Skip to content

Tungsten · thin work

STAHLWERK WC20 grey Ø 1.6 × 175 mm, 10 pieces

Ceriated tungsten in 1.6 mm: the combination that strikes reliably at very low current.

STAHLWERK WC20 grey Ø 1.6 × 175 mm, 10 pieces, product photograph

STAHLWERK WC20 grey Ø 1.6 × 175 mm, 10 pieces

Ceriated tungsten in 1.6 mm: the combination that strikes reliably at very low current.

Type
WC20, ceriated (grey)
Diameter
1.6 mm (0.06 in)
Length
175 mm (6.89 in)
Quantity
10 pieces
Amazon reference
B07LCS95JR
EAN
4260294084049
  • Ceriated tungsten starts easily at low current, where other types splutter
  • 1.6 mm (0.06 in) is the right diameter for thin stainless and small work
  • 1.6 mm (0.06 in) overheats and balls up if pushed past roughly 120 A

Best for: Thin stainless, small brackets and any work under 100 A

Search Amazon for this model

Specifications

Type
WC20, ceriated (grey)
Diameter
1.6 mm (0.06 in)
Length
175 mm (6.89 in)
Quantity
10 pieces
Amazon reference
B07LCS95JR
EAN
4260294084049

Small work, small electrode

Fitting a 2.4 mm (0.09 in) tungsten and turning the machine down does not produce a low-amperage arc — it produces a wandering one. Matching the electrode to the current band is what makes 30 A welding possible.

Handle with a little care

At 1.6 mm (0.06 in) the electrode is slender enough to snap if it dips into the pool and is pulled sideways. Keep spare ground tips ready so a dip does not end the session.

Sources

Every figure above comes from the manufacturer’s published specification for this reference. Fields the listing does not publish are left out rather than estimated. Market availability was verified per market on the EAN.

The questions welders ask

Why does the diameter matter so much?

Because a tungsten has a current band. Too much current for the diameter and the tip melts and balls, spitting tungsten into the weld; too little current for a thick electrode and the arc wanders because the tip never gets hot enough to emit properly. 1.6 mm (0.06 in) is comfortable roughly from 40 to 120 A, which is exactly the thin-material range.

Ceriated or lanthanated?

Both are good general-purpose choices and the difference is at the extremes: ceriated starts more reliably at very low current, lanthanated holds up better at high current. If you weld thin material at low amps, grey is the better box; if you do everything, the gold WL-15 covers more ground.

Welders this fits

More tig consumables

  • STAHLWERK WP-26 consumables set, 36 pieces, product photograph

    STAHLWERK WP-26 consumables set, 36 pieces

    The parts that wear out on a TIG torch, in every size, in one box.

    Fitment
    WP-26 torch
    Contents
    36 pieces — collets, collet bodies, gas nozzles, back caps
    Sizes
    Multiple tungsten diameters
    Amazon reference
    B07L7WM991
    EAN
    4260294083929
    • Every wearing part in one box, in several diameters
    • WP-26 is one of the most common fitments, so parts are easy to replace later
    • A set includes sizes you will never use

    Best for: A new TIG owner who does not yet know which sizes they need

    Search Amazon for this model
  • Alffun TIG torch kit with back caps, collet bodies and alumina cups

    Alffun 17-piece WP-17/18/26 kit

    The smallest and cheapest kit on this shelf, for the larger WP-17/18/26 torches — on a listing whose own itemization falls three short of its title.

    Amazon reference
    B07HV27VV3
    EAN
    0192543200211
    • Names the torch series precisely — WP-17, WP-18, WP-26, and the Lincoln PTA and Miller Diamondback equivalents
    • Covers the three parts that fail: back cap, collet body and ceramic cup
    • The title says 17 pieces; the contents bullet lists 3 back caps, 6 collet bodies and 5 cups, which is 14

    Best for: Topping up a WP-17, 18 or 26 torch with the three parts that actually break

    ≈ $22
    Check price on Amazon
  • Alffun 68-piece TIG consumable kit with collets, bodies and ceramic cups

    Alffun 68-piece WP-17/18/26 kit

    Eight plus twenty plus twenty plus twenty, itemized by 10N part number and matching its own stated total — which on this shelf is not the norm.

    Amazon reference
    B07L8VDGFW
    EAN
    0632230689443
    • The contents add up: 8 back caps, 20 collets, 20 gas lens collet bodies and 20 alumina cups is 68
    • Itemizes every piece by 10N part number and by both metric and imperial size
    • Gas lens bodies only — no plain collet bodies, which use less argon on simple work

    Best for: A WP-17, 18 or 26 torch stocked in three tungsten sizes at once

    ≈ $33
    Check price on Amazon

Elsewhere in the workroom

  • Hobart 308L stainless steel stick electrodes

    Hobart H481930-RDP, 308L stainless, 3/32 in

    The only stainless rods in this hub — on a listing whose four bullets are a product type, a parcel size, a country and a weight to six decimal places.

    Amazon reference
    B002AKJ23Y
    EAN
    0715959249836
    • The only stainless electrodes in this hub, either half
    • Names the base metals it is for — 304 and 308 stainless — rather than saying "stainless"
    • The four bullets contain no welding specification at all — product type, parcel dimensions, country of origin and parcel weight

    Best for: Repairing 304 or 308 stainless with a stick machine, where no MIG gas is available

    ≈ $11
    Check price on Amazon
  • Hobart 6011 stick electrodes, 1/16 inch, in their one-pound pack

    Hobart H112216-R01, 6011, 1/16 in

    A deep-penetrating 6011 in the smallest diameter on this shelf, stated for welding through light to medium dirt, rust and paint.

    Amazon reference
    B004USV1RE
    EAN
    0715959286619
    • Stated for welding through light to medium dirt, rust and paint — the one job a clean-metal rod cannot do
    • Publishes a tensile strength: 60,000 PSI
    • A cellulosic coating gives a fierce, spattery arc — this is not a rod to learn on

    Best for: Farm and repair work on steel that cannot be cleaned first

    ≈ $16
    Check price on Amazon
  • Fifty-pound sealed steel can of HYW E7018 welding electrodes

    HYW Products E7018, 1/8 in, 50 lb can

    The only low-hydrogen rods in this hub, in the only packaging that keeps them that way — fifty pounds in a sealed steel can.

    Amazon reference
    B07KKY6QSJ
    EAN
    0692769195969
    • Cites the standard it is made to — AWS A5.1-04 — which no other rod in this hub does
    • Supplied in a sealed steel can, which is exactly what this shelf's buying tip says low-hydrogen rods need
    • The highest price in this hub by a wide margin, and a quantity most workshops will not use before the can is opened

    Best for: Structural work where the rod has to be low-hydrogen and dry, in a quantity that justifies a can

    ≈ $190
    Check price on Amazon

All tig consumables