Check out this slammin’ stainless steel desk made by Lincoln Electric customer Dave Harmon:

Dave’s project was featured in the Lincoln Electric iWeld newsletter–  another great source for information, and project ideas Check it out for yourself online–> (I think my favorite part is the can of chile on the upper right hand corner)

Lincoln features a ton of great projects on their website as well… so let us know if you try one yourself!

And of course, if you need performance proven MIG, TIG or Plasma Arc Welding and Cutting accessories to make your project idea a reality, check out Arc-Zone.com.  We’re constantly adding new product.

Lincoln Electric to Hold Free Pipeline Welding Seminar in March
Sessions to Address Safety, Quality and Productivity

Cleveland – Lincoln Electric is offering a free Pipeline Welding Seminar intended for contractors and professionals in the pipeline industry. The three-day, in-depth session will take place on March 29-31, 2011, at Lincoln Electric’s corporate headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio.

With the growing demand in energy markets, rehabilitation of existing infrastructure and construction of new cross-country and subsea pipelines will continue to increase. The seminar will focus on these topics, as well as new solutions for overall improved safety, productivity and quality.

Topics will include:
• Solutions to common pipeline welding challenges
• Understanding hydrogen cracking and how to minimize it
• Effects of welding essential variables, including heat input, on weld metal properties

Sessions will be followed by welding demonstrations on the latest pipeline welding techniques, equipment and consumables. Tours of Lincoln’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities will also be included.

For more information on this free informational seminar or to reserve a spot, contact Lincoln Electric at (216) 383-8355. Space is limited, and the deadline to register is Tuesday, March 15, 2011.

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 extraction equipment and plasma and oxyfuel cutting equipment. The company holds a leading global position in the brazing and soldering alloys market. For more information, visit their Web site at www.lincolnelectric.com.

This would also be a good time to check out some of the performance proven pipe welding accessories at Arc-Zone.com like purge film and heat resistant purge bladders and purge baffle systems for localized purging…  not to mention our incredible stock of top performing CK TIG Torches and Weldcraft TIG torches, parts and accessories.

Since Arc-Zone is based in sunny San Diego, California, the only snow we get stays in the mountains, where it belongs.  We’d much prefer to surf in the morning and ski or snowboard at night.  San Diegans are generally peeved if the temperature drops below 65.  The worst we get is probably some rain that most people elsewhere would refer to as “light drizzle”.  But still, you never know when some showshoes may come in handy! Check out these custom fabbed snowshoes from Jake Thamm in Colorado:

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.

One of the most common questions we get from customers shopping for a dedicated tungsten electrode  grinder are:  how long will the wheel last?  and how do you know when your diamond grinding wheel is worn out?

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.

The end of the year is a good time to look back, see what you’ve done right, and wrong, and a good time to take stock.  Give yourself credit for what you’ve done right, and for the things that didn’t go so well–  now you have an opportunity to do it better next time!

Continuous improvement has always been a part of the Arc-Zone culture, and while I hesitate to say “resolutions”  GOAL SETTING is an awesome way to start off the New Year.  It’s also a good time to replenish the stock and look at ways to improve for the upcoming year.

If one of your goals is to improve your weldshop and maybe get some new equipment, here’s some places to start your research:

Miller EQUIP TO WELD.  Miller Electric just launched this easy-to-use online tool to help you select, customize, and even price the welding system you need.

Weldcraft Torch Selector. Weldcraft also has an online tool that guides you to selecting the torch for your specific welding application.

Welding Design Online Buyers Guide. From Cylinders to Safety products and welding equipment, this guide lists many of the industry’s top manufacturers though you may have to dig around to find where to buy…

If one of your goals is to learn more about metal fabricating and the welding  industry and keep up-to-date on equipment, technique, and what’s happening  (aside from reading this blog, and CarmenElectrode.com) check out The Fabricator magazine and its affiliate publications  Tube and Pipe Journal, and Practical Welding Today.  You probably qualify for a free subscription.

AND… since you know this is an Arc-Zone.com powered site, I have to add:

The place to end your search is Arc-Zone.com–  for a wide variety of high-performance MIG, TIG and Plasma Arc Welding and Cutting accessories.  You’ll also find a great selection of welding safety apparel and equipment, welding books and DVDs, tungsten electrodes for TIG welding and Plasma Arc Welding, tungsten electrode sharpeners, water coolers for welding… well you get the picture!

Check it out for yourself. And if you don’t find what you’re looking for, or need help making a decision on what you need, give us a call.  We’re available online (Live Chat and email) and on-the-phone (7am to 5pm California time) and it’s a top priority for us to make sure our customers find the right product to amp up their weldshop and Weld Like A PRO !

May 2011 be good to all of us!

Not too long ago we got an email from a customer wondering why–  since they had spec’d out Made-In-The-USA SYLVANIA tungsten electrodes– we had sent them GTP tungsten electrodes.  They even sent photos!

Back in 2008 OSRAM Sylvania Tungsten and Powder officially became Global Tungsten & Powders Corp. (GTP) a leading supplier of powders, semi-finished products and components made from tungsten, molybdenum and phosphor.  It’s only been recently that packaging redesign has reflected this change, so soon you’ll see these boxes in your own shop.

You may miss the the SYLVANIA packaging, but don’t worry, the insides are still the same top quality tungsten.

GTP Tungsten Rod is manufactured by powder-metallurgical manufacturing techniques. Hydrogen-reduced tungsten powder is produced to rigidly controlled purity, particle size, and size distribution. The raw tungsten is consolidated by pressing and sintering the material into billets, which are then worked by rolling or swaging them into rods. Smaller sizes are produced by subsequent drawings.  This controlled manufacturing process produces top quality tungsten.  (If you want to know more about how Arc-Zone.com rates its tungsten suppliers, check out Tungsten Electrodes:  What’s the Difference).

