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Aluminum Welding Guide
View technical guides for guidance on welding various metals and selecting the right Hobart Brothers filler metal solution for your application.
Aluminum Welding Guide
Welding Procedures – Electrodes For Aluminum TIG Welding
Tungsten electrodes as specified in AWS A5.12
| Pure Tungsten (green) | Most commonly used, least expensive, low current capacity. |
| Thoriated (1% yellow, 2% red) | Recommended for DC welding, difficult to ball tip, high current carrying capacity, good arc starting, resistant to contamination, slightly radioactive. |
| Zirconiated (brown) | Commonly used and recommended for AC welding with the properties of both pure and thoriated but not radioactive. |
| Ceriated (gray) | Similar to the physical properties of thoriated but less problems for AC welding and not radioactive. Point stays sharp with inverter on AC. |
| Lanthanated (black) | Similar to the physical properties of thoriated but fewer problems for AC welding and not radioactive. Point stays sharp with inverter on AC. |
| Note: | The electrode tip for pure and zirconiated is usually formed into a smooth hemisphere. The 2% Ceriated and 11/2 % Lanthanated Tungsten Electrodes have become the most popular for aluminum welding. These electrodes are ground to a blunt point, making sure to keep the grinding direction parallel to the length of the electrode. |