We are so excited about the new website and hope you are too. From the the official press release:

The new store opened for business August 25, 2008.

“The revamped website is the first created in-house to our exact specifications and style,” says company founder and President Jim Watson. Other new features include a rotating gallery of featured products on the home page, and video. “Our ‘Welcome to Arc-Zone’ video will show visitors first-hand what differentiates Arc-Zone from our competitors while our Weld Like A Pro™ series of How-To videos will showcase our technical expertise and the added value of buying from Arc-Zone.com.”

The remodeled web store will also allow customers to write reviews of products they have purchased. This is a great tool for other buyers to assess which product is right for them.

The new store will continue to feature secure checkout, easy sign-in, real time actual UPS shipping quotes and Live Chat support with customer service and technical representatives.

Founded in June 1998, Arc-Zone delivers proprietary, brand name and OEM replacement parts and accessories for GMAW, GTAW and Plasma Arc Welding and Cutting applications to customers worldwide. For more information, visit the Arc-Zone.com web site at www.arc-zone.com, call (800) 944-2243 or email sales@arc-zone.com.

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Check it out and let us know what you think.

A lot of folks wonder what the difference between inexpensive import TIG Torches you see being sold at a lot of online welding suppliers, and the quality name brand– and yes, more expensive TIG torches such as the ones carried by distributors like Arc-Zone.com.

One of the biggest differences between brand-name and no-name torches is the materials used in manufacturing…

Copper
There is tellurium copper, which is very basic plumbing type copper and then there is leaded nickel copper which is a high conductive, high tensile strength copper alloy. This is important for two reasons, one it’s a better conductor, and two it is more durable, the TIG torch body threads last longer, collets don’t buckle and twist etc.

Silicone Rubber
Weldcraft changed the rules when they introduced the Silicone rubber molded TIG torch. Prior to that all torches were molded in a hard plastic material. Difficult to hold, impossible to bend and very susceptible to arcing out. You would think that silicone rubbers are all the same, but again there is a big difference in the material quality, and how much heat it takes before it begins to breakdown, and how well it is bonded to the copper TIG torch body. Materials and preparation are key here and come back to the basics of production standards
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David from Peoria (Arizona!) wrote in and asked:

….about “spray arc transfer MIG.” I tried it with my Miller 8VS and Syncrowave 200 (on CC mode). It sounded like TIG, but I ruined a tip & nozzle. Is this type recommended “at home,” or do you need a bigger multi-processor power source, and what are the advantages?

I quickly replied:
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I got a call today from Eric the maintenance foreman for the American Airlines Engine Repair Shop in Ft. Worth Texas. “Do you have the Monster nozzle in stock?” he asked.

When I said yes, he practically erupted with joy. “Man we have been looking all over for these things. They’re like gold around here.”

He told me they used to get a similar part but the quality was inconsistent, and the availability was too. He said, “We have a job to do, and we use these nozzles to TIG weld our Titanium and other special alloys that need repair.”

He went on to say that as the nozzles became scarce, they started making them in-house from a variety of materials — Phenolic, Ceramic and then settled on a CNC machined aluminum part that was ceramic coated. “The quality was great, but they take time to make and are expensive,” he said.

The Arc-Zone.com Monster nozzle will be a great replacement for them… and they can get on with the business they are in, welding specialized aerospace materials– not tools.

This is true of a lot of the quality purge gas accessories we sell at Arc-Zone. As a master fabricator you know you can build your own trail shield, or auxiliary gas welding nozzle…. but when you’re looking for consistency, and want to focus on your core business, it’s nice to have a supplier that can offer tools so you can Weld Like A Pro™.

That’s what our first video shoot at Arc-Zone.com® was all about — 8 hours of non stop action!

We’re putting together a series of professionally produced videos featuring industry leading products from some of our premiere manufactures, and of course our own World-Class line up of products. The production crew showed up with all the lights cameras and gadgets it takes to make it happen!

My shop looked like a Hollywood set We had the videographer, director, choreogrepher, best boy, and who ever that is that holds the little black & white stripped Clap board — Arc-Zone take two! — add in the wardrobe, makeup and hair stylist for my hot assistant — Roxy Acetylene™….

I don’t know about you but this was my first time in front of the camera. We had scheduled several videos — one About Arc-Zone.com and 12 product videos ranging from Product comparisons, to how-to’s. Boy were we optimistic! We were prepared with all the Arc-Zone Brand and other vendors products organized with scripts, props etc, but we had no idea how long it takes to do one 3 minute Video!

These behind-the-scenes pictures give you a pretty good idea of how it went down, and how much fun we had. We are going to rock it so stay tunned!

I got a call from Fabio who is building an off-road rock climbing truck chassis (pictured right). He needed someone to help him set up his new TIG welder, so he called Arc-Zone.com.

Fabio had just moved back to Italy though he and his wife had spent the past couple of years living on Maui. He started the truck project there, bought some equipment and soon became frustrated with the lack of available products, and tech support. He had a brand new Miller Dyanasty 200 and needed all the goods it takes to properly weld a high-performance off-road truck. Considering the number of welding equipment manufacturers in Italy, I was surprised that Fabio was unable to find the info or qualified people to help him get what he needed.

