HF belt sander for sharpening tungsten?

[oldwino]

I just picked up a near-new Miller TIG setup and was thinking about getting a Harbor Freight belt/disc sander (coupon price 59.00) to sharpen tungstens.

any thoughts here, or better, inexpensive options. won't be used a lot so I figure the HF unit would do the job.

thanx

 

[royesses]

Will work but many weldors have use the HF chainsaw saw sharpener modified for tungsten sharpening. Google it. It's better and cheaper with a coupon than the belt sander.

 

[dnschmidt]

I second what Royesses said but I personally do use a little Delta 1" X 30" belt sander for sharpening tungstens and I don't regret it. Just chuck the tungsten into a drill and grind it to a fine point. After about 50 tungstens are ground the belt needs to be replaced but at a buck a piece I don't care.

 

[sonoronos]

Belt sander? I would go insane if I had to use a belt sander to sharpen tungsten electrodes. I mean, it'll do in a pinch, but as part of an actual regular welding process? No way.

I'm a practical man. A small bench grinder operating at high speed with a fine wheel is the only solution. I've used the same fine grinder wheel for years of tungsten sharpening. Spins way faster than any belt sander, literally inches of abrasive, and the speed is what does the cutting.

Sandpaper? You'd have to change the paper every couple of electrodes. Crazy. Is the internet where this sort of stuff gets born?

 

[dontlifttoshift]

LoL ^^^^ I sharpen all my tungsten in the belt sander.

I can't comment to the HF belt sander, as I have never used one.

 

[WILD-BILL]

HF sells a Multipurpose Sharpener that has a diamond wheel the I turned in to a dedicated tungsten sharpener.

https://www.harborfreight.com/multipurpose-sharpener-99823.html

I made a small "stand off" that uses brass pipe plugs with the different sized holes for the different diameters of tungsten that holds it at the angle I want and spin the tungsten in a drill using the stand off as a guide.

I use the side of the wheel.

 

[pi_guy]

I have a hand held tungsten grinder.
If you use the device to do anything but tungsten you risk contamination.
Two you do not want to breathe tungsten dust

 

[GarageGuy89]

Literally just bought the 1x30 HF sander yesterday to sharpen my tungsten's. Haven't set it up yet, but will let you know how it goes.

I used to sharpen them on an old belt sander that spun much slower. It had a 48-ish grit belt and it took it to a point in a couple seconds. Don't know why people fuss over the belt sanders, so don't listen to that hullabaloo.

 

[dr_clyde]

Belt sander? I would go insane if I had to use a belt sander to sharpen tungsten electrodes. I mean, it'll do in a pinch, but as part of an actual regular welding process? No way.

I'm a practical man. A small bench grinder operating at high speed with a fine wheel is the only solution. I've used the same fine grinder wheel for years of tungsten sharpening. Spins way faster than any belt sander, literally inches of abrasive, and the speed is what does the cutting.

Sandpaper? You'd have to change the paper every couple of electrodes. Crazy. Is the internet where this sort of stuff gets born?

You clearly haven't used many industrial grade belt grinders. I was taught to use the Burr-King belt grinder in welding school to sharpen electrodes. At work we have a 4" x 90" Kalamazoo belt grinder that sharpens electrodes way faster than a small bench grinder.

I personally have a 8" baldor pedestal grinder that I sharpen tungsten on. It cost me $60 at an auction. If I owned a decent belt grinder I'd use that.

 

[dogdog]

LoL ^^^^ I sharpen all my tungsten in the belt sander.

I can't comment to the HF belt sander, as I have never used one.

^^^
Same here, I just chuck mine in a cordless drill and belt sand it away... mine is a 6x48 craftsman belt sander... it doesn't matter, been thinking about getting a smaller one for the dedicated tungsten use.... Those blue zirconia sanding belt, will last a very long time and excellent for the purpose. I have used bench grinders, the results is less desirable than the belt sander. As far as the diameter and the cone...I always grind it the width of the diameter of your tungsten..

like this guy... I actually learned it from Ron Covell's Basic Tig welding dvds.

