TIG WELDING ELECTRODES - CLEAN YOUR TIG WELDING TUNGSTEN ELECTRODES!

[@PacificArcTigWelding]

🔥💎TAKE MY FREE ONLINE ALUMINUM TIG WELDING CLASSES and Check out all of my programs HERE👉 www.pacificarctigwelding.com/

[@JoelArseneaultYouTube]

Huge thanks for this video. I'm new to TIG welding, bought my first TIG at the end of December and have used it a few times. I had a day of successful welding aluminum and then the next day was a TOTAL DISASTER. I spent several hours making a total mess, dipping tungsten, struggling to stick anything together. Turns out that, in my frustration from a few dips, I had let my torch hygiene go to hell. My arc was all over the place, and this was a real problem as I was welding .080" to .5 ". Yesterday, after watching your video, I laughed at what a poor job I was doing taking care of my torch / tungsten, paid attention to the details and immediately, the arc and my welds started doing what I wanted them to do. I'm still a crappy welder, but I'm now a crappy welder that can make some progress. An additional piece of advice I would give, but never take myself, is that if things aren't going well, don't just keep trying.... walk away, reassess the situation and come back later.

[@carlzrx]

I never realised just how important post flow was and where I’ve been going wrong lol great advice,cheers.

[@cvytnioy56dvfuj4g7]

I have been welding for about 35 years, but I have never used a tig. I recently bought a 200 amp AC/DC machine with pulse. Really loving watching and learning. Starting to get good results on stainless. My poor eye sight was an issue but recently put a magnifier in my helmet which has helped, I can now see my molten pool, huge advantage. Great information, really enjoyed it. Thanks

[@gussfoundry7600]

Much better video than I anticipated the title doesn’t give it justice. Thank you for the information and nice artwork

[@PacificArcTigWelding]

Thank you! Very kind words 🙏 Glad you enjoyed! Cheers :)

[@melgross]

One thing about bench grinders. You really should use a clean wheel. That means one of two things. One is to clean the wheel with a diamond wheel dresser. These can be bought on eBay, or Amazon for about $15. Not a lot of money to ensure a clean tip. If you use that wheel for anything other than tungsten, then you should clean that wheel every time. If you are willing to dedicate one wheel for just the tungsten, I recommend you buy an aluminum oxide wheel in white or pink, as those will work best with tungsten. And if you will buy a wheel just for this, buy a 120 grit wheel as it gives a noticeably finer and smoother tip. It takes a few seconds longer to grind, but it’s worth it.

[@yannadeau8308]

You got all the mistakes I make in one video. And you got me inspired with your art. I'm subscribed

[@PacificArcTigWelding]

AMAZING! Happy I could help. And believe me I have made all the mistakes myself, so all a process of learning 💪

[@robhunter2435]

Post flow not only protects the tungsten it also protects the weld at the end of a run.

[@alejrandom6592]

*Post flow not only protects the weld it also protects the tungsten at the end of a run. 11 R 凸

[@mrdddeeezzzweldor5039]

Good pointers on contamination issues that are generally overlooked, particularly in regard to tungsten quality.

[@AWDJRforYouTube]

On old school Transformer/Rectifier AC/DC Tig welders, For AC aluminum welding, We would set welder to DC+ [positive electrode] and very low amps say 40, and for a few seconds "ball the tungsten" This process can also be use to CLEAN THE TUNGSTEN, just be sure to switch back to AC and set your normal welding amps for Aluminum welding.

[@tfr6]

Balling is useless now in 99% of machines built after 2012.

[@ArgyleTurtle]

I'd advise to make sure you turn older transformer machines off when switching as well. I will definitely give this a try though cheers

[@ericfransen2049]

Love your videos and explanations. I've been welding for about 30 years as a hobby and always looking to improve. Also, your artwork is amazing!!!

[@Alteisen_]

Thanks a lot for this very VERY enlightening lesson! I am TIG-welding for about two years now (every now and then, as a hobby...) and I always wondered about my tungstens getting grey and dull although I didn't dip all day (or, to be honest, at least not within the last half an hour...). Thx from Munich, Germany! Markus

[@sulawesi-steve]

Watched many videos on welding over the last 6 months or so, youtube is my college assistant, never seen this covered in such detail. Good job!

[@PacificArcTigWelding]

Dang thanks Steven! Glad you enjoyed! Cheers my friend!

[@jaredmcquiniff5362]

I love your educational videos! One thing I’ve noticed when grinding my tungsten is if you angle down on the bench grinder, it can leave burrs on the tip. I prefer up angle for that reason. Great stuff man, keep it up!

