Overcomplicating Things - tungsten sharpeners

by JTH
(NY)

I'm just a hobby welder with a Lincoln Invertec 205-T.

I rarely have to sharpen my Tungsten, perhaps because the 205-T starts so easy. Or perhaps the 205-T controls the parameters well enough that I don't trash my tungsten.

I just use my 6 inch bench grinder, fine wheel. I just don't understand why people are using drills and pin vices. The only reason I can see for special equipment is for dust control.

The only other valid reason would be to avoid the hazards of sharpening a too small tungsten on a bench grinder.

My Idea of high tech would be a dedicated 35 dollar Harbor freight mini bench grinder with a custom sharpening guide.

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Overcomplicating Things - tungsten sharpeners

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Dec 18, 2011
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by: Anonymous

You're right - there are many ways to sharpen tungsten. for DC- (steels) draw the tip to a point 2 1/2 - 3 times the tungsten diameter, then put a very slight flat spot on the tip (1/64 "). Most welders use a dedicated sharpening system for the tungsten so as not to cross contaminate the material with a foreign material, which could happen if a grinding wheel is used for multiple uses. Dave0

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