2% Thorium Tungsten Electrode

2% thoriated tungsten electrode still have widely used, at least for DC welding. Because compared with other type tungsten electrodes it always has been the best all-around electrode. It lasts the longest, holds the sharpest point, and has the strongest arc and other advantages, so even it has radiation welders like to use it for TIG welding.

Compared pure tungsten electrode and thorium tungsten electrode welding aluminum on AC performance found pure tungsten electrode is softer and balls up easier for aluminum welding on AC, but it doesn’t handle heat as well. I preferred having electrodes that wouldn’t split at heat as opposed to one that balled up quickly. On the other hand, thorium tungsten electrodes stay sharp for so long and are so hard that there’s no way they can give off anything significantly harmful to breathe in during the welding process or to absorb while handling.

Besides, recently, some researchers released an article, “There is almost no release of radioactive material during arcing,” and “a welder holding an electrode for a whole year a very small fraction of the maximum permissible radiation dose, and it is concluded that the external radiation hazard is likely to be negligible.” They think that fears of radiation coming from the thoriated tungsten electrode had led the welding industry to look for alternatives electrode witch is unnecessary. 

In fact, the only real danger in using 2 percent thoriated is inhalation of dust during grinding. Because during the grinding process, tungsten particles may produce with thoria on the surface and dust particles may be inhaled to cause harm TIG welders health. But these researchers insisted that the risk of cancer in due to thoria exposure is very low, since the exposure times to individuals are invariably small.

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