Archive for the ‘Arc-Zone.com’ Category

Join Joe Welder and Ron Covell

Monday, January 25th, 2010

Are you free the 20th or 21st of February?

Come join Jim Watson, aka Joe Welder, and Ron Covell of Covell Creative Metalworking at Hot Rods & Custom Stuff in Escondido, CA for Covell’s Beginning and Advanced Steel Workshops!

Ron is one of the preeminent fabricators in the custom automotive industry and has been a good friend to us here at Arc-Zone.com!

You can head over to our webstore to check out a few of his welding DVDs.

If you don’t live in Southern California or can’t make it on this particular weekend, you can head over to Ron’s website and check out a complete list of his workshops in the upcoming year.

Who knows – he just might be coming to your neck of the woods soon!

View from inside the Welding Helmet

Thursday, December 31st, 2009

I’ve never been one to play video games, but then watching this YouTube video it occurred to me that welding with your helmet on is kind of like a video game.  Crazy….

helmets

Oh, and in case you forgot, we’ve got some awesome welding helmets over at Arc-Zone.com….  including the totally radical Hoodlum Hoods– no reason why you can’t have fun at work!

Welding Instructor Creates New Employment Opportunities

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009
Now this is the way to start off the New Year!

Welding class image
Welding instructor George Moreno embarked on a personal mission when he quit his full-time teaching job at Cerritos College. At only half his previous pay, he left to reinvigorate the neglected welding department at Santa Ana College, a few miles south, in an economically depressed area of Orange County, California.
Read the rest of this great story over on the Lincoln Electric website….
Arc-Zone.com School DiscountDID YOU KNOW….. Arc-Zone.com offers a SCHOOL DISCOUNT?  Give us a call at 800.944.2243 and we’ll get you set up!

Arc-Zone also has some great welding apparel, including helmets…   look good, stay stylish and Weld Like A Pro ™.

Our PRO Gear packages have everything you need to get started.

Product Spotlight: Pre-Ground Tungsten Electrodes

Thursday, December 17th, 2009
Precision Ground Tungsten Electrodes Minimize Production Variables
Maximize your welding operations by using the best performing tungsten electrodes available! Consistent finish, exceptional quality electrodes that meet or exceed ISO 6848 and AWS A5.12 standards.
Our precision CNC pre-ground electrodes will let you enjoy enhanced weld quality and consistency. Precision ground — or — polished to your specifications — never worry again about inconsistent tungsten electrodes. Arc-Zone.com® delivers pre-ground electrodes for your orbital and “high-purity” automated applications, mechanized TIG welding, micro TIG welding, and plasma arc welding applications.
We stock pre-ground tungsten electrodes for Weldcraft® WP-125 (MT-125) and WP-50 Micro TIG torches, and for your Thermal Dynamics® Plasma Arc Welding Torches. Ready for immediate delivery — We can work with you to schedule deliveries based on your production demands.
Precise… Maintain specified electrode geometry for precise welds.
Practical… Our pre-ground electrodes minimize electrode shedding.
Efficient… Use our pre-ground electrodes to eliminate the maintenance and repair of dedicated tungsten grinding equipment.
Safe… Our pre-ground electrodes help you Improve safety and eliminate electrode grinding hazards.
Cost-effective… Save time and money because there’s no need to stock bulk-quantities of expensive electrodes.
Ordering Options
Use your welding equipment manufacturer’s part number (if available)
Complete form (below) specifying, material type, length, diameter, grind angle, tip flat and finish.
If you are not sure what you need, or if you would like us to make a recommendation — take a moment to describe your welding equipment and application in the field below. Based on that information an Arc-Zone.com Plasma Arc Welding Specialist will provide you with a electrode solution engineered to improve your weld quality and productivity.
Note: Our pre-ground electrodes are produced on precision CNC grinding machines. To cover our set-up costs, we require a 50 Piece Minimum Order.

pregroundsWhen you’re welding in a production environment, you want to make sure you minimize your production variables.  And as great as some of the grinders we have are (we do have the most comprehensive line up of tungsten grinders in the industry) precision, pre-ground tungsten electrodes are definitely the way to go.  With a pre-ground tungsten electrode you’ll maximize your TIG or Plasma Arc Welding operations.  Pre-grounds  offer consistent finish, and a precision repeatability you’ll not find with a benchtop grinder.