[@bobjohnson1219]

Dusty you have all the pertinent information packaged up in the right order & delivered without useless sidebar info that saves people a lot of time learning the hard way. When I weld it it was a case of WTF is going on with all crappy workmanship and now I know why. Learn something from each and every video you produce.

[@jcnpresser]

I’m pretty new to tig, it seems the sharper the grind on the tungsten the wider the arc cone, the more blunt the tip the more narrow and penetrates more, from what I’ve noticed so far. Also seems to help for me at least to run my tungsten on the side of the wheel when sharpening after getting the initial point I want. Seems to leave less grinding marks. Thanks for the information, keep em coming. I’ve been enjoying learning to tig, guys like you help us noobs out!

[@PacificArcTigWelding]

Awesome! Glad I could help in any way:)

[@TheAussiePirate]

Great tips and details. Could you do a video on cutting and prepping aluminium for beginners, i.e. limited tools/workspace, avoiding contamination, common pitfalls etc.? I’ve heard woodworking tools can be used, what’s your view on that? Cheers.

[@robhunter2435]

You are a man with patience to do that art work. All your work is really cool and very unique.

[@jackofalltrades7822]

Good stuff. After 30+ years of welding and fabricating, am going to learn to TIG weld. I will let you know how it goes.

[@charleskish8606]

Thank you for more excellent content. You are an exceptional teacher, very clear and concise. As I mine through your channel I am constantly finding gems in each offering. Thank you.

[@mistermac4118]

Thank you for a very informative video. I’m a self taught tig welder of 30 years and all your points I learned the had way. I’ll keep following you to learn how to do it right.

[@staglione79]

. I also use a touch of pre flow to make for a nice crisp start. A minimum of 5 seconds up to 20 seconds of postflow depending on what im doing. Good video, Good info too 👍

[@PacificArcTigWelding]

Cheers!

[@87sprintqf]

Great tips thanks.. more post flow and a clean tungsten! I like that your channel is aimed more at the novice - it's a hard skill to break into! Cheers

[@stormspotter40]

I'm new to tig welding and have watched just about every video that I could find before I bought my welder. And so far you are the first one that has mentioned on any video that the inside of the gas lens needs to be checked for contaminants. I have had this problem for awhile now and didn't even know it. Thank's for your help. 😎

[@martydegier9279]

Excellent job explaining the importance of proper postflow. I prefer a helical grind,I like to see my puddle spinning,keep up the great work!

[@PacificArcTigWelding]

Thanks Marty!🍻

[@limitlessbuilds]

Definitely should use a really slow speed on the drill when grinding though. I use a bench top belt grinder, but barely spin the drill. Otherwise great tips!

[@brianhoefer7148]

I take a box knife and filet the majority of aluminum contamination from the tungsten then spin it in a drill with 120gt paper to remove all visible contamination before the re-sharpen. After the sharpening, I polish the tungsten tip with red scotch-brite. Ball the tip with DC+ at low amp on a piece of copper to further clean assuming you have a machine that will DC+.

[@HorneGarageAus]

Im a few days into my tigging journey and occasionally laying some dimes! Thank you for your videos! It's going to be aweosme addition to our channel being able to tig exhaust, intercooler piping, i just made a baffled extended sump for my motor!

[@Sankeyite]

Have switched to you as my welding coach site... Looking into joining an online class. I like your no BS way of explaining and to the point. Last well known youtube guy i was watching just joked around too much for me, good lessons but i want to learn without all that. Thanks for your way of teaching.

[@wtbofnc7880]

Dusty, Your TIG vids are the best on KZbin

[@alltemprefrigerationaircon2437]

Dusty's video's are actually enjoyable, and you learn at the same time! Nice presentations Dusty.

[@joell439]

Just found your channel and I'm incredibly impressed. I've subscribed and look forward to watching all of your previous content. Your teaching style just clicks with me for some reason. Lot's of facts with supporting empirical data. Thank you sharing with us. All the best..... Joel

[@bruceloheac8581]

Hi Dusty, I am finally TIG welding at school after more than 100h of SMAW. I just couldn’t wait for it! Your videos are awesome, thank you so much! Also I bought for home the exact same Canaweld 201 Pulse D, just waiting for some parts to come in and I’ll be ready to weld :) I have a bench grinder, but I was wondering what kind of wheel are you using, there are so many of these on the market that I honestly don’t know which one I should take, what kind of grit and material components, I spent hours of research just on that, getting crazy 🤪 Cheers from Montreal 🤙

[@p1kto]

thankyou! this fixed my arc and I was able to do my first aluminium fillet!

