Smallest Tungsten you use?

[CGCINC]

I'm thinking about buying a box of .040 and a box of .020 juat to try them out.
I'm not so sure I would use the .020 so that's why I'm wondering what the smallest you guys have use is?

[redbeard]

I've used the 040 on the chains I built, been wanting to try the 020 just to see how small I can weld, although I don't think it would be something used on a regular basis. It does make quite a bit of difference pinpointing the arc as you step down in size.

[geezer]

I have never seen a .020 tungsten,,,are you sure about that size,,,, cause a .040 electrode has an amp range of about 5 to 30 amps,,,,using simple math,,,1/2 the dia would reduce the amps by about a factor of 4 in capacity...meaning such a small size would have a range of 1.5 to 8 amps...

[redbeard]

I have never seen a .020 tungsten,,,are you sure about that size,,,, cause a .040 electrode has an amp range of about 5 to 30 amps,,,,using simple math,,,1/2 the dia would reduce the amps by about a factor of 4 in capacity...meaning such a small size would have a range of 1.5 to 8 amps...

http://www.diamondground.com/lanthanated_blue.html They do make it, not common but available. My LWS said they could order it as well. Interesting point on the amperage, I knew it wouldn't be much but a max of 8? Wow.

[CGCINC]

I have never seen a .020 tungsten,,,are you sure about that size,,,, cause a .040 electrode has an amp range of about 5 to 30 amps,,,,using simple math,,,1/2 the dia would reduce the amps by about a factor of 4 in capacity...meaning such a small size would have a range of 1.5 to 8 amps...

Here... http://weldingdirect.com/10pac0202tho.html

Sounds like the .040 is the smallest I would need then. After doing my dog statue I think 1/16th is a little big for some of the more intricate parts.

[geezer]

http://www.diamondground.com/lanthanated_blue.html They do make it, not common but available. My LWS said they could order it as well. Interesting point on the amperage, I knew it wouldn't be much but a max of 8? Wow.

Amp ranges and Dia's follow the same ratio and proportion of pipe sizes ,,,double the Dia and the pipe has 4 times the capacity,,,you can check this out by looking at the chart on the bottom of page 4 in the CK manual...http://www.ckworldwide.com/tech-4.pdf

[fdcmiami]

Amp ranges and Dia's follow the same ratio and proportion of pipe sizes ,,,double the Dia and the pipe has 4 times the capacity,,,you can check this out by looking at the chart on the bottom of page 4 in the CK manual...http://www.ckworldwide.com/tech-4.pdf

there are several poster's that appear to be regular or semi-regular tig welders. i'll bet they aren't using .040 or .020. i am one of them. look at the tungsten grinders sold on ebay. if you want an .040 attachment it costs additional. recently someone posted that they do 90 percent of their welding with 3/32 tungsten. they were right on.

i use 3/32, 1/8th and on occasion 1/16th. if you have the money and want to experiment that's fine. too bad you need to buy a box because you will probably be looking at them for a long time. frankly i am amazed that so many use 1/16th tungsten but it's also true that many are just getting started welding. and this fixation with helium? what is up with that.

[geezer]

there are several poster's that appear to be regular or semi-regular tig welders. i'll bet they aren't using .040 or .020. i am one of them. look at the tungsten grinders sold on ebay. if you want an .040 attachment it costs additional. recently someone posted that they do 90 percent of their welding with 3/32 tungsten. they were right on.

i use 3/32, 1/8th and on occasion 1/16th. if you have the money and want to experiment that's fine. too bad you need to buy a box because you will probably be looking at them for a long time. frankly i am amazed that so many use 1/16th tungsten but it's also true that many are just getting started welding. and this fixation with helium? what is up with that.

Exactly,,,I have a 250 EX and the 3/32 covers just about everything a fellow needs,,,have smaller electrodes,,but only as a curiousity,,experimentation is one thing ,,doing real work in the real world is another,,,not to say we all shouldn't endulge ourselves in some hobby type expermentation to learn things..

As far as Helium goes,,,it's a way to make a smaller machine preform like a bigger machine,,,which confirms my choice of machines in my own case,,I choose the 250 EX ,,,cause it's as much power as you can get sucking juice out of a 50 amp single phase power source,,,I don't use helium,,,but it's good to know how it functions in the welding process

[fdcmiami]

Exactly,,,I have a 250 EX and the 3/32 covers just about everything a fellow needs,,,have smaller electrodes,,but only as a curiousity,,experimentation is one thing ,,doing real work in the real world is another,,,not to say we all shouldn't endulge ourselves in some hobby type expermentation to learn things..

same here. i just looked at the dog sculpture. if i was thinking about building small pieces like that i would be looking for specialty fixtures to make the welding easier. there are clamping systems made specifically for that type of work.

[CGCINC]

I use 3/32 for most things as well along with 1/16th here and there.... Most larger projects or welding repair.

