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Tungsten · AC and DC

WELDINGER WL-15 gold Ø 2.4 × 175 mm, 10 pieces

Lanthanated tungsten: the modern all-rounder that works on both AC and DC, unlike the old colors.

WELDINGER WL-15 gold Ø 2.4 × 175 mm, 10 pieces, product photograph

WELDINGER WL-15 gold Ø 2.4 × 175 mm, 10 pieces

Lanthanated tungsten: the modern all-rounder that works on both AC and DC, unlike the old colors.

Type
WL-15, lanthanated (gold)
Diameter
2.4 mm (0.09 in)
Length
175 mm (6.89 in)
Quantity
10 pieces
Amazon reference
B08WJ3LPHX
EAN
4251314269072
  • Works on both AC and DC, so one box covers steel, stainless and aluminum
  • Not radioactive, unlike the thoriated (red) tungstens it replaces
  • Not sold on the American or British stores at the time of checking

Best for: One tungsten type for a workshop that welds steel one day and aluminum the next

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Specifications

Type
WL-15, lanthanated (gold)
Diameter
2.4 mm (0.09 in)
Length
175 mm (6.89 in)
Quantity
10 pieces
Amazon reference
B08WJ3LPHX
EAN
4251314269072

One box for both currents

The older system had a color per job: red for DC steel, green for AC aluminum. Lanthanated works well on both, which means one type on the shelf and one less thing to get wrong at the bench.

Grinding is part of TIG

A tungsten is not a consumable you throw away — it is reground repeatedly, and how it is ground changes the arc. A sharp point concentrates the arc for thin material; a slightly blunted tip carries more current without spitting.

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 not the red thoriated tungstens?

Because thorium is mildly radioactive, and the dust from grinding it is the concern rather than the rod itself. Lanthanated (gold) tungstens perform at least as well across AC and DC, strike easily and last well, without that issue. Most workshops have made the switch and there is no performance reason not to.

How should they be ground?

Along the length, never across. Grinding marks that run around the electrode make the arc wander; marks running lengthways keep it pointed where you aim. Use a dedicated wheel or a diamond disc — a wheel used on steel will embed contaminants that end up in the weld.

Welders this fits

More tig consumables

  • GYS Steel TIG rods Ø 1.6 × 330 mm, product photograph

    GYS Steel TIG rods Ø 1.6 × 330 mm

    Nine euros of steel filler — the cheapest thing on the European half of this site, and the one that decides how a bead looks.

    Material
    Steel
    Diameter
    1.6 mm (0.06 in)
    Length
    330 mm (13 in)
    Amazon reference
    B00IWO3HY2
    EAN
    3154020087224
    • €9 — the cheapest consumable on the European half of this site
    • 1.6 mm (0.06 in) suits thin steel and stainless work, where most TIG beginners start
    • Steel rods rust: a damp tube is a wasted packet

    Best for: Thin steel and stainless TIG, and for practicing the feed

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  • STAHLWERK ER4043 (AlSi5) TIG rods Ø 2.4 × 500 mm, 2 kg, product photograph

    STAHLWERK ER4043 (AlSi5) TIG rods Ø 2.4 × 500 mm, 2 kg

    Aluminum filler for TIG: the same alloy family as the MIG wire, in a form you feed by hand.

    Alloy
    ER4043 (AlSi5)
    Diameter
    2.4 mm (0.09 in)
    Length
    500 mm (19.7 in)
    Weight
    2 kg (4.4 lb)
    Amazon reference
    B07YYD1WX7
    EAN
    4260294086517
    • ER4043 flows well and resists cracking — the general-purpose aluminum filler
    • 2.4 mm (0.09 in) matches the tungsten size most AC work uses
    • Aluminum oxidizes in storage: rods need keeping clean and dry

    Best for: Aluminum TIG work on an AC or AC/DC machine

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  • 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

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Elsewhere in the workroom

  • Sawyer Welder’s 3rd Hand pipe alignment clamp fitted to a pipe butt joint

    Sawyer Mfg Company Welder’s 3rd Hand pipe clamp

    A pipe alignment clamp whose five bullets contain no capacity, no weight, no dimension and no material grade — on the highest price in the American half of this hub.

    Amazon reference
    B07MKPLQR5
    EAN
    0602573288498
    • Built for the one joint nothing else on this shelf addresses — a pipe butt weld, where both halves must stay concentric
    • Portable, so it goes to the joint rather than the joint to a bench
    • No pipe diameter range published — the one figure that decides whether it fits anything you own

    Best for: Pipe butt welds, if you can establish from the seller which diameters it fits

    ≈ $185
    Check price on Amazon
  • Strong Hand Tools locking pipe pliers with V-pads gripping a tube

    Strong Hand Tools PG114V

    The only clamp in this hub whose entire specification is figures — capacity, throat, length and thread, with nothing else claimed.

    Amazon reference
    B003OU85IW
    EAN
    0632102431736
    • Publishes every dimension that decides fit: capacity 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 in, throat 3-1/2 in, length 11 in
    • Publishes the adjusting thread as M10, which no other clamp on this shelf states
    • A 2-1/2 in ceiling — anything larger needs the pipe clamps elsewhere on this shelf

    Best for: Tube and exhaust work, where the pliers have to sit on a round section and stay there

    ≈ $30
    Check price on Amazon
  • ZTUKOMN four-inch drill press vise with soft jaw pads

    ZTUKOMN 4 in drill press vise

    The only vise in this hub that publishes all three of the figures that decide whether a part will fit in it — opening, jaw width and its own weight.

    Amazon reference
    B0C73J9KWR
    EAN
    0746198463592
    • Publishes the maximum jaw opening, 4.25 in, and the jaw width, 4.2 in
    • Publishes its own weight, 7 lb, which is what stops a vise walking under load
    • No clamping force published, where the toggle clamps alongside it state 500 lb

    Best for: Holding a part square under a drill press, where the alternative is a hand and hope

    ≈ $37
    Check price on Amazon

All tig consumables

Prices quoted in these summaries are dated readings. The live price is shown next to each product.