Changed my mind about those fancy tungsten electrodes after hearing a guy at the supply house

I've been using 2% thoriated for years on my pipe work at the Marathon refinery in Gary, always thought the purple band was all you needed. But this old timer named Pete was ranting about how the ceriated ones give a way better arc start on stainless, especially when you're in a tight spot and can't dip. I tried a pack last Monday on a 6 inch schedule 40 job and holy cow, the arc was so much more stable I didn't have to stop and sharpen near as often. Has anyone else switched away from thoriated and noticed a big difference on different metals?

2 comments

2 Comments

michaelgrant21h ago

That line about being too cheap to change is exactly how a lot of us get stuck in a rut, I've seen it a hundred times with guys refusing to try a different blade or tool even when the new one clearly works better.

shane_clark23h ago

Haha man I'm the exact opposite, I still run thoriated on everything because I'm too cheap to buy new stuff. But now you got me second-guessing my whole life choices.