yeah it called using the wheel for things other then tungsten, it called contamination. only use grinding wheels for one metal, once i ground some titanium and then i sharpened my tungsten with the same wheel and then when i welded with it it threw off all these white sparks and ----, was crazy as hell.

 

the wheel for my tungsten is only used for tungsten in fact my hf grinder is just about only useful for tungsten any thing more tends to bog it down

 

using a belt sander is better than using a grinding stone anyways b/c with the belt sander you can get the tungsten down to a better point and get that nice small tight weld

 

i wish i felt safer sharpening my tungsten on my belt sander

 

Too much of a point and it's prone to misshape at higher amperage. That's why you are supposed to flatten the tip a hair and of course use the correctly sized tungsten.

 

i sharpen my tungsten on a hf belt sander i picked up for $60 and then i buy there 5 pack of 4" belts. super cheap and it is powerfull enough to sand a small turbo flange or dp flane flat after welding.

also i have never had problem welding up to 130 ish amps putting a point on my tungsten. so i'm guessing your talking about way up there in amps?

 

The tungsten grinder I have used is similar to this, ALOT cheaper than that grinder CSaddict posted and it works great, I think the grinder itself only cost like $20-$30 and the wheels are covered in tiny diamonds, they are like $20-$30 but last a long time. I've never seen/used one like SCaddict has but i'm sure its badass you get what you pay for

 

IMO tungsten grinders are a waste for hand welding, they are mainly for robotic welding so the tungsten is always ground the same.

i usually grind a point 1/8" long and then grind off the very point of it

 

tungseten has thorium in it and is radio active,particals can be dangerous if inhaled .break the tungsten on a sharp edge with a hammer and arc on a pice of copper to make a rounded tip.

 

its all good, ive always wanted a kid with 6 fingers so he can get a bigger discount when he gets older