Gravity. It’s simply a fact of life; we can’t change it. But we may be able to work around it.
Gravity Can Make Welding More Expensive, Learn How to Lower Your Welding Costs
12/28/2009 9:46:00 AM – Article #2909
By Mechanizing the Weld System Using the Proper Positioning Equipment and Multi Wire Welding, Expect a 60 Lb. Weld Deposition per Hour
Gravity makes welding more expensive, it’s a fact.
That is why downhand welding will cost less than vertical or overhead welding.
It’s all about deposition rates.
When welding in the vertical or overhead position, the higher your metal deposition rate, the more likely the weld metal is to sag and run out of the joint.
To combat these problems try using a pulsed power source that produces less heat, or use current and voltage settings that reduce the burn-off rate or use smaller diameter electrodes with good out of position characteristics.
Interested in learning about restoring classic cars? Well, you’ve come to the right place!
The folks over at Second Chance Garage have given us a step-by-step guide to choosing the right welder for the job:
Selecting the Right Welder for Classic Car Restoration Projects
What Welder To Use?
The most common welders used in auto restoration, therefore, are MIG (metal arc welders, gas or flux-cored), TIG (tungsten arc welders using shielding gas) and Arc Welders (the traditional “stick” electrode).
To choose the most appropriate one for your needs, you have to consider the following parameters:
* What is the maximum and minimum thickness of metal to be welded? Fortunately, automobiles use metals that fall into a relatively narrow range.
* What is the metal type? Again, automobiles generally are made of steel and, rarely, aluminum.
* What is the normal position the welding “head” will be put in? Do you need to do a lot of welding overhead? The answer is usually no here.
* How much current is available in your shop and do you have 220 volts? Check your circuits.
Let’s be frank. Our overwhelming favorite type of welder is the MIG. We’ll explain why shortly, but first we’ll give an overview of the other contenders. Here we go!
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.
Professional 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.
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™:
I took my family to the opening night of the 64th Annual Del Mar National Horse Show at the world famous Del Mar Fairgrounds, in Del Mar, Calif. This event signals the start of the horse show season in this historic, beach-side arena.
As we approached the Del Mar Arena, I was surprised to see that a brand new roof had been installed on the open air stadium; the last time I had seen the venue had been at a Vintage Flat Track & TT motorcycle race not too long ago.
If you watched the video, you saw that this massive project featured tons of structural steel and miles of welding, cutting, fitting and joining.
The majority of the project was Stick (SMAW) and MIG welded, but a lot of the utility “high-pressure” piping, etc. was TIG welded. This is yet another example of how the welding and metal fabrication market is involved in nearly everything that we do. It’s just another reason why I love this industry!
So don’t let yourself be fooled into thinking that the industry is in decline — hardly! In fact, if you look around, you’ll find that there are plenty of opportunities to build some really neat stuff — now more than ever before!
There is a new welding process, recently developed in Europe, that is said to not only improve welds but also lower the skill required to make them. It uses a “manual and automated GTAW wire feed control combined with a hot-wire power source” that improves the wire feed, weld pool, and weld deposition and decreases gas consumption.
Enhancing the GTAW process
By Ed Craig, Contributing Writer
September 15, 2009
Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW or TIG), a popular process for high-quality manual welding, has its limitations and requires highly skilled operators. A process used in Europe addresses those limitations, enhances productivity and weld quality, and reduces the skill level required to GTAW.
For at least six decades, traditional gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW or TIG) has been considered the process of choice for attaining high-quality welds in any metal application. However, this process has certain drawbacks, such as the weld energy limitation influenced by the weld pool dynamics and typically slow manual wire feed rates. Manual GTAW requires highly skilled operators who possess the dexterity necessary to feed the wire. Manual GTAW techniques vary, and the weld-wire-to-arc and weld puddle placement are inconsistent.
