1 test is better then 100 opinions. Best advice I've heard in years.

I am also a pipewelder for almost 30 years, but this is the first time I have seen such a good teacher like you. I think you are the best on KZfaq, thank you from Greece.

I've been welding going on 24 years now... I learned most of what I know from the older welders who weren't afraid to teach as "that is just how you do it"... and so.. it's how I did it and never really knew WHY... so to have the explanations given with such clarity is great and I can pass that info on to the newer guys that I teach tricks to occasionally. Thanks for preserving so much of our trade skill knowledge base and putting it in such an easy to understand format. I routinely suggest this channel to anyone who wants to weld or get better with their current skill set.

Videos like this one are the reason this is the best welding channel online. Detailed shots that show the effects of micro cracks of a poorly trimmed tungsten! Well done Jody, and on Christmas! This man never rests. Merry Christmas big guy, hope 2023 is your best year yet!

“One test is worth more than a hundred opinions”. Priceless. You have a brand new subscriber.

Typical Jody video, straight to the point, loaded with facts and the only filler is fused into the weld. BTW, recently received my stubby gas lens kit. I never realized it cuts your torch length nearly in half, I should have ordered one sooner! Thank you sir for making those kits and everything else you do for the community.

I've been hobby welding for 10 years and this is the best demonstration I've ever seen of how to sharpen your tungsten and why. Thanks

I’m a pipe welder in a shipyard. I use my angle grinder + diamond cutting disc to sharpen my tungsten. I drilled a hole in my grinder guard at an angle and use a drill to hold the tungsten. Comes out perfect every time.

Thanks for this. I went from novice mig welder with some experience with TIG, to food service. My industrial welding experience served me well over the years, but failed me on thin wall stainless in the food industry.

I agree whole heartedly with the 30 year vet. Before i broke out welding. Although i was in welding school, you were my teacher. Very informative, and great visuals. Some of the best arc shots and explanations on the internet. Thank you for your videos, Jody.

Been in the field for only two years, I have so much to learn but I watch every video from you Jody!! My teacher has even showed us your videos in class two years ago. Thank you for all of the information you have shared!! Arcs and sparks my guy!!

You never cease to amaze! I have been following you for over a decade and using your videos to teach thousands of future welders. Your knowledge and videography skills are endless. Keep up the good work and have a happy new year.

Thanks for another informative video.👍 I always carried a wooden handled “pin vise” to hold the tungsten while sharpening. A pin vise is basically a thin handle attached to a small drill chuck. It keeps your hands from getting too close to the grinding surface when grinding shorter pieces of tungsten. Later I found that a small cordless drill worked even better. Having worked nukes on and off, an observant weld inspector decided to sample the dust from around the tungsten grinding machine and had the lab test it for radioactive contamination. The results were surprising. Apparently from years of sharpening 2% thoriated tungsten, there was an amble amount of contaminated dust to call for a thorough review of the tungsten the plant would switch to. Soon afterwards other types of tungsten were being used and 2% thorium was removed from service. Just passing that tid-bit of information along. 👍🇺🇸👍

At work for our TIG robots and hand welders (part rework, die rebuilding, etc.) we use Piranha III sharpeners. For robot work it's a must (since things need to be repeatable) and for the rework welders it's convenience (since the welding lines they're on are often have TIG robots). For the die work, probably convenience again (and since we have so many of them company wide, spares aren't hard to obtain).

By far, the BEST, TIG tips and tricks and advice on KZfaq! Hands down. I am a learning novice, and I TRUST you. The videos you make are changing welding lives, know that. Thank you!

Jody has pretty much taken my skill level from garage hack to professional lead. Now I'm explaining this stuff to guys who have been through 3 years of school. Thanks Bro!

you're the man. i've been watching your vids for a few years and now im an apprentice in a sheetmetal shop that does some custom fab work and lots of heavy gauge stainless work... now i get to apply it and show off all tips i've learned from you - it makes me look really good. i know some really specific in depth info but still have no idea about some fundamentals - theres still no alternative to an in person mentor, school or on the job training. still have to put the time in for actual mastery.

After all these years I'm still learning all the time. Never had it explained, or shown by example like you do ! I Just learned from the experienced guys that its just how its done and the proof is in the pudding !!! Thanks so much !!! Now I know through visualization why I was taught the different grind angles, not just the quality of the finished job.

Thanks Jody. Very informative. Have yourselves a great Christmas

i love the knowledge you give with your tests and the knowledge you have on hand is the best i’ve seen on youtube

Another Top Tip by Jody! When I started in the '80s, people would try to describe what you should see and it was pretty much trying to describe a rainbow to a blind man! Thanks to technology and Jody, I can see!! Thanks mate!! (Australia here!)

i am a retired welder of 40 years so glad to see someone that can teach so well thank you sir

This was incredibly eye opening. I’m watching this on my lunch break at work. I’ll be sharpening tungsten differently from now on. Thank you!

