Spent 8 years grinding my tungsten wrong until a pipe welder in Baton Rouge set me straight

I was out on a job in Baton Rouge last spring, setting up for some 2-inch tube. This older pipe welder walking by stopped and asked why I was grinding perpendicular to the length of the tungsten. I told him that's how I've always done it. He just shook his head and showed me how grinding lengthwise keeps the electrons focused way better. First weld I did after that, the arc was steadier and I didn't have to fight it as much. Anybody else find out they were doing some basic thing wrong for years?

2 comments

2 Comments

troy43929d ago

Oh man, @wright.drew is spot on with that puck grinder idea. I did the same thing for years just grinding on the side of a bench wheel, thinking it didn't matter. That Baton Rouge welder sounds like a hero, honestly. I had a similar moment with a stainless job in Mobile where a guy laughed at me for using the same tungsten for carbon and stainless. Idk why it took me so long to realize that little changes like grinding direction or keeping a dedicated tungsten grinder make such a huge difference. It's wild how the small stuff can mess with your whole day.

wright.drew29d ago

Man I did the same thing for about six years before a welder friend of mine finally embarrassed me into fixing it. I was over in Orange, Texas on a pipeline job, and this old timer just walked up and said, "You planning on chasing that arc all day?" Had no clue what he meant until he showed me the difference. Now I keep a little puck grinder just for tungsten and it sits right next to my bench. Makes a big difference on thin stuff especially when you don't want the arc wandering all over the place.

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