How to Grind Tungsten Rods

Tungsten is an extremely hard element with one of the highest known melting temperatures. Tungsten and tungsten alloys are used to produce TIG welding rods because they carry electrical current to an arch without melting. Therefore, these rods are used to weld very hard steel alloys. Before welding with a tungsten rod, the end of the rod must be shaped. Although grinding the rod is not difficult, there is a specific method that a welder should follow. In addition, specific machinery and attachments are required in order to avoid contaminating the rod.

Bench grinder
Silicon carbide (carborundum), borazon (cubic boron nitride), diamond, or tungsten wheel

Instructions

- 1
  Start the grinder. Hold the tungsten welding rod -- electrode -- parallel to the rotation of the wheel. If you hold the electrode perpendicular to the direction of the wheel's rotation, the wheel may striate the electrode. This can cause the rod to wander off line as you weld.
- 2
  Place the end of the weld on the grinder. Rotate the rod in your hand as the wheel grinds the end into a tip. The tip should taper back from the end of the rod a distance equal to 2-1/2 times the diameter of the rod. For example, taper a 1/2-inch rod 1-1/4 inch back from the tip.
- 3
  Taper a tip for low to medium current levels. Truncate the tip for high levels. Truncate a tip by rounding off the end. This prevents the end of the tip from melting or breaking off into the weld at high current levels.

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