mick

thanks for your answer mick

i`m making a little jig for the grinder that will let me sharpen short (and long) tungstens so i don`t grind my fingertips ha!.

regards. pete

Holding with a drill means You can go quite short.

Yep, as long as the collet holds the tungsten enough to keep it centered and give you enough stick-out, it's still long enough. You only need about 1/4" engagement, maybe less.

As for sharpening the short ones, the drill suggestion is a good one, and I prefer a small cheapo 1/4" cordless dedicated to that purpose. You can also get a pin-vise in the size range of your tungstens, and I even made one once from a broken torch head... I cut away everthing but the threaded part of the head, put a 3/32 collet and rooster-tail (long back-cap) on it, and viola', instant pin-vise.

Steve S

i was about to ask this exact question. I was just doing some practice, and my tungsten is about 2" I have new packages, but I found out that what I have is metric, and I don't have collets for what I have.

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but it would be helpful to me, and I assume other newbies to know what consumables we should keep as spares. Maybe one of you with more experience could give us a general idea for a good basic kit to have on hand?

What metric-sized tungstens do you have on hand? There is some crossover.

Steve S

i have 1.6mm, 2.4mm and 3.2mm. I only have the collets that come with the welder, but I don't know off the top of my head which ones I have. I know that none of them worked with the new tungsten I have.

Michialt,

Those SHOULD have worked just fine.

3.2mm is within .0002" of 1/8"
2.4mm is within .00015" of 3/32"
1.6mm is within .0001" of 1/16"

Are you sure everything was matched to those values, and the collets matched the bodies? (you can't use a 3/32" collet in a 1/8" body, for example...)

Those numbers are too close for your equipment not to accept them.

Steve S