where do you get your tungsten?

[zero2005]

Just wondering. i went to the LWS today, they charged me 18.50 for 5 peices 3/32x7" of 2% thoriated. they were out of lanthanated.

i can get 10 peices thoriated for that amount shipped to my door cheaper, and i can get 10 peices of lanthanated for the same price as that. plus then i dont have to drive 25-30 minutes to get it, since i'll be more likely to "stockpile" it...

has anyone had experience with the cheaper ebay stuff vs "name brand" or LWS stuff?

wiring my house today for 240v so i can test out the 200DX that arrived last night. only problem is i forgot to get filler metal! lol

---------- Post added at 10:51 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:31 AM ----------

also, i'm trying to think of what i can use just to lay some weld down once i get my electrical hooked up, can i just scrape the flux off some 6013/7014 stick rods and use that? i just wanna burn some metal, not structural or anything, just to ensure the machine is working right before i leave for spain.

[arandall]

Zero:
I just use some heavy MIG wire for filler in a pinch (solid core, not flux).

[gilly]

I used a coat hanger at first just to make sure i had the machine wired up right.It worked OK just to try it out until i got to the LWS for the filler rods i wanted.

[zero2005]

alright cool. i guess i'll try all those lol. i got some mig wire, but i think its only like .030 wire. unfortunately i wont be goin back to the LWS unless im in a pinch, i called around, they're all pretty expensive compared to ordering online. i'll just have to stock up and order stuff while im in spain...

[KHK]

I have purchased tungsten on line at a good price. It works great, don't remember the company.

[Tritium]

Diamondground.com or their e-bay outlet tungsten-direct. Very cheap from china on e-bay if you want to wait a bit longer.

Thurmond

[gilly]

Diamondground.com or their e-bay outlet tungsten-direct. Very cheap from china on e-bay if you want to wait a bit longer.

Thurmond

I am going to try these guy's out on the 2% Lanthanated,because my LWS does not carry them.They only carry 1.5%.

[Gadget]

Keep in mind Longevity has electrodes too. Check their prices on their web site.

[zero2005]

yea, i realize longevity has electrodes too, but it seems its cheaper to go through ebay. was just wondering if anyone had any experience with the bulk ebay stuff, as i know sometimes the bulk stuff sold on ebay can be junk. did a bit more digging and found most of the ebay tungsten to be fine.

i didnt get to do much of anything before i left, but i did manage to play around trying to weld 2 cleaned 6013 electrodes together (i used vice grips to "crush" the flux off, then used a scotch bright pad to ensure it was clean, then wiped it off with a paper towel). its kind of awkward to weld on a cement garage floor without a chair... maybe i need a finger control?

2 things i noticed, 1. i was afraid of burn through (not really just wanted to see the lower end of the tig lol) so i used my left hand to control the pedal, just to try and "tack" the two together. at very low amperages, i got alot of "wandering" and not a steady "spark & silence" sound i'm used to hearing when watching all the video's on the interweb. i did however manage to get that clean burn when i ramped it up a bit. is this caused from using a larger 3/32" electrode with lower amps? and 2. its fun to burn through 6013 as i ramped up the amps with the pedal, it was very VERY easy to burn through the rods. i think they were 5/16" IIRC.

wanted to try the coat hanger, but didnt feel like having to clean it off.

now all i gotta do is find a good TIG class in Central NJ for when i get back. oh and a bigger bottle of argon... i doubt my 40 cu/ft will hold me over... time to trade in my two 40's...

[tigqk]

Diamond Ground will ship to some people in the US, I have not heard of anyone in Canada getting free samples of 3/32 or 1/16, and no 1/8th samples anymore, they are pretty selective or rather prejudice about who they ship to.