 

[BoostAddiction]

I have a hand held tungsten grinder.
If you use the device to do anything but tungsten you risk contamination.
Two you do not want to breathe tungsten dust

This.

A few years go, I had a terrible problem with TIG that I just couldn't fix- every weld was contaminated no matter how well I cleaned it. I tried what I thought was everything I had learned after many years of welding, both as a professional and as a hobbyist.

I finally put my humble shirt on and called the local welding shop for help. Ultimately they sent out one of their welding troubleshooters to my garage. He checked out the equipment and pronounced it OK, then tried to do a test weld.

Same result as me. Ha!

Then he brought out his portable tungsten sharpener, and made a new point. Suddenly he (and I!) could weld just fine.

He explained that the grinding wheel I'd been using had been contaminated, and every time I sharpened a new tip, I was just moving the contaminates onto the new tungsten.

I bought the same sharpener he had, and have never had the problem since.

This isn't to say you can't use a grinding wheel-- I used to use one for many years. But it does show how easy it is to get a contaminated grinding wheel and completely ruin your tungstens.

Here's a link to what I'm using now: Sharpie DX Tungsten grinder

 

[dr_clyde]

This.

A few years go, I had a terrible problem with TIG that I just couldn't fix- every weld was contaminated no matter how well I cleaned it. I tried what I thought was everything I had learned after many years of welding, both as a professional and as a hobbyist.

I finally put my humble shirt on and called the local welding shop for help. Ultimately they sent out one of their welding troubleshooters to my garage. He checked out the equipment and pronounced it OK, then tried to do a test weld.

Same result as me. Ha!

Then he brought out his portable tungsten sharpener, and made a new point. Suddenly he (and I!) could weld just fine.

He explained that the grinding wheel I'd been using had been contaminated, and every time I sharpened a new tip, I was just moving the contaminates onto the new tungsten.

I bought the same sharpener he had, and have never had the problem since.

This isn't to say you can't use a grinding wheel-- I used to use one for many years. But it does show how easy it is to get a contaminated grinding wheel and completely ruin your tungstens.

Here's a link to what I'm using now: Sharpie DX Tungsten grinder

See, this is interesting to me. By and large, this isn't the case. You can sharpen a tungsten with pretty much anything and still make a good weld. I'm not doubting your story, but as a professional TIG welder, I'm here to tell you, I've sharpened electrodes on pretty much anything that's abrasive. Angle grinder, belt sander, bench grinders of all sorts of description and condition, dedicated tungsten sharpener, old, new, used and new. The only thing that matters is that you get all the metal off from your last dunk into the puddle.

 

[GarageGuy89]

Literally just bought the 1x30 HF sander yesterday to sharpen my tungsten's. Haven't set it up yet, but will let you know how it goes.

I used to sharpen them on an old belt sander that spun much slower. It had a 48-ish grit belt and it took it to a point in a couple seconds. Don't know why people fuss over the belt sanders, so don't listen to that hullabaloo.

Just fired it up and sharpened all of my tungsten's, ranging in size from 0.040 to 1/8". Used 120 grit and 80 grit. The 120 grit sharpened the 0.040 and 1/16" size in about 3 seconds. The 80 grit sharpened the 3/32" in about 5 seconds, and the 1/8th took about 20 seconds. That was from a brand new tungsten with square ends. Cleaning up the point only takes a quick lick with the 120 grit.

It was so easy I sharpened all 20 of my tungsten I had just ordered. I'd say I prefer it over a wheel. As the dedicated belts are a 2 second change vs messing around with a grinder wheel.

I will say...I went into harbor freight a week ago to buy the 1x30 and walked out after I picked it up and saw how flimsy it was. Thought I might try building a nicer one. Now a week later I decided that I don't have time for it and by the time I got all the materials the 45$ HF unit was a turnkey setup well worth the money vs time.

I was actually surprised at how decent it was. The trueness of the wheels and lack of support on the table/fence system leaves a lot to be desired, but I was expecting a lot less. I'd give it the thumbs up, especially for a hobby guy.

 

[oldwino]

Thanks all for your input. You all are the reason I come this site.regularly.

I would love to get a Sharpie but for the limited use it’s hard to justify the $$$. I’m gonna try the belt sander as a dedicated tool and see how it does.

