When I started Arc-Zone.com in 1998,  the internet and the idea of ecommerce was new.  Folks were hesitant to do business online and with people they never met…    I had a pretty small marketing budget and some big ideas, so including M&Ms in each order was a way to personalize our customer’s shopping experience and say “thank you” for the order.

Our core belief is that our customers deserve the best technical support and top quality, performance proven welding accessories in the marketplace.   But we also believe that work can be fun…   and M&Ms are fun!

I began to set it up for TT scrambles racing,  first, we bought some new Dunlop K70 tires and took it to the track just to see if I’d like it… I loved it.  I ran the 125 novice class at Adelanto Raceway a big smooth and fast TT track in the desert north east of Los Angeles.

The first day at the track I lead all three moto’s before finishing second to the local track hero.  My Dad was stoked, we started talking about how we could get more power out of it, and that’s were the fun really began!

Here’s some photos of the bike:

I was thirteen when this picture was taken in my Parents back yard in Claremont CA, a few days after we picked up the new bike, and prepared it for my first race at Huntington Beach Speedway.  My AMA novice number was 338.  This was no trail bike, it lived for RPM’s so it put a damper on local trail riding with my junior high school friends — they were riding Hodaka’s, Maico’s and Penton’s.

With this bike, you could throw the throttle away and ride it with the kill switch– full-on or full-off, that’s all it knew.

Here I am (#19) at Perris Speedway’s TT track  in the 125cc Expert class (now know as the lites division) battling Jim Connolly (#20) the multi-time AMA District 37 champion. We ran each other hard, he was “older” (in his late twenties) than me and I will never forget lining up next to him, thinking I’m going to blow him away, never knowing until years later that he was the editor of Dirt Bike magazine and a legend in the sport.

This picture was taken at Adelanto Speedway on the Scrambles track.  I had a different set up on the bike for this series, a lot of gear and a knobby rear tire to try to hook-up to the sandy track conditions.

The welding machine came complete with a WP-24 low profile TIG torch, a WP-20 general purpose TIG torch and a WP-18 350 Heavy-duty TIG torch. Included in the deal was a pile of accessory parts, collets, collet bodies, gas lenses, tungsten electrodes you name it! I was working at Weldcraft at the time and I had been learning about all the different TIG torches and replacement parts available, each designed for a specific welding job.

If you look around you can find a good machine and start building something right away.  I used my TIG machine for a variety of projects around the shop, and it was my only welding machine.  I even built my first race car trailer with it — sure it’s slower that MIG welding but very effective.  It worked great to weld my 4130 chrome molly steel Sprint Car chassis’s together, I even used my TIG torch to heat metal up for forming and shaping before I had an Oxy-Fuel gas welding torch setup! I bet you don’t know many others that can say that!

The point is, to get started look for the basics and If you have the budget, there is nothing better than having the best tools, but when you are first getting start why burn a lot of cash getting your shop set up, when you can start burning metal instead!

Do you remember YOUR first machine?

Red Line™ Provides Rugged Protection for All Arc Welding Applications and Environments

Cleveland – Whether it’s welding in the field, in the shop or in a garage, Lincoln’s new personal protection clothing line, Red Line™ Welding Apparel, offers the ideal gear for every application.

“Whether someone welds for a living or is an occasional backyard welder, safety is always at the forefront, and that especially includes body and eye protection,” says Jamy Bulan, Lincoln Electric product manager. “They demand rugged, proven clothing, designed for their body type, application and environment. Red Line delivers that protection.”

The new Red Line apparel product group includes gloves, jackets, caps and safety glasses.

Red Line apparel includes five types of welding gloves – premium leather MIG/stick, traditional MIG/stick, leather TIG, heat-resistant and full leather Steel Worker™ gloves. So whether it’s MIG, TIG or stick welding, or working with hot or rusty metal, Red Line welding gear includes a set of gloves designed to handle the rigors of the task at hand.

Four jacket options effectively protect the arms and upper body. They offer flame retardant cloth panels to keep the welder cool, as well as heavy-duty leather panels in high spatter exposure, high wear areas. Customers can choose from cloth, heavy duty leather or hybrid cloth/ leather jackets.

For wearing under the welding helmet, the product group includes doo rags, beanies and caps that stylishly and effectively protect the top of the head. Made from flame retardant material, they are comfortable, include athletic mesh lining for fast sweat evaporation and are machine washable.

Additionally, four pairs of indoor safety glasses and four for outdoor applications round out the Red Line personal protection welding apparel line. Welders can choose from clear, shaded and mirrored lenses that offer maximum protection and comfort. All eyewear meet ANSI Z87.1+ and CSA Z94.3 standards and offer 99.9 percent UV-A, UV-B and UV-C protection.

“In today’s market, there should be no one size fits all when it comes to welding apparel. It’s about providing technical garments and accessories for specialized tasks,” Bulan explains. “Every piece in the Red Line welding gear group was designed to work hard while providing the right protection for the right job.”

Red Line personal protection apparel is designed to work in tandem with the comprehensive line of Lincoln Electric VIKING™ auto-darkening welding helmets, including the new 1840 and 2450 series.

For more information on Lincoln Electric’s Red Line Welding Apparel and VIKING welding helmets, call (888) 355-3213 or visit www.lincolnelectric.com to obtain bulletin E12.250.

The Lincoln Electric Company, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, is the world leader in the design, development and manufacture of arc welding products, robotic arc welding systems, fume control systems and plasma and oxyfuel cutting equipment. The company holds a leading global position in the brazing and soldering alloys market.

Arc-Zone.com doesn’t have these items in the webstore (yet) but give us a call, or check out the awesome apparel we do have:  Miller Welding Apparel (including the new WeldX line),  Angelfire welding apparel for women, and BSX Welding Gear.  Stay safe and look cool!