Arc-Zone.com’s pre-grounds are made with exceptional quality electrodes that meet or exceed ISO 6848 and AWS A5.12 standards and prepared on precision CNC grinding machines.

We stock pre-ground tungsten electrodes for Weldcraft® WP-125 (MT-125) and WP-50 Micro TIG torches, and for your Thermal Dynamics® Plasma Arc Welding Torches.  Ready for immediate delivery — We can work with you to schedule deliveries based on your production demands.

  • Precise… Maintain specified electrode geometry for precise welds.
  • Practical… Our pre-ground electrodes minimize electrode shedding.
  • Efficient… Use our pre-ground electrodes to eliminate the maintenance and repair of dedicated tungsten grinding equipment.
  • Safe… Our pre-ground electrodes help you Improve safety and eliminate electrode grinding hazards.
  • Cost-effective… Save time and money because there’s no need to stock bulk-quantities of expensive electrodes.

Ordering Options

  • Use your welding equipment manufacturer’s part number (if available)
  • Complete form (below) specifying, material type, length, diameter, grind angle, tip flat and finish.
  • If you are not sure what you need, or if you would like us to make a recommendation — take a moment to describe your welding equipment and application in the field below. Based on that information an Arc-Zone.com Plasma Arc Welding Specialist will provide you with a electrode solution engineered to improve your weld quality and productivity.

Note: Our pre-ground electrodes are produced on precision CNC grinding machines. To cover our set-up costs, we require a 50 Piece Minimum Order.

Place Your Order Here!

Product Spotlight: ArcTime™

Friday, November 20th, 2009
ArcTime™ Brand Hybrid, One Tungsten Blend For All Materials
The Sky’s The Limit With The NEW ArcTime™ Hybrid Tungsten Electrodes!
State-of-the-Art, Non-Radioactive Tungsten Electrode Formula: For all metals, compatible with all welding machines.
Fabricators from around the world are using ArcTime™ Hybrid to improve weld-quality, lower tungsten inventory costs and minimize weld defects.  What started as “cult  product” with a few specialty manufacturers of yatch towers, aerospace parts, mountain bikes and race cars has grown into our most poular tungsten electorde product.
Professional fabricators choose ArcTime™ because of its excellent ignition properties, low burn off rate and Tip longevity. As an added bonus, ArcTime™ hybrid tungsten electrodes work well with all power sources and all metals from mild steel to titanium. The material is clearly differentiated by it’s Sky Blue™ color code.
The NEW ArcTime™ offers all that, at a price even a hobbyist or small weld shop can afford.
We are so certain that you will benefit from the new ArcTime™ Hybrid, we are offering a Unconditional Money Back Guarantee backed by our industry-leading No-Hassle Return Policy.
“You’ll notice a difference just by striking the first arc– no finer electrode exists anywhere,” says Jim Watson, president and founder of Arc-Zone.com, Inc.
ArcTime™ Hybrid Performance Tungsten Electrodes™ pass Arc-Zone.com’s 5-Point Inspection Program and are delivered complete with Arc-Zone’s popular Guide to Tungsten (pdf), and Material Safety Data Sheet (pdf) .

ArcTime™ Brand Hybrid, One Tungsten Blend For All Materials

State-of-the-Art, Non-Radioactive Tungsten Electrode Formula: For all metals, compatible with all welding machines.

arctimeFabricators from around the world are using ArcTime™ Hybrid tungsten electrodes to improve weld-quality, lower tungsten inventory costs and minimize weld defects.  What started as “cult  product” with a few specialty manufacturers of yatch towers, aerospace parts, mountain bikes and race cars has grown into our most poular tungsten electrode product.

arctimepicProfessional fabricators choose ArcTime™ because of its excellent ignition properties, low burn off rate and tip longevity.  In other words, this stuff lasts!

As an added bonus, ArcTime™ hybrid tungsten electrodes work well with all power sources and all metals from mild steel to titanium. The material is clearly differentiated by it’s Sky Blue™ color code.

The NEW ArcTime™ offers all that, at a price even a hobbyist or small weld shop can afford.

