Symptom-first troubleshooting

Tungsten Contamination Troubleshooting

Troubleshoot contaminated tungsten, arc wandering, dipping, gas coverage, tungsten prep, and TIG cup setup.

TIG

Most Common Causes

  • Tungsten touched filler metal or puddle
  • Insufficient shielding gas or poor cup/gas lens setup
  • Wrong tungsten prep, diameter, or amperage range
  • Contaminated material, filler, or work area

Beginner Explanation

What this means in plain English

Tungsten contamination means the electrode picked up weld metal or dirt. The arc can wander, spit, or become hard to control until the tungsten is cleaned or re-ground.

Compatible Processes to Check

TIG

Machine and Equipment Pages to Check

Miller TIG Machine Support Machine · Miller · TIG

Miller · TIG

 TIG Equipment Support Machine · TIG

TIG

Related Support Pages

TIG Torch Support Gun / Torch · TIG

TIG

 TIG Troubleshooting Troubleshooting · TIG

TIG

 Miller TIG Accessory Support Parts Breakdown · Miller · TIG

Miller · TIG

 Stainless Steel 310 GTAW Parts Breakdown · TIG

TIG

 TIG Accessory Support Parts Breakdown · TIG

TIG

 TIG Cups Parts Breakdown · TIG

TIG

 Tungsten Parts Breakdown · CARBON-ARC · TIG

Carbon Arc / TIG

 Washington Alloy Stainless 310 GTAW Parts Breakdown · TIG

TIG

 Miller Weldcraft TIG Torch Support Gun / Torch · Miller · Weldcraft · TIG

Miller / Weldcraft · TIG

 Miller TIG Machine Support Machine · Miller · TIG

Miller · TIG

Long-Tail Search Phrases Covered

TIG tungsten contamination causeswhy does my tungsten ball uparc wandering contaminated tungstenTIG cup gas lens checks