[@Flitzer514]

Great video. I haven't done this in a long time, but I used to grind a ball end on my tungsten and my welds looked better. I've really been struggling with aluminum lately. I really need a new grinding wheel though, I think mines contaminated.

[@stefanandersson5604]

Thanks for the great lesson! Love from Sweden 🇸🇪❤️✨

[@jackheath6623]

i really enjoy your channel, and have learned quite a few things. one question i have. sometimes my tungsten turns black but it's not dull it's shiny behind the tip. is that bad? from what i know about electricity it is more likely to jump from a point than a smooth surface. that's why old school spark plugs need to be replaced when worn(long time tech). that's also why the round electrode is ground so sharply when new. i think it was Jody on his channel that said that's reason for longitudinal grinding.it not only entices the arc in the right direction, it also produces a multitude of entrance points for the arc when starting. radial grinding is actually counter productive. i hope i helped someone.

[@treyrags]

Thanks for reminding me to change the tungsten more often, especially on AC. I'm guilty of staying with one tungsten too long because I fall in love with the nice round shiny balled tip and don't want to take the time to create a new one.

[@paulkurilecz4209]

I have gotten to the point that if I dip my tungsten into the weld puddle, I stop and change it out. I don't think that it is possible to get a quality weld with a tungsten that has been dipped. Somedays, I only go through two or three tungstens. Other days, I have to stop and resharpen. I am also doing a lot of out of position welding. Great video. Your videos were invaluable in helping me learn to weld again.

[@patricemorgentaler1801]

Well done my friend! I love the way you explain stuff! very clear and simply put!

[@markrasmussen1504]

I bolt a 6" diamond coated grinding disc 240 grit next to my bench grinder wheel, then come in from the side. After grinding a new point, I finish with the polishing wheel on a small high speed grinder from harbor freight. Works great

[@blaneyblades4810]

Really cool channel bro! Thanks for touching bases on some very basic techniques. That can make tig welding a little bit more fun.

[@DCweldingAndArt]

I agree. Great video brother! Great practical info that we ALL can humorously relate to lol again, LOVE that backcap! Keep ur eyes peeled, gna see me with a one off custom cap here very soon! Great job dusty!

[@giacomoorru3420]

Hi, I'm following you from Italy and I'm learning to tig weld. I used to do some shit welds but thanks to your suggestions I learned a lot of things I didn't know

[@TheBloomberg]

I have a bench grinder in my garage , but I’ve used it to grind down all kinds of metal, mostly steel. Do you know anything I can do to clean it up so it would suitable for grinding tungsten? Just started Tig welding. Really like the channel.

[@Just1GuyMetalworks]

Thanks for these tips, Dusty 😊. Just bought a Canaweld 201 Pulse D! So these videos are going to be infinitely helpful. I haven't done any TIG in 20 years and to be honest, I know so little about TIG I had to figure out how to assemble the torch! 🤣 Tungsten selection is a little more complicated than expected, I bought the gold ones, for someone that is pretty clueless... they seem to work 😏. Found out jow to ball the end pretty quick 🤣. Anyways, thanks again! Cheers from Saskatchewan 👍😁👍

[@jeremywatterson9594]

Great and very informative video, glad this video popped up in my feed. Subscribed!

[@PacificArcTigWelding]

That’s amazing! Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed!🍻

[@philtong3711]

Good day sir, I would like to see some Tips and Tricks on mild steel . As I am a nibie to this and your posting seem quite informative!!! Keep up the great work!!!!! Phil

[@skyridersean]

Hi Thanks for your tutorials , they have been a big help. One thing you forgot to mention was how do you make the ball tip you like to use on your tungsten ?

[@aaronvolkman4319]

They make a really cool attachment for a Dremel. It makes it effortless to to sharpen tungsten

[@slcbodyshop]

Thanks for the simple videos. I just run a very basic ideal arc tic 250 and just want to learn.

[@Jursaw]

Learned a lot in this video. I use a tungstenmate to grind my tungsten. I heard to never break off tungsten instead just cut it. How far up do you usually cut it once you dip it?

[@ldgillette]

Thanks for the help from Fairbanks, Alaska.

[@GaiusGarage]

thank you for this video! But one thing you did not cover is how to go from freshly grinded tungsten with a point on it to a balled tungsten. where does the ball come from?

[@dalelindberg7784]

I enjoyed your show I just got started tig welding finally got all set up my problem is getting my arc started I clean surface work on different settings help I'm waste into gasDale

[@randyhertzberg7549]

When sharpening, I use a mig contact tip as a heat sink and hand spin, pointing up with tungsten. (example: 1/16 tip for 1/16 tungsten)

[@franksmiley198]

Thanks for all the information. How do you create a ball at the end of tungsten?

