sharping tungen

[JJE]

I forgot to ask how sharp does it need to be. I am going to use the drill and belt sander.

[arc]

sharpen it to a fine point 1 1/2 time the diameter

[JJE]

how sharp dose it need to be for mild stell

[monte55]

Sharping tungen......Not a clue!

[KBar]

If I remember correctly from the little bit of tigging I was taught. Sharpen it to look like a ball point pen cartridge and for aluminum, it should look similiar to a Q tip.

[JJE]

how sharp dose it need to be

[safetydave]

jje I have used both the belt & hard disk for sharpening my tungs and found that you get a better point with the beltsander because it's softer and you can have better control of your tungsten as to how much of a point you need for your work. just my thoughts on this and what works for me.

[shaggy10000]

Chuck it into a cordless drill and sharpen it on a belt sander. Works great!

Thats what i do

[crawdaddy]

In the event you are working with Thoriated electrodes (red band of color on the end), be aware they are mildly radioactive. Many welders like them because they work great. You could probably lick them all day long with your tounge and not suffer ill effects, but grind it into a fine dust (when you are sharpening it) and breathe it and you are asking for lung cancer.

A welding instructor from a local high school recently died before his time, of lung cancer.

I've been told the dust is so heavy that it will settle-out and you will never breathe it while grinding. Then why is there grinding dust on my respirator when I take it off? For me, I do NOT buy Thoriated electrodes. Lanthinated works fine for me. Costs a little more, but how much is our health worth?

When I first bought my Tig I got my lath electrodes from sylvania I have never used a thoriated electrode and dont intend to ...Interesting tidbit although cerium is supposed to be radiation free, with ceriated electrodes I read in a online encyclopedia that most commercialy mined cerium has traces of thorium in it because the metals occur naturally in proximity to each other you dont here that info from the manufacturers. it make me wonder about the safety also of ceriated Mike

[KBar]

how sharp dose it need to be

Sharp enough when it is pressed to your skin, it hurts but does not puncture, kinda like a pencil point.