I'm a welding hobbyest. I purchased a $130 diamond wheel to put on my bench grinder and with a drill to spin it, it works great. I am guilty of "snapping" my electrodes BUT unlike your video demo, I butt the vice grips and lineman's pliers flush up against each other and have rarely had an issue. Because I'm not a pro, I inspect every ground electrode with a jewelers loupe to check for cracks or imperfections.

Under 9 minutes and I learned something, not bad.

thank you for detailed video an distribution , so nice not to hear any crappy music ,. yours is by far very thought out an enjoyed , I learned much even at 67 yrs

I struggled with cracked tungsten on ac for far too long and finally found that snapping the tungsten was the problem about 6 months ago. So much time, effort and tungsten waisted. Glad to see a seasoned professional finally say that in public this video will help many people shorten their learning curve.

Very informative Jody! Thanks! Hope to see you at FabTech!

I am relatively new to TIG ,but i gathered allot of experience in 16-20 months since is started to TIG (18+years of stick weld helped allot),outta my shop,i grind my tungsten using a fine grit grind wheel or even a very used up cutting wheel on a grinder,and i hold the tungsten in a drill,spinning on the flat side of the wheel with almost no downward pressure to roughly angled tip,works fine to me,just a drill and a grinder and i'm good to go,i never throw the tungsten back to the torch without cleaning the oxide with a scothbrite while the rod still in the drill at max rpm,i ensure a nice contact with the collar,and i prolong the life of that collar (tungsten holder). I always have a great time watching|listen your vids,best regards from Romania

Nonchalantly TIG welds 2 razor edges together without burning through! 👏👏👏👏👏 I can even see the dimes on the razor edge.

I am so pleased I have seen this video - I thought it was my welder but that wobbly arc is exactly what I get and I know several of my electrodes have been split. I bet they always are but too fine to see. I will prepare properly next time!

That's really helpful, thank you! There are just so many variables for a newbie, this was so clear it's removed a few of them!

I’m a rank beginner, and found this video enlightening. I need to go back and watch more of your vids, I’ve missed a bunch.

Love your methodical approach to things people repeat over and over, but seeing is believing.

Sometimes it's nice to do a review of some fundamental basics

Merry Christmas, Jody! Thanks for all you have given to our community!

YOU ARE TRULY A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

This is a GREAT video! As a learning bike frame builder, it really helps me decide on a taper to the tungsten for .035" tubing! 🤠❤⚒🔥

I'm just a hobby wrlder. I use the Primeweld 225, I use the belt sander/drill method to sharpen my tungsten. This was very helpful in knowing what type of tip to use for each type of weld and material. Also, I now will switch to a finer grit belt to sharpen my electrodes.

I'm not a welder, never even done it once. But I still fuckin' subbed. Cause I learned something. Clearly a great teacher.

excellent visuals, great presentation highly informative .. good job !!

I have had my tungsten split before and I chased that for quite a while before it fingernailed a piece of. I have sharpened a lot of electrodes with a 60 or 80 grit sanding pad on a grinder; just keep the scratches running vertically.

Nice job Jody! Excellent information as always.

I have been snapping my 2% Thoriated, and i have noticed the arc acting strange on start up once in awhile, it does split odd some times, i grind them on a bench grinder with a fine stone the long way around 40 degrees, i'm currently welding 20 gage CR patches on a 27 model-T, thanks for your videos.

Thanks as always, Jody! You are the man!

Love your videos and I don't even tig weld!! Happy to see you alive and well, wishing you many happy years more!

Your videos are so good. U really explain everything into detail.

you need an out let over here in Australia in the northern part there of thanks for all the tips , tricks through out the year keep them coming as i watch them all cheers from Aus

Love the testing!

Fantastic video, excellent proof and data.

I use a cordless drill and a soft back grinding pad works perfectly. Good video buy the way.

Love this channel. Have a Joyous New Year!

Thanks Jody, Merry Christmas bud!

Merry Christmas Jodie thanks for your videos over the years John👍

I’ve been using the little arbor you can get for a dremmel with a diamond wheel. It doesn’t catch dust but it works ok for small amounts of sharpening. I would love to get a dedicated sharpener one day !

great lesson. tig finger still working great, thanks

This video is gold thank you very much I have had my tungsten crack but could not see it

Great info Jodie I’m very impressed by your knowledge and confidence and consistency I as well have adapted this tungsten cutting method just by chance some time last year when I found harbor freight was selling those diamond grind wheels so initially I wasn’t cutting them with a diamond wheel and then I tried it one day just by chance, and I found out that it was much more faster efficient and it put 10 times less heat into the tungsten than any other method that I tried as well as even trying the chemdip learning that the diamond wheel and just grinding them so much until you can break them by hand that it was much more efficient and faster method Thanks for all the tips and keep the good videos coming.

Thanks for sharing with us Jody. Great information. Fred.

And for good shield gas coverage, especially on carbon steel, use a gas lens with a nice big N.8 ceramic. And we found that removing the mesh layers from the gas lens also helps to reduce porosity problems when welding carbon steel in windy conditions on site. (Found this out by accident, having climbed to the top of a column only to find that the gas lens mesh on the TIG set was covered in rusty spatter, so removed the mesh to avoid climbing up and down a 100' ladder and a walk to the stores.)

