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Jon Elson[_2_]

wrote:
I don't have a bench grinder but i do have an angle grinder to sharpen
thoriated tungsten electrodes.

I'm having problems with the arc it seems to create bright pulsing
flashes making it very difficult for me to see the arc and weld
puddle.

is this caused by a contaminated tungsten electrode?
OR
is that what happens when the tungsten electrode is contaminated with
other metal bits from the grinding stone?

perhaps my angle grinder isn't clean enough and contains some steel/
aluminum bits which contaminated the electrode.

Yes, you should use a special grinder (or at least the wheel) for
grinding the tungstens.

A trick I use is to hold the torch such that the cup shields my eyes
from the brightest part of the arc, usually right at the tip of the
electrode. Then, the arc lights up the work and I can usually see the
puddle quite nicely. I usually do sort of micro-welding and get right
up there with my nose inches from the arc.

Jon