[@PacificArcTigWelding]

Yes frank, great idea. That’s one that’s upcoming! Cheers my friend:)

[@doczombie5095]

Hey, brother. I'm really glad I found your site! I am an old man, but a neophyte welder, and very interested in welding art, too. Gonna try something new since I retired. Is there a special grinding wheel material to use or avoid? I'm going to check out some grinders for dedicated tungsten sharpening. I'll try to find you on Facebook and send a 'friend' request so we might PM occasionally.

[@fishhog3020]

Thank you for all the info very helpful, learned more from you in one setting then all the time watching videos of others.. Thank you..

[@larrymoore5394]

Appreciate all the info thanks LARRY MOORE

[@LawtonDigital]

I use a drill and an angle grinder with a flap disk to sharpen my tungsten. That way I don't have to worry about somebody contaminating a whole grinding wheel when I'm not looking. I angle it to keep the marks longitudinal. Am I a clever n00b or just a n00b?

[@PacificArcTigWelding]

🔥Clever!🔥

[@chrisbergin8084]

I switched out to e3 tungsten a few years back it seams to have a much longer tip life on both ac and dc providing you dont contaminate it. If im on a big job i sharpen both ends then its a simple flip it and your good to go again.

[@chrisbergin8084]

I used 1.5 and 2% lanthernated for a while but found the tip didn't hold up to well on dc in comparison with thoriated

[@PacificArcTigWelding]

Ah gotcha. Good you’ve found one that gets ripping for you! And god move on the double end sharpening. Less time swapping- just flip it and get rolling again:)

[@darrellolsen1204]

Another top video dusty 👌 always useful information 😁👍

[@PacificArcTigWelding]

Thanks Darrell! Hope you’re good my man!

[@darrellolsen1204]

I've been trying to make a hedgehog 😂🤷‍♂️, still dizzy but ok, hope all is well with you and your family my friend. My stainless tiggin has definitely improved watching you other videos 🤝👌

[@PacificArcTigWelding]

Yours always looked great my friend;)

[@jimhailmann7052]

You are the best, others are a waste of time. Thanks

[@Markdmarque]

Excellent video...Thanks for a very informative video that is invaluable for a beginner

[@droidburger]

Loving these vids brother. About to buy my first tig and now addicted to your channel. Hopefully save me some mistakes starting out. Cheers brother!!

[@raptors3164]

Great channel, thank you for sharing. 👍👍👍👍👍

[@salmonforever6088]

Great tutorials! Keep it going.

[@evanschultz5246]

Am i the only one that has been taught to specifically never wear gloves on any sort or bench grinder? Cant imagine getting caught in one 😮 i love this guys content otherwise been watching a lot since i got into technical school and started tig

[@robertparnofielloretired1456]

Thank You I do enjoy your videos and your experience is helping me a lot. this one was great.

[@jcbaccus1]

I really enjoy your videos. I’m a beginner with a few questions, 1. You mentioned tungsten performs better with a ball, how do I get my tungsten to ball? 2. Currently I have a tungsten sharpener that my options are 15 or 20 degrees, I’m using the 15 degrees and then I’m blunting the end. You mentioned 60 degrees. Am I ok doing the 15? (I’m welding .063 aluminum sheet). 3. What time length (seconds) do you recommend for post flow on aluminum sheet.

[@lequart]

Another awesome video. Thanks so much man!

[@beaubattle5332]

Awesome videos bud, straight to the point... Keep on keeping on bro

[@_cr0ssthread]

Thank you for this!! Very new to Tig and you answered alot of my questions. Subbed!

[@rwilli2112]

Great vid. Just wondering, after grinding an electrode do you 'ball' the end on a test piece of aluminum by running at a different AC balance before you start your actual work?

[@willraff6471]

You mentioned throwing them away when they get really contaminated? Can you just grind it down or is it really beyond saving? Do they wear out completely?

[@northjerseykevin3915]

Nice art work. Very cool

[@MrPallingo]

Thank you! Useful information galore here!

[@fbpliegorrivero8869]

Great explanations!

[@PacificArcTigWelding]

🙏🙏🙏

[@mannyk291]

Excellent video........ thanks for sharing the tips!

[@PacificArcTigWelding]

Absolutely manny! Cheers!

[@hotbusa08]

Wow thanks for all the knowledge it's all very informative

[@martinplot124]

Thx Bro, good stuff as always 👍

[@PacificArcTigWelding]

Cheers thanks Martin!🙏

[@SouthernGround]

Instead of a belt sander which is full of what ever you been grinding use one of the dremel attachments with the diamond wheels, cheaper than a stand alone tungsten grinder, not only do you get set angles but consistency in a given angle.