We are so certain that you will benefit from the new ArcTime™ Hybrid, we are offering a Unconditional Money Back Guarantee backed by our industry-leading No-Hassle Return Policy.

“You’ll notice a difference just by striking the first arc– no finer electrode exists anywhere,” says Jim Watson, president and founder of Arc-Zone.com, Inc.

ArcTime™ Hybrid Performance Tungsten Electrodes™ pass Arc-Zone.com’s 5-Point Inspection Program and are delivered complete with Arc-Zone’s popular Guide to Tungsten (pdf), and Material Safety Data Sheet (pdf) .

See What Customers Are Saying:

Amazing TUNGSTEN. I never have to switch it out when I weld something new and the arc always strikes perfectly. I am on this for the rest of my welding days!!

Date Added: 05/14/2009 by Roger Wilcox

Some of the best large tungsten I have ever used. I am a definite believer from now on. And they set me up with a Net account in a couple of minutes. A wonderful experience.

Date Added: 05/25/2009 by Duncan Moore

We started using the ArcTime after we had some major quality issues with our tungsten supply. One of the challenges of being a government entity is the material is supplied for a variety of reasons, and most times quality is not one of them! We were using the 1.5% and 2% Lanthanated material, and it varied in performance and each supplier had a box with a different label on it which did not sit well with our welding shop instructor. We tested the ArcTime material and were very pleased with the look of the material, the supporting documentation and most importantly the performance. We do maintenance welds on Aluminum ship hulls – the ArcTime hybrid tungsten out performs all other materials, and saves us a lot of headaches. Now we can focus on welding!

HT2 Hull Technician Pacific Fleet (sent via email)

Date Added: 06/25/2008 by Arc-Zone Admin

Check out what our very own Roxy Fuel has to say about ArcTime™:

Try it for yourself, then tell us what YOU think!

Daring Young Welder on the Flying Trapeze

Monday, November 9th, 2009

aerial welder

Chris Santistevan and John Hams (left to right)

At Arc-Zone.com we get some interesting customers, and Chris Santistevan is no exception. He not only a trapeze artist he is a welder too!

At night he dazzles visitors at the Las Vegas Ultimate Variety Show (see video below).

By day, however, he can be seen fabricating stainless steel above-ground pools for high rise hotels in the city.

Chris called us up looking for a good tungsten grinding solution– Arc-Zone.com offers the industry’s most comprehensive line up of tungsten sharpeners.

APTGKDXHe was concerned that his newer employees were wasting a lot of time dressing tungsten on side grinders, and they were getting inconsistent welds.  We got him hooked up with a Sharpie DX-K pro-kit, and he told us a little bit about his work.

Chris fabricates stainless steel custom pool liners as well as  supply pipes, flanges, and tubes.  I didn’t know this, but evidently it’s a requirement that hotels with pools above the twelfth floor have the pool made entirely from TIG welded stainless steel!

Once completed, the pool is then sprayed with gunite to look like  a traditional pool.   As Chris points out, no one ever actually gets to see his work, but it is critical to the safety of the hotel nonetheless!

Jim Watson, aka Joe Welder, at the AMA Pro Flat Track Motorcycle Races

Friday, November 6th, 2009

October 24th was the perfect SoCal Fall night at the Pomona Fairplex for the 2009 finale of the AMA Pro and Gen Romero’s West Coast Flat Track Series.

IMG00004-20091024-1809I was excited to be back at the races again watching the bikes line up on the front straight-away for the rider introductions in front of an overflow crowd.

The pits were jammed with bikes in a variety of classes from the AMA Grand National Pro, including 2009 Champion Jared Mees on the #21 XR 750 Harley-Davidson,  West Coast Experts, Amateurs, and Vintage.

IMG00010-20091024-1851

I walked the pits and visited with some old friends and met some new ones too.

I love flat track racing because the bikes are custom built for one thing — speed, whereas in motocross racing, you buy a factory-built bike and  slightly modify the engine and suspension before you are ready to ride.

Flat track bikes are purpose-built from the ground up with hand-made TIG welded chromoly frames, custom-built exhaust pipes, CNC machined wheels, and hand-laid fiberglass tanks and rear fenders.

