Glenn Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 Do tig electrodes have to be straight to work? Or can you put a bend in them and weld into corners to form a fillet if there is a confined space? No idea, no application, no project, just a wild thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe H Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 Yeah, that can work. You have to really pay attention to gas coverage, but it can work. I've put a slight bend in a tungsten before to get in a tight spot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rutterbush Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 I had written half a page about tungsten's brittleness when I realized that I don't know in what applications tungsten is capable of being used. May be that it can bend and I didn't know it. The only bending of tungsten that I've witnessed is when a student sticks one while welding and attempts to break it loose. I did the Google thingy and the first page I looked at confirmed that I need to update my knowledge core on a few subjects. That page shows a spool of tungsten wire. I have often explained to my welding students that although I am showing them how to accomplish something one way there are multitudes of other ideas. Great question Glenn. Thank you to Joe H for forcing me into research mode. Yea, I know about the Thanks button. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irnsrgn Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 tungsten wire would seem to me to be an alloy, Tig Tungsten electrodes are pure tungsten, and bending other than when white hot would result in fracture, even the 2% thoriated tungstens are brittle. Besides how are you gonna bend the ceramic nozzle for gas flow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RainsFire Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 I've dropped and seen people shatter tungsten electrodes in their hands.. and how would you bend the ceramic sheild? a little bend would be possible, but not easy.. and there wouldnt be much gain.. but, Ive seen some cool torch bodies, including some small straight ones that use half an electrode.. which would be alot easier to use than a bent one.. yup.. gluck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted T Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 Do tig electrodes have to be straight to work? Or can you put a bend in them and weld into corners to form a fillet if there is a confined space? No idea, no application, no project, just a wild thought. TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) Welding Question: Just my opinion. A person may bend the filler rod all they want due to being in a tight area. But bending a Tungsten electrode is a different story. Here are some warnings I have found about Tungsten electrodes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. “Tungsten alloys are dense and very brittle and can splinter or shatter, causing fractures in tungsten electrodes. This can lead to arc instability or “break off” during welding, creating gross weld defect”. 2. Do Not Bend electrodes until they fracture. 3. Do Not cut tungsten electrodes with wire cutters or pliers. 4. Do Not notch the electrode on the grinding wheel then “snap it off”. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------For all practical purposes I would say forget about trying to bend a Tungsten electrode. If you have a need to weld in an exceptionally tight area there are some other things I suggest that you can try. Even though I know there is a way of bending a Tungsten electrode, I am unwilling to give my opinion about how to do something that I feel is an unsafe pratice. There are several other ways to adapt (configure) your torch so you can weld in a tight location. I do not know of many situations that an average welder could justify throwing safety precautions to the wind by taking a chance of bending (altering) a Tungsten electrode. Under special circumstances I would suggest that there are ways of getting into a tight area. First: 1. Extend the electrode out to about one (1) inch as opposed to the standard 1/8th inch or 1/4th inch. 2. You would need to use a wider gas lens to increase the amount of shielding gas. 3. You would have to turn the shielding gas up to about 25 cfh from a standard of approximately15 cfh. If you don’t increase the amount of shielding gas, the coverage area will be compromised and the weld will most likely fail.Second; Use a narrow diameter cup. You will most likely have to turn down the shielding gas to about 10 cfh. But it will fit in a narrow area. Third; In order to get into tight places, I just use a shorter length of tungsten electrode (average length when new is a bout 7 inches). Then I use the smallest diameter Nozzle Size, and shortest Back Cap I have for my torch configuration.I believe this is a very important issue. So then, just so my opinion would not incorrectly muddy the water of thought, I ask one of the best men I know of in the field of Tig Welding about what he thought about the idea of bending electrodes. He indicated that he had bent an electrode but only on a rare occasion. He quickly pointed out the danger of trying to bend a Tungsten electrode. In the first sentence he said; “Ted, Most tungsten electrodes will not allow you to bend it without splintering”. I say why try to push the window of safety? Be Safe! Old Rusty Ted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe H Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 Yes, you have to be careful bending them. I just heat the tungsten up with the arc an bend while hot. Keep in mind, I'm not talking about welding around corners with it. Have you ever had to weld inside a port or a pipe that had an ID too small to get the torch in position? Sometimes a little slight bend to the tungsten goes a long way toward getting the arc where you want it. You may have to plug one end of the pipe and purge with argon to accomplish