If you didn't see my post in the metal art section it is here... http://www.everlastgenerators.com/fo...248-Dog-statue
This is what I am wanting a smaller tungsten for. 1/16th works but it would be better if I could pinpoint the arc better with a smaller tungsten and I would think at low amperage, the thinner tungsten would have better characteristics!?

[CGCINC]

same here. i just looked at the dog sculpture. if i was thinking about building small pieces like that i would be looking for specialty fixtures to make the welding easier. there are clamping systems made specifically for that type of work.

Welding it and holding it in place is not a problem... I'm just wanting to control the arc and heat better with a smaller tungsten.

[geezer]

same here. i just looked at the dog sculpture. if i was thinking about building small pieces like that i would be looking for specialty fixtures to make the welding easier. there are clamping systems made specifically for that type of work.

Yeah I looked at it too,,,I admire people who build things like that,,,don't have any artistic ability myself,,,more or a meat and potatoes type of guy,,straight forward mechanical stuff,,I understand...or at least try too...

[undercut]

Yeah I looked at it too,,,I admire people who build things like that,,,don't have any artistic ability myself,,,more or a meat and potatoes type of guy,,straight forward mechanical stuff,,I understand...or at least try too...

How much can you simulate a thinner tungsten by grinding a narrower point - say point length three times diameter of tungsten? (but dull the very tip)

[Rambozo]

How much can you simulate a thinner tungsten by grinding a narrower point - say point length three times diameter of tungsten? (but dull the very tip)

It works for me. I have ground a needle point on 1/16 and have never found anything small that it wouldn't work for. It's not hard to make a .060" wide bead and with practice probably half that. I know there is a whole different world for micro-welding with different tools and machines, but nothing I deal with.

[geezer]

How much can you simulate a thinner tungsten by grinding a narrower point - say point length three times diameter of tungsten? (but dull the very tip)

A tungsten ground to a needle point will work at very low amps,,,the flattened end of a sharpened tungsten determines the amp capacity,,,don't flatten the end and it is liable to blow off and contaminate your weld,,,so depending on the flattened size on the end after sharpening you can increase the useable amp range,,this is shown in the chart on page 4 of the CK manual,,,,if you plan your sharpening profile you can make a larger tungsten do fine work,,,but remember not to use it for heavy work unless you flatten the point..the ratio of flattened area to tungsten dia is also shown on the chart..

[CGCINC]

I tried grinding it down and it helped, I'm just wanting to try the smaller tungsten to see how IT reacts.
This is all part of my learning to weld.....

[jakeru]

Diamond ground should be able to send you some .040" samples if you request them for free. HTP also sells tungstens by the piece/each, and they have .040, so it's an easy way to experiment without buying 10. Although you'll need an appropriate collet and collet body to go with it too, (but they sell those by the piece as well.)

I was just experimenting with .040" tungsten a little bit more a few days ago, on a pop can bottom. I think it was 2% lanthanated. One thing I don't like about .040", is that if you get liquid metal on it, it wicks quite a ways up and and effectively "ruins" quite a long distance of it. With 1/16" or larger, the metal doesn't seem to wick as far up in the case of a mishap, and you don't waste as much as a result.

I use lanthanated mostly; 2% but sometimes 1.5%. I don't think a large diameter tungsten ground to a narrow angle tip behaves the same way in terms of the arc it gives off, as a smaller diameter tungsten with a blunter tip. I am pretty lazy and tend to not switch my torch parts if I don't need to. Someone asked about mixing gasses. Being able to vary the mix certainly does let you get a wider range out of a certain size tungsten. It is not equivalent to simply turning up the current, which may make you need to also change the front end parts and tungsten diameter (upsizing it) to make work on pure argon. Also, the arc quality will not be the same. Helium is really good for deep penetration, whereas argon spreads the arc out wider. With the right (smaller) sized tungsten and some Helium, you'll be able to do things you can't with pure argon and the necessarily larger diameter tungsten. So, if you want to extend your capabilities, Helium is something to consider.

Also regarding the tip breaking off and contaminating the workpiece, this has not been my experience at least on my setup that I've used the most; what I find is that the tip will just melt into a ball if you get it too hot. This does change the arc characteristic when it happens however, so if it happens in the middle of your weld bead, the bead won't be consistent.

Another thing I like about 1/16", opposed to larger like 3/32" (or even 1/8"), when those larger diameters are not necessary to use, is that grinding them is much quicker. You have less material to remove to grind a smaller diameter tungsten, so it's faster. I can grind a 1/16" to perfection in less than 10 seconds. 3/32" would take me probably 3x that long.

[Winky]

I'm thinking about buying a box of .040 and a box of .020 juat to try them out.
I'm not so sure I would use the .020 so that's why I'm wondering what the smallest you guys have use is?

Was just looking the pictures you posted ... nice work. I just got my 200DX and I've been laying some beads on aluminum over the last couple days (have done DCEN but AC is new to me) I was using 3/32" lanthanated on 1/8" flat at around 65 to 70 amps ... I should probably drop to 1/16" tungsten huh?