IMG00013-20091024-2042

Each bike is made with the rider’s personal wants and needs in mind,  from the handle bars down to the tires.  A perfect example is Jimmy Wood’s #37 BMW powered machine.

This is a beautiful motorcycle and it looks even better in person!  Made me think about breaking out my old skid shoe!

One of the coolest bikes I saw there was a Grand National Replica street bike.  I had a similar flat track styled bike that I put together — it was based on a Harley-Davidson 883 Sportster, but I ended up selling it to one of our reps…

Take a look and let me know what you think!

– Jim Watson, aka Joe Welder –

Product Spotlight: Gas Saver Pro Kits™

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

The Gas Saver Pro kits are a convienent and cost effective way to get all the components needed to convert your TIG torch to the benefits of a CK Gas Saver front end.  It saves time and money by organizing all the parts in one kit with a lid card and part numbers for easy replacement.

Customers tell us all the time that the gas saver pro kits improve their  TIG welding performance, improve weld visibility, and offer better shield gas coverage and lower gas consumption.

In other words, its worth it:

The Arc-Zone Weld Like A Pro™ Deluxe Gas Saver Kits are the Ultimate Boxes of High-Performance TIG Torch Accessory Parts — Assembled by The TIG Welding Experts at Arc-Zone.com®

Everything You Need To Optimize Your TIG Torch, and Get the Best Quality Welds — Right out of the Box!

  • With a Gas Saver™ Kit you can produce high-quality welds on a consistent basis for a variety of TIG welding applications in many cases replacing bulky and expensive trail shields.
  • The Pyrex glass nozzle offers excellent visibility of the weld puddle and the tungsten electrode– ideal for inside corners, inside pipe and around tubing etc.
  • Gas Saver™ kits are available in tungsten electrode sizes from .040″ (1.0mm) to 1/8″ (3.2mm) and are engineered with a replaceable tungsten adapter and universal collet for low cost screen replacement.

standardThe CK® Standard Diameter Gas Saver™ kit saves up to 40% of shield gas consumption and provides better flow patterns allowing for electrode stick-out of up to six (6) times electrode diameter. Gas Saver™ kits are lightweight, for improved operator comfort and torch control.

large

The CK® Large Diameter Gas Saver™ nozzle kit is used to provide an inert atmosphere for the welding of reactive metals such as titanium, molybdenum, nickel-based and aluminum based alloys as well as non-reactive metals like stainless steel. The nozzle is a whopping 1-1/8” (28.5mm) in diameter for ultimate shield gas coverage!



What Customers Say:

This kit is worth the money. You can switch out multiple sizes and reordering parts is very easy.

Date Added: 07/18/2009 by Fab Shop

Thanks for the kit gentlemen. It came exactly as described and the clear nozzle really helps. The tungsten sample pack makes really good welds. CHEERS.

Date Added: 05/05/2009 by John Crane

My torch looks exactly like the picture. This kit came with everything I needed. Thanks for the tungsten, works great.

Date Added: 05/19/2009 by Ron Doll

Get your KIT today–>

Product Spotlight: Pro Gear Packages™

Friday, October 9th, 2009
Pro Gear Packages™ – Three Gear Pak’s to Choose From
Now you can get all the top gear needed to complete that school welding program or upgrade your favorite fabricators current safety gear! Your Pro-Gear Pak features the stylish flame-resistant BSX™ welding gear built for performance and safety; including, the Striker Jacket, the FireRag™ doo rag, and two pairs of matching gloves—one designed for Stick and MIG welding and one designed specifically for high performance TIG welding.  Three Gear Pak’s to Choose from!
Included With Your Pro-Gear Pak:
Top-of-the-line HellRaiser™ anti-fog safety glasses by Jackson™
Miller’s complete set of slide-rule welding guides for Stick, MIG, and TIG welding
The handy tungsten stick-out gauge
Joe Welder’s TIG Welding guides
Upgrade With A Welding Helmet and Gear Bag:
Now you can choose to include either the Inferno™ Passive Welding Helmet by Miller™, or a full-feature Nex-Gen™ Auto Darkening Helmet by Jackson™. Both selections include a deluxe helmet/gear bag from Jackson™.

