Thoriated vs Lanthanated Tungsten

[682bear]

When I spoke of my welder being a Dialarc HF (same as @682bear's) and arc starting, it takes a lot more finesse than running even an old Syncrowave or Dynasty. New switched power welders have gobs of electronics to make arc starting (and arc stability) a breeze. New welders are almost like automatic transmissions in comparison. But it's what I've got and I can run it well.

The Dialarc HF is a dinosaur... big, heavy, and when you strike an arc, lights flicker three counties away... but it welds so good!

I love my dinosaur... maybe this is considered sacreligious, but I wouldn't trade it for an inverter...

I guess I'm sort of attached to it...

-Bear

 

[G-ManBart]

Here you go, G-man. As you can see, lanthanated tungsten has the LOWEST melt point of all the common electrodes BY A WIDE GAP. This is from Chemetal, not from youtube.

When I spoke of my welder being a Dialarc HF (same as @682bear's) and arc starting, it takes a lot more finesse than running even an old Syncrowave or Dynasty. New switched power welders have gobs of electronics to make arc starting (and arc stability) a breeze. New welders are almost like automatic transmissions in comparison. But it's what I've got and I can run it well.

View attachment 362742

That's interesting, but just one consideration. AC welding gets the tungsten a lot hotter than DC and 2% thoriated is awful on AC in comparison to 2% lanthanated...literally no comparison so there's more to it.

It seems a bit silly to discount a real-world test done by an expert like Jody at WT&T...he's not just some knucklehead with a YouTube channel. The test seemed pretty impartial, and the results are pretty obvious.

Diamond Ground Products puts out the Tungsten Guide Book which is considered by some to be the definitive source on tungstens and they certainly claim 2% lanthanated has advantages over 2% thoriated.

https://diamondground.com/TungstenGuidebook.pdf

2.3.3 Lanthanated (EWLa Electrode Classification)
The most common Lanthanated tungsten contains 2 percent lanthanum oxide (La203), referred to as lanthana. In Europe and Japan, Lanthanated tungsten has been the most popular alternative to 2% Thoriated tungsten for most applications. It is available as 2%, 1.5%, and 1% Lanthanated tungsten. Lanthanum Trioxide has the lowest work function of any if the materials thus it usually starts easiest and has the lowest temperature at the tip, which resists grain growth and promotes longer service life. Testing of 2% Lanthanated material has shown that it offers a much longer life than Thoriated if not overloaded and better arc starting in most applications. It is also especially good at (a) resisting the “Thermal shock” of pulsing, (b) working in welding in situations where there are numerous re-ignitions with a short weld cycle, and (c) resisting contamination. Welders with tube mill applications have been especially satisfied with this material because its longer life reduces down time. Also, as a general rule it will probably require about 15% less amps to start and sustain low current arcs. The Lanthanum in this tungsten is a “rare earth” material and is not radioactive. It has not been as heavily marketed and used in the United States as in Europe or Japan, however Diamond Ground Products, Inc. has been offering this material since 1993. This tungsten is primarily used for DC welding, but will also show good results for AC welding. The EWLa-1 electrodes were developed around the same time as the Ceriated electrodes and for the same reason, that lanthanum is not radioactive. These electrodes contain 2 percent lanthanum oxide (La203).

 

[G-ManBart]

The Dialarc HF is a dinosaur... big, heavy, and when you strike an arc, lights flicker three counties away... but it welds so good!

I love my dinosaur... maybe this is considered sacreligious, but I wouldn't trade it for an inverter...

I guess I'm sort of attached to it...

-Bear

I get better results, particularly on aluminum, with my Syncrowave than I do on any modern inverter for some reason, and I've actually had 17 Syncrowave 250 and 250DX in the past few years....same thing with all of them. Can't argue with success....