Will report back in a few days when I get a chance to purchase decent belts and to try it out

 

[dnschmidt]

The contamination issue is another reason that the 1 X 30 belt sander is the nuts and grinders ****. If you do (through stupidity) contaminate the belt you remove it and install another $1 belt in about 30 seconds. See how long it takes you to change that grinding wheel and how much that cost. I buy my Zirconia belts from Abrasive Resource my preferred sanding supplies supplier. I can sharpen AT LEAST 50 tungstens from blunt to needle sharp per belt.

 

[kkroger]

concrete floor and a drill.....

 

[dogdog]

concrete floor and a drill.....

LOL really ?

 

[Bobf]

I'm just a occasional welder so I use a HF small (mini) bench grinder #94071 with a second fine grinding wheel instead of the supplied buffing wheel.

 

[dogdog]

I'm just a occasional welder so I use a HF small (mini) bench grinder #94071 with a second fine grinding wheel instead of the supplied buffing wheel.

I have that and used it too, but the problem is that tungsten after a while creates that round groove in the wheel...while the belt sander you don't have that problem.

 

[Warrenator]

I use a flat lap diamond wheel, on a bench grinder. Seems to last forever.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=267354&highlight=Tungsten

 

[Crazyjake8493]

I haven't tried a belt sander, I have a wheel on my bench grinder dedicated to tungsten only and it works great so far.

 

[jonesg]

concrete floor and a drill.....

That's gonna cause the arc to wobble around the puddle, the grind striations need to run axially , not radially.

The proper method is spin the concrete floor.
Slap On has a floor spinner, only $4k.

 

[kkroger]

I've sharpened tungstens on multi thousand dollar dedicated tungsten grinders, I've used Chemsharp, I've used belt sanders, I've used Disc Sanders, I've used a right angle die grinder with a roloc zirconia 3" disc, I've sharpened with an Angle Grinder, I've used a bench grinder with a dedicated green wheel, I currently use a sharpie tungsten grinder I got off E-bay once used, had a black and decker rotary tool motor, I needed it to be more portable, so I picked up a Milwaukee rotary tool and put the head on it just like their current cordless offering. Best tungsten grinder I have used to date...

 

[pepi]

Modifying a HF chainsaw saw sharpener, just because I can,

The replacement wheel 10 bucks, the dermal look alike sharpeners, replacement wheels are like 30.

 

[kkroger]

Modifying a HF chainsaw saw sharpener, just because I can,

The replacement wheel 10 bucks, the dermal look alike sharpeners, replacement wheels are like 30.

No they aren't... you can get a 10 pack of the things for less than $10 all day long, SHIPPED! I needed mine to be very portable and so that is what I have.

 

[oldwino]

That's gonna cause the arc to wobble around the puddle, the grind striations need to run axially , not radially.

The proper method is spin the concrete floor.
Slap On has a floor spinner, only $4k.

Great idea...My Snappy driver said they had a BOGO coming up that also includes a SnapON crotch scratcher so guess I'll wait for that if they have it in green

 

[nes999]

I use a bench grinder. That's what I was taught on and never gave it a second thought.

Sent from my VS988 using Tapatalk

 

[Fcvapor05]

The contamination issue is another reason that the 1 X 30 belt sander is the nuts and grinders ****. If you do (through stupidity) contaminate the belt you remove it and install another $1 belt in about 30 seconds. See how long it takes you to change that grinding wheel and how much that cost. I buy my Zirconia belts from Abrasive Resource my preferred sanding supplies supplier. I can sharpen AT LEAST 50 tungstens from blunt to needle sharp per belt.

I guarantee you I can dress the wheel on my grinder faster than you can change the belt on yours. Guaranteed.

 

[SARG]

OR .... Use the sides of the grinding wheel for the weld rods and the diameter for everything else.

 

[pepi]

No they aren't... you can get a 10 pack of the things for less than $10 all day long, SHIPPED! I needed mine to be very portable and so that is what I have.