this, you might not. It depends on the situation. If the tight spot isn't inside a pipe, you may have to direct the gas flow from a purging line at the area to be welded. Ted, I really don't see a safety issue if you are wearing eye protection. This isn't a normal-practice thing. There are times that bending the tungsten a little is the only way to get the job done though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted T Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 Joe H, You went and let the cat out of the bag. I cannot disagree with you. Again, this is just my opinion. I believe you are correct that the secret is to heat the electrode in order to bend it with some degree of safety. Therefore I also suggest that you can also heat an electrode to at least cherry red on the work bench and bend it at about the 1/2 inch mark... This is an extreme rare case. You may need to extend the tungsten as much as 1". You will need to increase your gas flow or purge as you have wisely stated. My first reason for discouraging the use of bending an electrode even while it is hot is due to the possibility of contaminating the electrode. The second reason for discouraging the use of bending an electrode is aimed at the beginning Tig welder who is learning on thier own. I know of all too many people who will not read instructions and believe in the grab and go method of trying things. A lot of people I have known feel they are above having to wear safety glasses that are adequate (with side shields) enough for the task at hand. It only takes once for them to try to bend an electrode cold and have a piece of metal shard find a home in their eye. I figure that after a person has had a good deal of time behind holding a lit torch in there hand, and have learned the basics of re-configuring their torches, and sharpening their electrodes in order to meet the needs of the job, they build up a respect for the process. They will soon learn how fragile an electrode is, and how easy it is to contaminate the tip, coupled with finding out how much they cost. At that point they will be better informed about experimenting with the process of bending an electrode. You may notice I used a couple of terms in my first response: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
looper567 Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 I bend 'em all the time! I have a 1/2" copper bar, I hold the tip of an electrode on the bar and use the TIG torch to strike and maintain an arc over the electrode where I need it bent. I keep a constant pressure on the electrode and it will begin to bend when it reaches a high enough heat. I have put bends up to 70 degrees in electrodes (2% Th.) like this. The biggest issue is gas coverage when using bent electrodes, but for some jobs, it's the only option. I've had many tell me it's not possible, but I've been at this for 22 years and hold Nuclear, Aerospace and ASME certs and the biggest thing I've learned is that there is A LOT left to learn! Pretty much anything is possible, necessity is the Mother of invention, and there are some pretty talented guys out there doing stuff that makes you go... huh? LOL Funny thing is, it always seems to be the Union guys who tell you this can't be done or that can't be done... I had one yelling at me, telling me you couldn't produce an X-ray quality weld in the flat position with a MIG, even though I had already certified in G2 (ASME Sec. 8) for Stainless, Carbon and Stainless to Carbon with the MIG. He walked away accusing me of being a liar and told me I was a scab welder with a #3 hat size...LMAO The Moral of the story is, never say never, and don't take union welders as seriously as they take themselves! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted T Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 looper567, Thank you for your informative input. I figure this is the reason we have this form. As long as members like you and Joe take the time to give point and counter points, we will all benefit from it. Now that you and Joe have shed more light on the topic, I know I have becoming a better informed welder. I sure agree with you when you said: "biggest thing I've learned is that there is A LOT left to learn! Pretty much anything is possible, necessity is the Mother of invention, and there are some pretty talented guys out there doing stuff that makes you go... huh? LOL" I say "how true, how true". Thanks again. Be safe! Old Rusty Ted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Expansion_crush Posted July 5, 2016 Share Posted July 5, 2016 I have been bending tungsten to weld in very tight confined spaces for over 20 years. The process (for 3/32, 2% thoriated) to make a good bend is the only extend the tungsten beyond the cup by about a half inch, turn the timer on the shielding gas to maximum time available, use a lens and cup of the desired size, turn the welder to max amperage, turn the shielding gas to 30 SCFM or higher depending on the size of the tungsten, lightly clamp the tungsten in a soft has vise all the way to the cup (the code acts as a hear sink as well), push the pedal on the welder until the tungsten is white got then bend fairly fast until the tungsten is bent 45 degrees and beforewelding place the tungsten in as far as you can to accomplish the weld and turn the shielding gas and amperage back to normal settings. Going beyond 45 degrees almost assures a splintered tungsten.let it cool with the shielding gas until room temperature then remove from the vise. You won't be able to resharpen it but if you have a steady hand you should be ok for as long as you can tolerate the weld. I might post a video on my YouTube channel to show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 Pict of a bent tungsten from a guy I know who does this on another site. Used to get into tight spaces to do fillet welds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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