OSHA’s fall semi-annual regulatory agenda was published in the Federal Register Dec. 20, featuring updates on regulatory actions including the Injury and Illness Prevention Program, modernizing recording and reporting requirements, infectious diseases, hazard communication, combustible dust and more.

CONTINUE READING–>

At Arc-Zone.com we think safety is important also. In fact, you may have noticed that we have been enhancing our line of welding safety apparel and equipment–  from Miller’s Arc Armor and Weld X to Angelfire welding apparel for women, BSX Welding apparel, and some of the best welding helmets on the market.  We’ve also been working behind the scenes as well.   We’ve just put the finishing touches on a Technical Focus  paper, Eye Care for Welders (.pdf), also available in the Arc-Zone.com Welding Library.

1/18/2011

ESAB Welding & Cutting Products has introduced the first-ever Smart Phone application for welding. Available for use with iPhone, Blackberry®, and Android™ devices, the ESAB Welding Parameters Set-up Guide is a user-friendly application that helps welders quickly identify the correct parameters for a specific job. The user simply enters the metal to be welded and the filler metals, and the application determines the appropriate settings for the welding machine.

The free application can be downloaded at http://www.esabna.com/apps.

You can read the rest of this press release over at ESAB –>

And don’t worry, Arc-Zone.com is fully accessible on any Blackberry, Android, or iPhone.  Our live chat option is even accessible by your smart phone!  So for any welding products on the go, oxy-fuel torches and parts, or MiG guns and parts, or Plasma Arc Welding torches and parts, head on over to Arc-Zone, and we’ll get you dialed in and ready to weld.

By Carl Smith

Metal production processes introduce flaws (dimensional and integral discontinuities) and cleaning requirements that affect welding.

Most metals actually are mined as minerals—metal combined with another element. Commonly used metals—not the exotic metals—are combined with nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur. Those combined with oxygen are called oxides. Metals combined with sulfur are called sulfides, and those containing nitrogen are called nitrides. (Some stainless steels are treated with nitrogen to harden the surface.)

CONTINUE READING AT THE FABRICATOR –>

And don’t worry, Arc-Zone.com stands by every product we sell.  We’ve got your every Welding Accessory covered, from TIG Torches to TIG Rod, to all sorts of welding apparel, helmets and more.  We’ll get you dialed in, and ready to weld!

For the best of FR cotton and genuine leather in a sleek stylish and safe welding apparel, check out the new BSX  Hybrid™ jacket and sleeves. The Hybrid™ series takes advantage of the comfort and breathability of FR cotton and adds genuine leather for additional durability and protection where it is needed most.

The BXRB9C/PS BSX® Hybrid™ welding jacket features durable grain pigskin sleeves to protect against sparks and light slag.

And just because you’re dressing for safety doesn’t mean you can’t be comfortable and look good!  The royal blue flame resistant body is specifically designed to fit comfortably and look good on any welder. It features adjustable waist straps to provide an optimal fit, a stand-up welder’s collar, slant-opening scribe pockets, and a zippered inner pocket.

The new BX-19P BSX® Hybrid™ sleeve is convenient, comfortable, and pulls on easily for added protection in light welding. It combines grain pigskin with flame resistant cotton for extra durability and comfort, and features a secure wide arm elastic.

The BSX® line of welding gear is available at Arc-Zone.com. Details and information about BSX® products can be found at www.bsxgear.com

By Eric Lundin

You purchase raw material.  You cut it, you bend it, you weld it, maybe you even coat it.  You make the best components you can, ship them to your customers, and hope to earn an honest day’s wages for an honest day’s work.  If you’re an OEM, you do much the same thing, but you ship complete products.  Either way, you probably don’t expect to win awards for your work, do you?

Jake Thamm didn’t start his fabricating venture expecting to win awards, but indeed he did.  An avid outdoorsman and entrepreneur, he ran across a unique snowshoe several years ago.  He tracked down the manufacturer, purchased the design, co-founded the Crescent Moon® Snowshoe Co., and in a few years increased the sales of the product tenfold.  And the snowshoe won a couple of awards from outdoor recreation magazines.

CONTINUE READING OVER AT THE FABRICATOR – >

And if you’re the next Jake Thamm looking for TIG parts or torches, or tungsten electrodes for your TIG applications, be sure and check out Arc-Zone for all your welding accessory needs.

As for how long a wheel will last–  not to be cagey, but it’s hard to say.  It depends on how much you use it, and how hard you use it…  in other words are you consistently prepping 1/8-in tungsten or .040-in tungsten  for your TIG welding or  plasma arc welding application?

NOTE:  if you are running an automated TIG or Plasma Arc Welding application you may want to consider pre-ground tungsten electrodes, prepped to your specifications to minimize variables.

You’ll have to visually inspect your grinding wheel to see the signs of wear:   “grooves” where there is no diamond grinding media.  On most tungsten grinders you can simply adjust the pick up point (where the tungsten contacts the wheel) this will engage fresh diamond media for continued grinding.  When you have moved across the entire face of the wheel it’s done — replace it!

In some cases the wheels become glazed over or smooth and no longer grind.  In that case you need to replace the wheel as well.

And don’t forget–Arc-Zone.com offers the industry leading Core Exchange program for Diamond Grinding Wheels…   a great way to stretch your budget, check out the details at our webstore.  And while you’re over there, check out the line up of diamond grinding wheels for most every tungsten electrode sharpener on the market! (and Made in the U.S.A)

We also carry a line of tungsten electrodes for your TIG and Plasma Arc Welding needs, including premium brands like ArcTime Hybrid (good for all metals and all machines) and tungsten from top quality manufacturers like CK,  Sylvania and Weldcraft.