Originally Posted by
GQtdauto
Reason for caution using the red tipped ones is the thorium being a radioactive element , electrodes for Tig are not the same as electrodes for arc they are classed as not consumable , which is partly true .
Each electrode is mainly tungsten with an alloying element to suit welding different metal types .
Zirconiated tungsten = aluminium welding using AC current , white colour
Thoriated tungsten = stainless steel , low carbon steel etc , red colour
Ceriated Tungsten = universal can be used for pretty much anything , grey colour .
The hardest material to weld is Aluminium if it's not meticulously clean and I mean clean , aluminium oxides almost instantly with a thin film covering and it's this thin film that stops a weld pool from forming , if this happens you apply more heat but you're more than likely to just melt a big hole before you get the weld pool you're after .
Never use a normal wire brush on aluminium, brass or stainless wire brush , clean area to be welded with a non metalic scouring pad and acetone but only clean as much as you can weld .
Only problem with using acetone is when you're welding bright metals like stainless and aluminium but in particular stainless is the reaction of the gasses formed while welding you can't see them but there there and nasty .
Which is why they invented the welding helmet with forced ventilation I believe , the gases mostly are very close to the area being welded and just out of reach for you to breath in under normal circumstances.
Hint here is if you can smell any petroleum product in the area your welding which includes turps based paint try and remove the source of the smell .
You have certainly picked a few big jobs to tackle there mate , if you need advice I'll help where I can if you need a brush up on skills etc I will see what we can do , not sure how far away you are .
