tungsten grinder for 240v die grinder

[BrokenBiker]

There is one here that looks like it is mounted on a die grinder motor:

Tungsten Grinder Electrode Sharpener | Tungsten Electrode Grinder Machine - Power Tool Accessories - Aliexpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

thats interesting...looks about the size of the grinder i have minus the housing for the actual die grinder gearing

 

[JOEPRO]

I would get yourself a good 8 inch bench grinder and use that instead. Its fast and straightforward to sharpen on the bench grinder. Unless you are doing super quality full time TIG welding most people have no need for fancy specialist tig Grinders.

I sharpen a full pack of tungstens at a time and have them beside me if I need to swap em mid welding job. Saves alot of back and forth to the grinder and tungstens are cheap.

 

[oilcooled :)]

I'm not prying into other folks' finances, but if I read that right, is someone in the supposedly affluent southeast who's self employed taking home £221 + (£300 ÷ 4) = £296 a week???

I've probably missed something or I'm misunderstanding the maths but if I'm not, my average weekly take home pay of £750 for sitting on my backside in a lorry doesn't look so bad...

I would get yourself a good 8 inch bench grinder and use that instead. Its fast and straightforward to sharpen on the bench grinder. Unless you are doing super quality full time TIG welding most people have no need for fancy specialist tig Grinders.

I sharpen a full pack of tungstens at a time and have them beside me if I need to swap em mid welding job. Saves alot of back and forth to the grinder and tungstens are cheap.

A bench grinder an absolute waste of time for sharpening tungstens, for a start any one doing any bit of tig welding at all outside of the workshop, won't be using that, and secondly, first thing I do is cut a tungsten in half because most welders use short backs, cause long backs break easily and you can’t get into tight places with them, so the tungsten gets used down to nothing and it’s very difficult to sharpen tungsten on a bench grinder down to nothing.

 

[Beanwood]

A bench grinder an absolute waste of time for sharpening tungstens, for a start any one doing any bit of tig welding at all outside of the workshop, won't be using that, and secondly, first thing I do is cut a tungsten in half because most welders use short backs, cause long backs break easily and you can’t get into tight places with them, so the tungsten gets used down to nothing and it’s very difficult to sharpen tungsten on a bench grinder down to nothing.

Go on then - I’ll bite- how do you do it?

 

[Agroshield]

Another another option might be to adapt a Dremel attachment to a Katsu 3" grinder. This has a hollow spindle that takes a 6mm collet (https://www.aimtools.co.uk/collections/grinders/products/100014).

The guard mount is concentric to the spindle so you could make (aluminium) or 3D print (plastic) something that clamps on there and ends up in a 3/4"-12 male thread to take the Dremel grinder.

---

With regard to sharpening short electrodes, while looking around tonight I saw something called 'stilotig' that is supposed to help:

https://www.1stopweldingshop.com/files//1b034562-3eb4-4e42-9471-a20500b5e0ec/StiloTIG.pdf (see also video in the usual place).

 

[JOEPRO]

A bench grinder an absolute waste of time for sharpening tungstens, for a start any one doing any bit of tig welding at all outside of the workshop, won't be using that, and secondly, first thing I do is cut a tungsten in half because most welders use short backs, cause long backs break easily and you can’t get into tight places with them, so the tungsten gets used down to nothing and it’s very difficult to sharpen tungsten on a bench grinder down to nothing.

For most amateur TIG welders a bench grinder is just fine.

What is your recommendation regarding a TIG grinder please?

 

[oilcooled :)]

angle grinder is fine, flap disk good but it’s hard on them or grinding disk ok, diamond disk best but don’t see them to often. Nothing wrong with bench grinder, I’m fairly sure the idea behind pro tungsten sharpeners was to catch the harmful dust. It’s a bit like these fellas buying chainsaws that can’t sharpen them with a file, then instead of learning they buy a chainsaw sharpener. That’s not a dig at anyone that’s the world we living in today

 

[JOEPRO]

angle grinder is fine, flap disk good but it’s hard on them or grinding disk ok, diamond disk best but don’t see them to often. Nothing wrong with bench grinder, I’m fairly sure the idea behind pro tungsten sharpeners was to catch the harmful dust. It’s a bit like these fellas buying chainsaws that can’t sharpen them with a file, then instead of learning they buy a chainsaw sharpener. That’s not a dig at anyone that’s the world we living in today

For me personally I like having a good grip on the tungsten during sharpening and a bench grinder feels quite controlled.