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:
The 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
The 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
The 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
Everyone has their own needs when it comes to remote amperage controls for TIG welding. Mario, from TSR Fabrication (and expert TIG welding guest on Jesse James’s Monster Garage TV show) stopped by to pick up a Arc-Zone Hot Foot™ remote control and we discussed what he likes in a foot pedal. He uses his pedal for a variety of precision TIG welding applications- from high end custom fabricated header systems and turbo intercoolers each one welded by hand and on a turntable. Depending upon the job, he either uses the fine incremental control of the pedal or sets his power source on “RMT” and uses the pedal to start and stop the machine. Mario chooses the Arc-Zone Hot Foot™ brand high-performance foot control “they are durable, comfortable foot pedals with a nice foot bed and extra long cord”.
This foot pedal has a 1/2″ (12.7mm) high heel stop and a low-profile design for precise small current adjustments. Designed for the pro, these high-performance industrial workhorses feature a slim top traction area, non-slip 3M® traction pad, comfortable at-rest and operating foot positions as well as a 27′ (8.2m) cable and high-quality connectors. They contain a patented design which improves low-current welding, while providing precision arc control. These sleek, all steel pedals are available in classic black.
What Customers Have Been Saying
Plugged right into my machine and works great. I love the design with the heal stop. Thanks for taking my old pedal for trade in credit. Date Added: 05/14/2009 by Roger Wilcox
This PEDAL ROCKS. The extra long design is great for my size 12 boot. Offers better control. Thanks for the M&Ms! Date Added: 05/05/2009 by John Crane
I’m going to the Essen Welding Show in Essen Germany. Yes, that’s right, in Germany! If you’re not familiar with the show, it is the Olympics of Welding and Metal Fabrication– it happens every four years, and draws the best in welding and fabrication technology from around the world.
Not only will I have the opportunity to see the latest in innovation for our industry (see above), I’ll get to catch up with some colleagues as well. It will also be a great opportunity to see what new products our international welding accessory vendors are showcasing.
Schweissen & Schneiden, the Essen Welding Show has established its position as number one in its industry. With the biggest names in the industry taking part and almost 60,000 trade buyers coming to see them Schweissen & Schneiden continues to become more international. With more than 1,000 exhibitors, the show takes place in the entire exhibition complex of more 1.1 million sq feet.
Let me know if you’ll be there! And make your plans early! Oktoberfest starts September 19– the day the show ends….
The other day when I was asking Joe Welder which TIG torches I should recommend when writing about the Nascar welders, and he could not stop talking about these two specific ones: the Modular and Micro TIG torches. I was confused. “So what’s so special about them?” I asked, naïve as I was. In response I received what was, quite possibly, the longest answer in the history of welding and now feel like I know just about as much as anyone could ever know about these two torches.
The Micro TIG torch? It’s just like what its name implies; it’s tiny. And that makes it perfect for any job where you need to get into a tight space. It’s even capable of welding inside of a 5/8” diameter pipe. It also has three interchangeable heads to choose from (45º, 90º and 180º angles) which make it almost impossible to find a job that this torch cannot do.
The Modular TIG torch? Joe Welder’s FAVORITE.
He calls it “the most versatile torch on the market”. Why? Because you can choose from so many different torch heads at different angles and different amperages that it’s just about mind-boggling. And you can also choose between air-cooled (WP-150) and water-cooled (WP-225) set-ups.
Gravity makes welding more expensive, it’s a fact.
I took my family to the opening night of the 64th Annual 
For at least six decades, traditional gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW or TIG) has been considered the process of choice for attaining high-quality welds in any metal application. However, this process has certain drawbacks, such as the weld energy limitation influenced by the weld pool dynamics and typically slow manual wire feed rates. Manual GTAW requires highly skilled operators who possess the dexterity necessary to feed the wire. Manual GTAW techniques vary, and the weld-wire-to-arc and weld puddle placement are inconsistent.
The 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.
The 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.
The 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.