SYLVANIA® GTP is the only U.S. manufacturer of tungsten electrodes (and is in stock and ready to ship from Arc-Zone.com). All SYLVANIA® GTP tungsten electrodes comply with AWS Specification A5.12 98. For details, download the GTP Tungsten Technical Bulletin (.pdf).

And when you’re ready to order your Sylvania GTP Tungsten, head on over to our webstore and place your order.  And if YOU don’t like what you see when you open your box, give us a call. Remember we have a Satisfaction Guarantee, and a NO HASSLE return policy–  Our goal is to make sure you get what you need to Weld Like A Pro(tm) !

Got a nice note from one of our Canadian customers recently, and he brought up an issue a lot of customers in Canada seem to have when shipping with UPS.  Robert McGowan writes:

love your site and products.  tried to order from the miller store but they will only ship united parcel service and they charge us canadians a huge border clearing charge.  thank you for shipping to your neighbors in the north by postal service. just placed an order.  Merry Christmas to all the staff.  R McGowan

Mr. McGowan echoes a frustration we often hear from our great customers to the North.  UPS will routinely charge an arm and a leg just to clear any shipment through customs.  While our preferred shipping method is UPS Ground, we can also ship your way:  to your freight forwarder for an international delivery, via the U.S Postal Service, DHL, or FedEx.  We can even bill your account.  We at Arc-Zone are happy to ship any way our customers want.  If you want your Tungsten Electrodes delivered via carrier pigeon, we’ll make that happen for you.

And if you’re a Canadian customer or a customer from anywhere else in the world looking for Tig Torches, parts or accessories, Arc-Zone has got you covered.  We’ve got MIG guns and parts, plasma parts and nearly everything else you’ll need to Weld Like A PRO(tm).

Found a very inspirational article today about a high school senior that was granted the wish of a lifetime after he was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor.  Luckily, Bill Stadelman was able to make a complete recovery.  As part of his recovery, the Central New York Make-a-Wish foundation was able to provide him with his very own welding shop!  Bill got the hook up with a converted barn housing his welding shop, a plasma cutter, band saw, and all kinds of accessories.

Bill’s favorite courses in school were the welding classes he took.  With a brand new welding shop to call his own, Bill is well on his way to making a living in the welding industry.

By Valerie Zehl

Bill Stadelman doesn’t usually smile, his sisters say.

On Wednesday afternoon, though, the 18-year-old was grinning ear to ear.

The Newark Valley High School senior is the latest recipient of a big surprise from the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central New York.

Despite the weather and the lack of a street sign on his rural road, more than a dozen people converged to see Bill’s reaction when the door to his new welding shop yawned open.

CONTINUE READING OVER AT PRESSCONNECTS –>

And if you’ve got a welder who needs welding parts of any kind, check out Arc-Zone.com.  We’ve got all kinds of TIG Torches and parts, plasma torches and parts, and we even offer gift cards in time for the holidays so you can let your welder decide!

We came across a neat article on welding basics over at HotBikeWeb while reading up on some motorcycle repair information. It’s got a lot of great basic information as it relates to “virgin” welders and everything you’d need to know in order to get started welding:

By Bob Colvin

A few years ago on 60 Minutes Jesse James said, “There are two kinds of people in the world, those that can weld and those that can’t.” You see it every week on cable TV, a fabricator shapes a piece of metal or a couple pieces of metal and then pulls out a MIG or TIG welder, tacks the parts together, and then runs a bead fusing the two pieces together permanently-well hopefully. When they’re done it’s another perfect part. They make it look easy and after welding bits and pieces of metal together a masterpiece emerges. Can the home hobbyist/enthusiast do the same level of fabrication? Possibly, with the right tools and training almost anyone can create or repair anything. But where do you start? There is a lot to learn, but it’s not as daunting as you may think. It does take time and effort though.

CONTINUE READING OVER AT HOTBIKEWEB–>

If you’re looking to get into welding but don’t know where to start or what you need, head over to Arc-Zone.com.  We’ll get you equipped with one of our TIG Pro Kits, or one of our TIG Torch Packages.  And if you’re ready to start some welding education classes, Arc-Zone offers a special 10% educational discount to welding students.

Master fabricators are always looking at ways to improve their weld quality…  This article has some great tips:

22 possible causes of weld metal porosity
Take a look at gas flow, material conditions, and consumables to prevent this defect
By Phil Evans, Contributing Writer, The Fabricator

Porosity is a weld defect that is fairly common, but also fairly easy to fix. What issues contribute to weld porosity? This checklist gives a welder a good idea of what might be causing the problem.

Weld metal porosity is not a welcome sight in a weld bead, but it shows up all too often. Porosity is weld metal contamination in the form of a trapped gas. Shielding gases or gases released as a result of the torch being applied to treated metal are absorbed into the molten metal and released as solidification takes place. In other instances, the shielding gas doesn’t completely reach the weld pool and the atmospheric air adversely affects the weld bead. CONTINUE READING OVER AT THE FABRICATOR–>

These tips are nothing new, but its always a good reminder (or a great checklist if you’re a noob!) You’ll notice that many of these welding tips have to do with shield gas, especially the delivery of it (are you outta gas??  is your torch properly maintained?  did you check your O-Rings lately?) and quality of materials.

Our own Joe Welder offers these instructions for taking care of your TIG  / GTAW torch:

And at Arc-Zone.com can set you up with all the equipment you need to ensure your welds are top quality!