Whilst I have 100s of hours experience using an angle grinder, for me personally I wouldn't want to sharpen a tungsten on one. If it caught or slipped you have a very sharp projectile.

For a seasoned pro- you trust yourself and that's good. But for someone starting out like OP, IMO a bench grinder is the way to go.

 

[Kram]

Disagree a bench grinder works well and very useful, but wouldnt suggest buying one just for tungstens unless you have other uses for it.


Your aware the sharpening angle does not need to be exact and can be easily done by eye, so theres no need for a fancy guide hole - just get a suitable collet and mandrel for the electro plated wheels.

I prefer the resin diamond wheels as you get much more choice of grit sizes. I made up a 775 motor based grinder to take this style of wheel. Its main use is grinding carbide lathe inserts.

This sort of thing but too big for a die grinder. I dont see smaller ones, but they likely exist somewhere.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Preamer-Flaring-Diamond-Grinding-100x32x20x10x3mm/dp/B075WS4LNJ/

If you make up an arbor for it they work quite well in cordless drill - on the slow side but adequate and I have one like that.

 

[BrokenBiker]

angle grinder is fine, flap disk good but it’s hard on them or grinding disk ok, diamond disk best but don’t see them to often. Nothing wrong with bench grinder, I’m fairly sure the idea behind pro tungsten sharpeners was to catch the harmful dust. It’s a bit like these fellas buying chainsaws that can’t sharpen them with a file, then instead of learning they buy a chainsaw sharpener. That’s not a dig at anyone that’s the world we living in today

i have a bench grinder, but i know for a fact both wheels are massively contaminated and its currently in a box until im able to find time to make my new shed...long story short i had a fairly decent set up in a rented 'council' garage unit...3 months ago a garage 2 up from mine was torched, the garage next to mine was mostly burnt and i got away with everythng being covered in soot, some cheap plastic tools got a bit melted, but the entire row of 5 garages were deemed unstable and i wasnt allowed in until a week before xmas after work had been done to make them safe. now the landlord of said garage has decided he wants to cut his losses and take the insurance money, so its all being levelled. currently everything is now in boxes excpet a pair of drills, pair of angle grinders, 2 tool boxes of clamping and measuring stuff, a box of drill bits and cutting discs and obviouslt the 2 welders. they are currently in my mrs potting shed and im back to welding in the garden which she isnt overly happy with (and neither am i, its baltic at the moment) but on the plus, she didnt argue when i suggested making a 5.5mx2.4m steel framed and ply lined shed in the side garden so theres that i suppose

 

[oilcooled :)]

Not all from tungsten sharpening but I’d say I nicked fingers a hundred times with angle grinders minor minor stuff bit of tape on it and away you go and that’s happening from been to complacent. I caught my finger before sharpening a short tungsten in a bench grinder talk about pain never again, them and linishers eat fingers

 

[BrokenBiker]

Not all from tungsten sharpening but I’d say I nicked fingers a hundred times with angle grinders minor minor stuff bit of tape on it and away you go and that’s happening from been to complacent. I caught my finger before sharpening a short tungsten in a bench grinder talk about pain never again, them and linishers eat fingers

ive had near missed with grinders, had a few grab and kick towards me and had a few things snatched out of my hands...when sharpening tungstens i have been chucking them in a drill so they arent in my hand, and ive been shrapening on the side of the wheel that is rotating away from me so atleast if anything goes wrong it takes it away from me...and keeps the tungsten dust away too

my father has a bench grinder in his little wood working shed so i may take all my tungstens round tomorrow and sharpen them all...atleast that way i have 14 2.5s and 5 1.6's ready to go...thats a fair bit of dipping before i need to get the grinder out again

 

