Thoriated Tungstens really are Radioactive.

[Parm]

What are the effects

I don’t know off the top of my head as radiation isn’t my thing but having a lung full of radiation dust won’t be too good for you. It’s a carcinogen and mutagen. Even if it’s an alpha emitter it won’t be good. It was alpha radiation they poisoned that bloke with in London

 

[Maker]

Not unusual to see radioactive sources in industrial sites for metrology purposes

One of the examples they always gave in A level Physics was using beta emitters in paper mills to measure thickness, always wondered how common it really was.

 

[Parm]

One of the examples they always gave in A level Physics was using beta emitters in paper mills to measure thickness, always wondered how common it really was.

We have a unit that just looks at this sort of stuff. Sources are more common than folk think

 

[henry Kadzielski]

I unfortunately love the red tip tungstens as compared to using the grey tip ones. The red last longer, don't suffer anywhere as much contamination issues as the grey and restrike better. Just ordered myself 10 packs. These will last me a 'very long time', I don't do as much as I used to, had been using the grey tips when I did my tig ticket and still have many left, but I prefer the red ones

 

[Parm]

I unfortunately love the red tip tungstens as compared to using the grey tip ones. The red last longer, don't suffer anywhere as much contamination issues as the grey and restrike better. Just ordered myself 10 packs. These will last me a 'very long time', I don't do as much as I used to, had been using the grey tips when I did my tig ticket and still have many left, but I prefer the red ones

What the difference?

 

[henry Kadzielski]

This is only my personal experience. The red, when you dip into the weld pool don't as readily wick up the molton weld material, if you just touch very lightly the tungsten tip into the job you can pull it back out without affecting the very tip, you then don't loose the tip sharpness as quickly. The sharpened tip keeps it's shape for longer. I haven't done a current test to see if either handles more current, so cannot comment on that. Hope that helps

 

[Parm]

This is only my personal experience. The red, when you dip into the weld pool don't as readily wick up the molton weld material, if you just touch very lightly the tungsten tip into the job you can pull it back out without affecting the very tip, you then don't loose the tip sharpness as quickly. The sharpened tip keeps it's shape for longer. I haven't done a current test to see if either handles more current, so cannot comment on that. Hope that helps

Yes, but no

ive never done any TIG welding

 

[mtt.tr]

I unfortunately love the red tip tungstens as compared to using the grey tip ones. The red last longer, don't suffer anywhere as much contamination issues as the grey and restrike better. Just ordered myself 10 packs. These will last me a 'very long time', I don't do as much as I used to, had been using the grey tips when I did my tig ticket and still have many left, but I prefer the red ones

im a fan of blue tungstens

 

[Paul.]

I prefer thoriated (red tips) for DC too, they keep a point nicely, strike easy and are good for scratch and lift starting,
Lanthanated are a bit of an all rounder for AC and DC, and zirconiated were always the traditional choice for AC,

 

[julianf]

What are the effects

Of internalising an alpha emitter?
Ask Alexander Litvinyenko.

Fun fact - in the late 1940s, a keen child could collect the tokens from Captain crunch breakfast cereal, and send off for his very own "lone ranger atomic bomb ring"

If the child removed the tail section from the bomb on the ring, the zinc coated screen would glow, as if it were glow in the dark. The glow was caused by the alpha particles from the polonium 210 source.

I have one of these rings. It's nothing more than a novelty now. Pollonium 210 has quite a short half life, and there have been so many half lives since the 1940s that there is no polonium remaining. It's slightly uncommon in that it decays directly to a stable element (lead) with no intermediaries. It is also an alpha only emitter.

These unusual characteristics made it "ideal" to give to children in the 1940s.

The very same characteristics also made it "ideal" for international assassinations, what, about 60 years later.

I've wondered a number of times how many family dogs must have died unexplained deaths at that time, having crunched up the child's toy, with noone being any the wiser.

 

[Munkul]

I like thoriated tungstens, but only marginally best. I'm quite happy with lanthanated, and they reduce a small hazard with no downside to me, with no additional effort on my part.
It's a small risk, but a risk nonetheless, and especially at work - I could buy a state of the art tungsten grinder with dust capture, and write a special procedure/RA, or I could just buy the blue tungstens instead... I went with the easy option

 

[cheb]

Have a read about this chap: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hahn

We only managed a lunatic poisoner, trust the Americans to go one bigger.

 

[Parm]

Have a read about this chap: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hahn

We only managed a lunatic poisoner, trust the Americans to go one bigger.

Bloody hell !!

 

[cheb]

Graham Young was our lunatic poisoner: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_Young

The cops would have conniptions if they saw my book collection.

 

[Parm]

Graham Young was our lunatic poisoner: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_Young

The cops would have conniptions if they saw my book collection.

I need to meet you again, but I’ll supply the team and coffee, lol

 

[julianf]

Have a read about this chap: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hahn

We only managed a lunatic poisoner, trust the Americans to go one bigger.

David Hahn had no mallice, so far as I'm aware. I think it does him an injustice to link him to a serial killer.

I read an interview with David once. As I recall, the interviewer asked about the possible damage he had done to himself, and his reduced life span. David replied somthing along the lines of "probably, but probably not by so many years"

Again, I don't recall anywhere reading that David wanted to halm anyone at all.

 

[JMS1972]

This is only my personal experience. The red, when you dip into the weld pool don't as readily wick up the molton weld material, if you just touch very lightly the tungsten tip into the job you can pull it back out without affecting the very tip, you then don't loose the tip sharpness as quickly. The sharpened tip keeps it's shape for longer. I haven't done a current test to see if either handles more current, so cannot comment on that. Hope that helps

Glad I bought a pack - sounds like they are ideal for a beginner like me