The halo around that spire point looks curious. You can see the a few things that are telling, primarily it is the color of the gas when Superheated. Basically, it's telling you that's your radiating your current off of the filament thin tungsten and the penetration is what your training for the pretty halo because you don't have the total current because it cannot deliver it before it's consumed by the incredibly this tungsten... Much like a like bulb filament. I do love these video and every one in a while, I notice something that I've learned in engineering as well as the one off lesson in chemistry from so long ago!

Jody, Im not sure how long I have been welding, there is some speculation that what Im doing cant really be called welding??? Im actually a "hack" welder. The important thing is that by watching your videos I am a much better "hack" welder than I would be otherwise!!!! I hope to start building a 22 foot aluminum boat this summer or fall. Ill be investing in a good pulse mig welder. I searched but I cant find a video where you review or instruct on this??? I think a video demonstrating pulse mig on .125, .187, .250 in different combinations plus horizontally and vertically would benefit us out here. (OK, maybe me more than others) Thanks for all your work on producing the videos.

Thank you for this very useful and informative video! I fully agree with "One test is worth more than 100 opinions" :)

Merry Christmas, Jody! Thanks for the video!

great video, hope you had a great christmas

Saya mulai mengikuti anda untuk belajar dunia pengelasan , apa yang sampaikan ini menjadi inspirasi dan ilmu yang bermanfaat, terimakasih, semoga anda selalu sehat....

Hey, Jodi, can you do a video on cleaning a welding hood lens and some tips on keeping the fog down. Preferably some links to products that you use that are safe for the lenses. Thank you.

Another great video. I have concerns about tungsten dust accumulation in the shop from grinding tips. I'm still learning wire feed and maintaining a short arc, so yeah I dip too often, and have to grind tungsten often. I wear a dust respirator while grinding but the fine dust accumulates. Should I be doing my grinding outside in the freezing cold to avoid the dust? Are there health effects to worry about?

If ya don't have a special grinders. Use the drill doctor junk. Pick them up at yard sales for 5bucks and it uses diamond wheel cheep and easy

Another very informative video. Thank you Jody and Merry Christmas!

For breaking Tungsten in the field I would use two vice grips. Get snug grip and break one vice grip next to another. That typically prevented splintering. I currently fusion weld sanitary pipe. Use 30-40 amps, and a 1/16 tungsten electrode. I use the exact tungsten sharpener at 40°. I use 40° because I can't fulcontrol the gap and need to agitate both sides of the puddle to come together. My machine's pulses don't seem to help here.

Thank you for this! Very helpful!

Gracias por tan valiosa información. Lo mejor para el 2023.

Thanks for the great video as usual Jody, and Merry Christmas

Should do a video on aluminum overhead mig. Vee grooves. What's the best advice for aluminum overhead mig push , push pull gun spray?

Always great, well thought out content. Thank you and Merry Christmas 🎁🎄

So, I have to say ive been using vise-grips and a heavy object like an adjustable wrench to break tungsten successfully for a long time. the vise grips needs to be tight otherwise it may split but works great for all sizes

Good👍👍👍

Very good video I have been wondering what difference would make thanks

Great video sir thanks for your time

The R² law... forces drop off by the radius squared (F÷R²) this includes the electromagnetic force... this is why standoff distance is so important... also grinding a needle like point, on higher amps your point doesn't have enough material to carry the current so some of the arc wanders upward on the Tungsten, now not only did you spread out the point like arc from the Tungsten but you've also made the standoff Distance larger thus increasing R²... but like he said, lower amps its not a big deal so long as you have enough material to carry the current

I use a continuous rim diamond blade used for tile cutting on my dedicated angle grinder. I also added a diamond blade to sharpen it on that same blade. I found/saw the micro-cracks in my tungsten which prompted me to build it.

I've been grinding the electrode too steep. Thanks, Jody!

Thank you Jody.

Merry Christmas to you, your family and everyone at WTaT

So helpful thank you for posting

Is that upper halo on the sharp tip dependent of the gas flow rate? It would be interesting to see the effect of flow rate with regards to grind angle for arc control, especially for those sharp grinds.

Thanks LARRYMOORE

Welded titanium for 35 years and we always snapped our tungsten., NEVER had a split. Maybe it was because we only used 2% thoriated, maybe it's different with ceriated. We also sharpened our tungsten on a belt grinder with 60 grit course and 150 grit fine.

Merry Christmas brother jody.

Merry Christmas Jody, wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday season. 👍

THANKS so much for what you do and how well you do it !!! ( World Class + )

The tungsten mate style sharpeners that attach to a dremel or dremel tool copy work quite well and cost a fraction of what the dedicated tungsten sharpeners do.

Awesome Jody 👌👌👌! Thank you!

Your videos got me into welding, I'm still not the greatest but I'm making a good wage, thanks

Thanks Jody

Great video mate👍

Thanks, great info. How bad is grinding the tungsten with a flap wheel in a grinder ? trailing towards the point ? And why not just cut the tungsten through with the grinder ? Why thin then snap ?

excellent video

Great tips, thanks Jody!