[oilcooled :)]

That’s as safe as way as any to do it, if you take off the side handle off the grinder u can barely pinch the gearbox in the vice to help hold it if your at it with a drill. 2.4s do a wide amp band they cover all general purpose

 

[Onoff]

I've got these if any good:

"Grinding Discs"

The SiL's father was a pattern & die maker for Mollins in Deptford many years ago. I inherited some of the contents of his shed (and in fact the shed but that's another story). Aside from the taps and dies I have various stones & "discs": These: And inside: Then this lot: I know...

www.mig-welding.co.uk

 

[BrokenBiker]

That’s as safe as way as any to do it, if you take off the side handle off the grinder u can barely pinch the gearbox in the vice to help hold it if your at it with a drill. 2.4s do a wide amp band they cover all general purpose

i have slots in my make shift welding table that i can push the grinder into quite securely so have been doing that for now...think im going to order a few legnths of 30mm box on payday and make myself a little cart with a flat steel top i can bolt my vice back onto and have a decent flat welding surface again. my table was too big to bring out of the garage so ended up selling it, but for now a 1000x500 table will be fine for the things i need to make

 

[BrokenBiker]

I've got these if any good:

"Grinding Discs"

The SiL's father was a pattern & die maker for Mollins in Deptford many years ago. I inherited some of the contents of his shed (and in fact the shed but that's another story). Aside from the taps and dies I have various stones & "discs": These: And inside: Then this lot: I know...

www.mig-welding.co.uk

appreciate the thought but dont think i have anything that would accept them. they look like they would be off a cutter grinder which would be a fantastic tool to have but sadly im stuck with angle grinders for now

 

[chrismac]

For me personally I like having a good grip on the tungsten during sharpening and a bench grinder feels quite controlled.

Whilst I have 100s of hours experience using an angle grinder, for me personally I wouldn't want to sharpen a tungsten on one. If it caught or slipped you have a very sharp projectile.

For a seasoned pro- you trust yourself and that's good. But for someone starting out like OP, IMO a bench grinder is the way to go.

I was going to reply to this thread right back at the start, but decided against, that was not aimed at JOEPRO.

but this is how do you sharpen your tungsten's on the bench grinder, ie on the side of the wheel, giving the wrong grain for the HF to help aid starting, or pointing up the wheel to give the grain the correct orientation out from the body to the point helping HF starting, but dangerous, you mention projectiles, for info that is how I have done it but by no means my happiest method, most of my welding days it was a 5" grinder flipped over with a grinding disc (a used disc is better), I was happy to do that, never had any issues,

There is no question the correct diamond tool is very good at its job, but is it really needed for hobby users, no so sure.

Not sure what these are like, for the money they might be worth a punt if a 5" grinder is not your thing,
a temu cheap rubbish at £12 ish

https://www.temu.com/uk/precision--electrode-sharpener-multi-angle-offset-welding-tool-with-4-cut-off-slots-lightweight-aluminum-alloy--diamond-grinding-discs-cnc-mandrels-

or ebay

1Set Welding Aids TIG Welding Tool Multi-angle Electrode Grinding Tool | eBay

Guide rails ensure concentricity and multiple offsets. Improve grinding wheel utilization. When grinding, you can swap the positions of the copper screws to get your desired tungsten needle angle. - There are four inclined holes available for use on the tungsten steel grinding tool.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[chrismac]

That’s as safe as way as any to do it, if you take off the side handle off the grinder u can barely pinch the gearbox in the vice to help hold it if your at it with a drill. 2.4s do a wide amp band they cover all general purpose

We are on the same wavelength, but everyone has different perception of risk and confidence.

 

[Kram]

If using a bench grinder dedicated for tungstens you can remove the fence allowing to point downwards which will prevent it grabbing. I would t call it dangerous to point up along the wheel if you know what your doing.

Drill a peice of steel bar and cross tap for a thumbscrew, good way to hold tungstens for grinding.

If using the side of the wheel, ideally a diamond resin cup wheel, you dont point the tungsten towards the centre. You should point tungsten along the circumference to get the correct grain orientation.