Pro Gear Packages™ – Three Gear Pak’s to Choose From

Now you can get all the top gear needed to complete that school welding program or upgrade your favorite fabricators current safety gear!

Your Pro-Gear Pak features the stylish flame-resistant BSX™ welding gear built for performance and safety; including, the Striker Jacket, the FireRag™ doo rag, and two pairs of matching gloves—one designed for Stick and MIG welding and one designed specifically for high performance TIG welding.

gearpackslanding

Included With Your Pro-Gear Pak:

  • Top-of-the-line HellRaiser™ anti-fog safety glasses by Jackson™
  • Miller’s complete set of slide-rule welding guides for Stick, MIG, and TIG welding
  • The handy tungsten stick-out gauge
  • Joe Welder’s TIG Welding guides
  • Upgrade With A Welding Helmet and Gear Bag:
  • Now you can choose to include either the Inferno™ Passive Welding Helmet by Miller™, or a full-feature Nex-Gen™ Auto Darkening Helmet by Jackson™.  Both selections include a deluxe helmet/gear bag from Jackson™.

See What Customers Have to Say:

I got one of these kits for each one of my welders in my shop. They then wrote their names on everything so they knew whose was whose. Thanks for the help getting them to me.

Date Added: 05/11/2009 by Carn Anthony

Thanks for the package guys. I just started my class and I am the most prepared. And that stick out gauge works really well. Really appreciate the help, you have my future business.

Date Added: 05/11/2009 by Frank Dolo

Product Spotlight: Sharpie™

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

We introduced the Sharpie hand-held tungsten electrode grinder in 2000.  We started with the SD or “standard” which is our low-cost model with a fixed grind angle.  Based on customer feedback we added the DX which has an adjustable grind angle range from 5-45 degrees, and more recently the vacuum model which is adjustable with a dust collection bag.

The machines are very popular with hobbyists and fabricators that need to grind tungsten electrodes up to 1/8″ (3.2mm).  They solve the problem of wearing out grinding wheels and belt sander belts, and greatly improve safety in the shop or on the job site.  I have been very pleased with all the positive comments that we get from customers after they receive their Sharpies.  It’s a great product!  Try one and see if you agree — as with all Arc-Zone purchases — its guaranteed!

Three Models to Choose From:

dxvThe Sharpie™ DXV “Deluxe Vacuum” model adjusts for a wide range of grind angles and tapers from 15-to-45 degrees (included angle) for virtually any TIG welding application and includes built-in dust collection for dust-free electrode preparation.

Customer Review:

Got this vacuum grinder with the pro kit. Great deal. We have a welder here who is pregnant and the vacuum system really helps with dust collection. Thanks for the candy and the free poster.

Date Added: 05/14/2009 by Roger Wilcox

dxThe Sharpie™ DX “Deluxe” adjusts for a wide range of grind angles and tapers from 15-to-45 degrees (included angle) for virtually any TIG welding application.

Customer Review:

Got this grinder and it worked great even on 1/8 tungsten. Good adjustment angle, used the first side of the wheel then flipped it over and continued to grind. It is a must have for a shop.

Date Added: 03/17/2009 by Hit Hard

sdThe Sharpie™ SD “Standard” has it’s grind angle pre-set at 20 degrees, a good, general-purpose angle for a variety of TIG welding applications, making the Sharpie Standard™ an economical choice.

Customer Review:

I’m a student at the local tech college taking the basic welding course. As you may have guessed, the need to sharpen the tungsten electrode is pretty frequent. The sharpie standard model has been a huge time saver, allowing me more time to learn tig. The price for of the sharpie is fairly steep for a student but well worth the cost in time saved. I would recommend this product to anyone from bigginer to expert. Sincerly, Dave

Date Added: 11/14/2008 by Dave Fasteen

Did you know that Arc-Zone.com carries the industry’s most comprehensive selection of tungsten grinders? In addition to the Sharpie, we’ve got the Turbo Sharp, the Triad, the Neutrix hand held tungsten grinders. We’ve also got the Neutra, the Ultima LTG, the TIG 10/175 and the Turbo 4…. not to mention replacement parts– including diamond grinding wheels for all the industry’s tungsten grinders.!
And if you’re not sure which one is right for you, check out our Tungsten Grinder Selector Guide (pdf).