That's fine, I had the small grinder and sold it. The replacement wheel for it was a premium / upgrade of the standard. Still have the damn wheel

 

[sonoronos]

You clearly haven't used many industrial grade belt grinders. I was taught to use the Burr-King belt grinder in welding school to sharpen electrodes. At work we have a 4" x 90" Kalamazoo belt grinder that sharpens electrodes way faster than a small bench grinder.

You're kidding me. Where did you go to welding school where they dedicate a 4"x90" belt grinder for tungsten only grinding?

That's a huge waste of space and equipment considering your 4"x90" belt grinder just turned into a dedicated, tungsten-only device to prevent cross-contamination.

Unbelievable. I learned to weld at both a national lab and at my university's physics machine shop and neither shop used a huge belt grinder for tungstens. They would have flipped had I suggested it.

Do what you want. I use a small rotary grinding wheel in a bench grinder just like every industrial/pure-vacuum welding shop I've ever seen.

Sheesh. 4" belt-grinder. Come on.

 

[Hammer1963]

I use the small Harbor Freight #43533 with the orange wheel. This is all I use this grinder for and I cover it up once I am finished. If you learn how to properly use the wheel, grooving the the won't be an issue. Keep the electrode moving is the key.

 

[dr_clyde]

You're kidding me. Where did you go to welding school where they dedicate a 4"x90" belt grinder for tungsten only grinding?

That's a huge waste of space and equipment considering your 4"x90" belt grinder just turned into a dedicated, tungsten-only device to prevent cross-contamination.

Unbelievable. I learned to weld at both a national lab and at my university's physics machine shop and neither shop used a huge belt grinder for tungstens. They would have flipped had I suggested it.

Do what you want. I use a small rotary grinding wheel in a bench grinder just like every industrial/pure-vacuum welding shop I've ever seen.

Sheesh. 4" belt-grinder. Come on.

I promise you, I'm not trying to blow smoke up your ***. There is a difference between lab settings and a real world work environment. I work in an environment where high purity sanitary stainless work is done. We have had dozens of mechanical contractors, pipe fitters, and experienced tradesman in our facility welding. Not one of them used any sort of fancy equipment for grinding electrodes. Most of them either used an angle grinder or a beat up old bench grinder. And they have all done very acceptable code quality work.


My welding professors had advanced degrees in metallurgy and welding engineering. Decades of experience in the trades. We had a nice tungsten grinder, but my prof just used the belt grinder. This guy was hands down the best welder I've ever had the pleasure of working with. And I asked him "Why do you use the belt grinder instead of the tungsten grinder?" His response was simple. "It doesn't make much difference, they both make a point."

When I probed him a bit, he elaborated. The electrode, on either polarity, gets so hot, that anything not tungsten gets burned off within a second or so of lighting up. It can't take the heat of the arc. By the time you've made the first puddle, anything that could compromise the puddle has already burned off and is vaporized.

The only time contamination is a problem is when there is so much metal on the electrode, it gets transferred across the arc and into the weld pool. Like when you dunk the electrode into the puddle and molten metal wicks up the electrode.

I would agree that in super high purity situations it is a good practice to limit any sort of potential contamination that could occur. But the home shop just isn't that fussy. Neither are most working welding shops for that matter.

So there's absolutely nothing wrong with using a bench grinder for just tungsten. Most shops have that, as they're small and cheap. But there's no harm in using a belt grinder either. I've done it for years and years with absolutely no problems, and I weld more fussy stuff than most here ever will.

 

[jonesg]

I promise you, I'm not trying to

. The electrode, on either polarity, gets so hot, that anything not tungsten gets burned off within a second or so of lighting up. It can't take the heat of the arc. By the time you've made the first puddle, anything that could compromise the puddle has already burned off and is vaporized.

The only time contamination is a problem is when there is so much metal on the electrode, it gets transferred across the arc and into the weld pool. Like when you dunk the electrode into the puddle and molten metal wicks up .

That's what I've found to be true, i use angle grinder with whatever disk is on it.

First I ground the dirty alum part being repaired then used the same grinder on the tungsten, breaks the rules but it worked.

As per Jody on welding tips; make a cleaning pass first to draw impurities out of the old alum. Then go back, add filler and weld.

Approval seeking can get expensive so I listen, consider then find what works for me.