[@meredithwilson1765]

How do you put a ball on the end? I’ve never seen that before!

[@weldtight]

Great review! Thanks for the good stuff!

[@CRAFTMADELLC]

Hey dude, how do I get my hands on one of those hats you’ve got laying in the background?

[@PacificArcTigWelding]

I’ll be making some soon...! Shirts as well hopefully. Stay tuned!🍻

[@LF-nl5hz]

Dusty you are literally teaching me to tig weld. I really want to enrol in your online lessons can you give me more info please

[@Iamjohnsv]

Worked at Corning plant in Wilmington, NC doing mostly stainless process tubing. Wish I knew what it was called..(that's why I'm asking) We used a bench grinder but the wheel was a green, soft composite. After a while it actually had a groove, or several, grooves cut into it. Got a polished, super sharp, balanced tip. Have any idea what it's called? Mind you, this is about 40 years ago...

[@markshort9098]

That's a silicone carbide wheel specifically for grinding tungsten carbide cutting tools.. i just use a cheap dedicated bench grinder and changed the course wheel out to a cheap chinese diamond wheel, they are probably a lot cheaper than silicon carbide at only about 20 bucks and they last forever and most important is they leave a really high polish on the tungsten.. i just do the rough shape on the aluminium oxide wheel and finish on the fine diamond wheel

[@markshort9098]

I bought the cheapest grinder I could as a dedicated tungsten grinder and put a fine diamond cup wheel on it for polishing and it just has the fine aluminium oxide wheel on the other side that came with the grinder.. for how much work a designated tungsten grinder gets, I didn't see any advantage to buying an expensive one but my cheap grinder had really crooked wheel flanges and the diamond wheel needed custom flange made to hold it so I lathed up a set of flanges for both wheels so they didn't wobble and now it works perfectly

[@_kline9571]

Hey thanks one question when you show those tungsten's that haven't even been dipped how do you clean that crud above the shiny ball do you break the tungsten above that? Or do you just try to polish that off

[@PacificArcTigWelding]

I actually hardly break them! I just grind them to a new taper, and ball the end on DC+:) Fresh start!

[@DD-do6gz]

@@PacificArcTigWelding So just getting this correct.. do you just grind the deposits from the filler rod off and regrind the point? as the deposits are usually a fair way up the tungsten. cheers

[@jaicabryizky6987]

Acetone or lacquer thinner after you grind your tungsten? Which one, do you use either?

[@STRETCHArtist]

Hey man, thanks for the info and phun vid!

[@PacificArcTigWelding]

Absolutely man 🤙

[@jsimpkin2006]

How often do you go through the wheels on your grinder? I do it the same way as you, but the wheel seems really soft compared to the tungsten. So it pretty disintergrates as it’s grinding the tungsten.. no idea what the wheel is made of, it’s years old but works, just seem to be going through it very quick. Any suggestion of a new wheel to buy?

[@michaelanderson3771]

This was really helpful information. I am just learning to weld and teaching my self to flux core , Tig and MMA weld. At 61 years young I decided to build a rat rod and I needed to learn metal fab. I have found great content from yours and Justins Chanel and some others. One question I have is that my inverter machine is multi process inexpensive unit , MMA, Cut (plasma) and Tig DC only. I cannot seem to adjust the post flow and I see that my tungsten still grays off even with higher CFH. One bit of advise I learned was what ever cup size then double that as Min CFH of Argon. But I still get greying of the tungsten even if i do not dip. Is that normal . I am using Red tungsten and have also tried Grey and same thing happens on both.

[@FastlaneAudio]

When you say swap your Tungsten out for a new one do you mean just a different clean one or an unused? Thanks for all the great videos, I am learning a lot watching your channel. Btw, how do you get the ball on the tip of the Tungsten?

[@tomfromstthomas]

Clean off aluminum in a bath of Lye ( sodium hydroxide) . Same for plugged endmills and die grinder burrs. ALUM bath for steel

[@johnmacmillan627]

Thanks for the information. Btw, how do you ball the electrode?

[@DublinDale]

Hi Dusty, just discovered your channel, have a test this evening. Wish I had found ya earlier. How do you get the ball at the tungsten tip?

[@slodrew805]

Awesome channel! How do you put the ball on the end of your tungsten?

[@AdventureswithZack]

Funny enough I just bought some ck world wide layzr tungsten to try. Glad you have good things to say. Have you tryed it with aluminum?