the best electrode for Tig welding SS

[dvice]

we have a Dialarc HF-P at work now and I have been using it for 19 years. We have been using thoriated electrodes for everything but aluminum, and pure tungsten for aluminum. the safety guy wants us to get rid of the thoriated. he doesn't want me grinding them at work. We have another dept that tigs in production mode and they went away from thoriated, even after sending them out to get reground for a few years. They are using lathinated. So the push is to get the toolroom to go to non thoriated electrodes. We mostly do repairs on SS metals. and some aluminum. we are buying a new dynasty 350 in a month, for our new expansion. What would you guys recommend for a electrode for mostly stainless steel?? we are set up with .040, 1/6th, 3/32nds and 1/8th electrodes now.

dvice

[griff01]

we have a Dialarc HF-P at work now and I have been using it for 19 years. We have been using thoriated electrodes for everything but aluminum, and pure tungsten for aluminum. the safety guy wants us to get rid of the thoriated. he doesn't want me grinding them at work. We have another dept that tigs in production mode and they went away from thoriated, even after sending them out to get reground for a few years. They are using lathinated. So the push is to get the toolroom to go to non thoriated electrodes. We mostly do repairs on SS metals. and some aluminum. we are buying a new dynasty 350 in a month, for our new expansion. What would you guys recommend for a electrode for mostly stainless steel?? we are set up with .040, 1/6th, 3/32nds and 1/8th electrodes now.

dvice

Miller recommends and supplies ceriated with the Dynasty 200. Hmm. Probably a good reason they supply that type of electrode.
I have used the ceriated and 1.5% lanthanated with both my Dynasty 200 and with my Syncro 350. Good results with both.

Griff

[OscarJr]

If you're getting a Dynasty350, might as well go with 2%La, and it will work for pretty much anything. Holds a sharp tip very well on an inverter, if you know how to set the dials. Arc wander is a thing of the past.

[ryanjones2150]

the best electrode for Tig welding SS

I use 2% lanthanated for everything. I have inverter and transformer machines and also keep .040, 1/16th, 3/32nd and 1/8th on hand like you guys. Although I use 3/32nd for most of my jobs. Pure tungsten is not indicated for use on a transformer machine. I even use the 2% lanthanated when welding aluminum on the big transformer machine. I sharpen the tungsten for tacking and let it ball up however it wants to ball up, then roll with it. I don't have a tungsten grinder, so I either use my bench grinder or chuck it up in a drill motor and run it against the angle grinder with a sanding pad. Probably not the best way, but it's what I have.

[rlnelson5]

Hi I dont have much info about best electrode for ss. But I do have some info on electrode grinding . I jsed t
o use the grinder method as well but wanted a better way I got one of the HF smallest grinder. It is the one that can use a flexible shaft that uses 1/8 bits .It has a 5 inch wheel with 1 fine grit and 1 abrasive wheel like scotbrite . I found a very fine grade diamond grinding wheel 5 inch like a cuttoff wheel from amazon and then drilled out center to fit grinder and put diamondwheel next to the abrasive wheel and bolted on. Works great with fine grade to rough shape and diamond wheel to polish . Total cost about 25 grinder and about 7 for the wheel.
.

[H80N]

Tungsten Electrodes - 2% lanthanated vs the rest...pure,ceriated,thoriated, and zirco

I tend to favor 2% Lanthanated

here is a video you might want to watch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpanERwagaU

[OscarJr]

Hi I dont have much info about best electrode for ss. But I do have some info on electrode grinding . I jsed t
o use the grinder method as well but wanted a better way I got one of the HF smallest grinder. It is the one that can use a flexible shaft that uses 1/8 bits .It has a 5 inch wheel with 1 fine grit and 1 abrasive wheel like scotbrite . I found a very fine grade diamond grinding wheel 5 inch like a cuttoff wheel from amazon and then drilled out center to fit grinder and put diamondwheel next to the abrasive wheel and bolted on. Works great with fine grade to rough shape and diamond wheel to polish . Total cost about 25 grinder and about 7 for the wheel.
.

the small Harbor Freight grinder has more like 3" grinding wheels, not 5". I have the same one that has the removable flex-shaft.

What grit diamond cutoff wheel did you order?

[Azphiks]

the best electrode for Tig welding SS

Grind the thoriated outside

[H80N]

Grind the thoriated outside

Thoriated is not a big deal... I still have drawer full and still use it...
just like the 2% Lanthanated better....

NOT a major health threat... PLS read this

http://www.diamondground.com/thoriated-tungsten-discontinued/

[dvice]

thanks guys.... I Have several packages of thoriated...we were going to just send them out to point...then one guy tells me they just got rid of all those in the other dept that tigs nickel -titanium all day long

I have a package of lanthinated...but haven't welded enough to know the difference,,,besides I really think our old machine isn't up to working 100% it is finicky I think... so that makes it even harder to compare


dvice

[rlnelson5]

Hi sorry about size I wrote at work without seeing it. It is a 3inch and the diamond grinder disc on Amazon is a Enkay 387-3c and it was 9 bucks instead of 6