Since that first call Fabio has placed several orders and we have them delivered to his local post office. And since I promised my wife Gina that I would take her to Italy one day, I hope I’ll be able to see Fabio TIG welding in person, and take a ride in his new off-road truck!

Those of you of a certain age will remember that 70s era jingle from Burger King. At Arc-Zone.com we get special requests fairly often. And we’re pretty good at getting our customers what they want.

Case in point, Armando in Texas writes:

I need a TIG torch Package WP-26, but needs to be 75′ long, include a torch and hand-held amperage control and a cable cover to be used on a Miller Synchrowave 250.

Please quote and time of delivery

Although the WP-26 TIG Torch package from Weldcraft does not come with a 75′ Cable, and you can cobble together 75′ worth of cable, a better solution is our custom-length cables. Turnaround time is generally 5-7 days. You’ll still have to put together two cable covers, but that won’t affect performance in the least.

The Miller Synchrowave 250 has a threaded stud connection for the TIG torch, rather than the DINSE style plugs more common in newer machines so we recommended an upgrade. With a 45V62 Power Cable Adapter, he could adapt his machine to accept a TIG Torch with a DINSE connector. The benefit being that you can easily switch out one TIG Torch for another. Also, you can standardize all your machines and torches to one connector so that any torch you have can go on any machine– a great benefit for a company that needs be as flexible as possible.

But before we could put together a realistic quote for Armando we needed to know which hand held amperage control he wanted– at Arc-Zone.com we offer two different styles of hand held amperage controls: one with a side-to-side (east-west) dial, and one with an in-line (north-south) rotary motion control.

Once we clarified exactly what he needed, we were able to put together a quote, with a realistic delivery date… special orders really don’t upset us.

Found a great article in our local paper, the Union Tribune, featuring Nancy Woods, an instructor in the Welding Program at Palomar College, one of our local community colleges.

WELDING INSTRUCTOR SPARKS HER STUDENTS’ CAREERS AT PALOMAR By Pat Sherman

April 18, 2008 - SAN MARCOS – It’s not quite the same as crocheting a summer hat, but when Nancy Wood slips on her protective helmet and picks up her torch, the skills she employs in TIG welding are similar to those required for needlework, she said.

“I think that’s why women do it so well, because a lot of them over the years have learned how to crochet or knit,” said Wood, an adjunct welding instructor at Palomar College. “Welding is very artistic.”
….
According to the American Welding Society, of approximately 500,000 welders employed in the United States, only about 33,000, or 6.6 percent, are female.
…..[and]
there will be a shortage of about 200,000 skilled welders in the United States by the year 2010.
…read the full article online–>

In response to the present and predicted welder shortage, and to begin to change perceptions about women in welding (who they are, what they look like and what kind of work welding is) we’re profiling women welders over at CarmenElectrode.com– Check out “The New Rosies” .

If you know of any good welding programs in your community, or women welders who may be interested in being featured let us know!

Aluminum is a popular metal because of its light, silvery color and the fact that it is light weight and resists corrosion– a factor which makes it very popular in marine fabrication applications. In fact, Arc-Zone.com® has several yacht tower and wake board manufacturers that we work with on a regular basis.

Welding aluminum can be challenging even for a master fabricator, check out the newest publication from the American Welding Society (AWS), Welding Aluminum – Questions and Answers a practical guide for troubleshooting aluminum welding problems. Read the press release from the AWS, or go to www.aws.org/catalogs to order your Aluminum Welding Guide (only $93 for members of the American Welding Society).

Other resources for welding aluminum:

Lincoln Electric’s Guide to Aluminum Welding

Aluminum Welding– Using Oxy-Fuel Welding on Aircraft Aluminum Sheet from Experimenter Magazine

Alcotec’s Knowledge Center (Alcotec is an aluminum welding wire producer)

Two Tips from Joe Welder for welding aluminum:

–Clean your base metal (you may want to try the EZ Wipes, cleaning wipes or check out the TIG Weld Prep Kit in the Tools and Accessories section of Arc-Zone.com); and

–Use ArcTime™ Hybrid All Purpose Tungsten

A lot of times companies don’t add new vendors to their line up because there’s a lot of work involved in getting set up to do business. The vendor requires paperwork, the customer requires paperwork, sales staff needs to be trained… and of course in the case of Arc-Zone.com® we need to add products to our website. Then there’s the “getting to know you” period when the vendor and the customer adapt to each other’s way of doing business.

Arc-Zone.com® just hooked up with Revco Industries to carry their line of high-quality safety apparel. From quality leather safety apparel and BSX Xteme protective wear with style and welding gloves galore, we’re adding to our webstore daily.

One of the most exciting lines is the Women’s Welding Wear, offering protective gear that is tailored for a woman’s body.

In addition to offering great quality welding safety products, and information about Leather Quality and finding your Glove size, Revco is easy to do business with!

When we placed our first order, within minutes we received a confirmation indicating availability and ship date. And the best part is, they delivered!

We hope our customers are as excited as we are about this new line of welding safety gear. Not only will you stay protected, you’ll look good.