One of the cool things about working at Arc-Zone is the fact that Jim Watson, aka Joe Welder™, knows a lot about cars, and about the racing history in Southern California, having participated in a lot of it himself!

Makes me interested in motorsports!

So yesterday, I mention to Jim that the TLC channel will be premiering ANOTHER show which will feature metal fabrication… “Hard Shine” filmed out at So-Cal Speed, and Jim’s all like, “Oh yeah, Jimmy Shine. Great shop…”

and I’m left shaking my head, thinking Does Jim know about everyone in the welding world? It sure seems like it sometimes. It IS a small world, and Jim’s been around motorsports and metal since he was kid....

The show will premiere at 10 pm this July 12 on TLC channel (cable). Jim and I will both be watching so expect some commentary and a review. I’m curious to know if the guys at So-Cal Speed are as lax with safety as the guys are on American Choppers…. we’re sure to see some awesome hotrods.

And maybe I’ll even apply for the next round of Shine… I’m excited that they have two women on the show this time around! an artist named Jezebelle and Sarah, a hot rod junkie.

I’ll be posting this regularly on the sidebar– once Jon the web guy gets on it. Hope it’s useful!

The bike on the left is a photo of a custom chopper done by one of our favorite customers, David Anthony Customs…
check out some of his other handiwork. He has become quite good at TIG welding and some of his designs are  pretty extreme!

If you’re into building custom choppers, or want to learn how it’s done, check out this website, Custom Chopper Guide:

The most common problems metalworkers and custom bike builders encounter can cost them countless hours of frustration, and thousands of dollars in wasted material. ‘9 Problems Metalworkers Face When Building A Chopper Frame And How To Overcome Them’ is a special ‘mini course’ that reveals the solutions to these problems.

Novato, CA (PRWEB) June 22, 2007 — Building a chopper frame from scratch is not an easy task for any metalworker or motorcycle builder. Fortunately, the most common problems that metalworkers face as they build a custom chopper frame are answered.

Custom Choppers Guide and BCC Orlando have teamed up and put together a mini-course called ‘9 Problems Metalworkers Face When Building A Chopper Frame And How To Overcome Them’. This valuable new resource will help metalworkers save time and money on their frame-building projects. For example:

Problem #1: What is the difference between common pipe and tubing?

Answer…. read the full press release….

The site offers lots of articles and information and while it appears they have an ad revenue business model (you’ll see lots of adsense ads from Google) they do sell Ron Covell videos and some books as well.

And when you’re ready to fire up the TIG welder, and you’re looking for a high-performance TIG torch set up, check out our lineup of Weldcraft TIG torches, from the super small MicroTIG WP-50 or WP-125 to the popular WP-20 water cooled TIG Torch. We also carry a complete line of tungsten electrodes, welding water coolers, and much more! Give us a call at 800-944-2243.

And yet another TIG Welding Tip:

Check the electrical integrity of any work lead cables, and cable connections and ALWAYS use quality cables. A well constructed cable will maximize power flow and dissipate heat properly.

We generally recommend the Flexible rubber cables instead of the standard vinyl cables for your TIG Torch. (Jim Watson, aka Joe Welder™, always says plastic and heat don’t mix.)

The high flex FeatherLite™ cable from Weldcraft is shown at the bottom left of this photo.

So many people get confused by this… and I posted this previously but that post is archived in the old blog so I thought I’d post this little mini tutorial again.

Your water cooled TIG torch’s 3 lines:
1 black RH thread for gas hook up;
1 blue (5/8 x18) LH thread for water IN– cool water from the cooler ; and
1 red– your power cable with DINSE connector which goes back to the power supply carrying the warm water, and a red water return line off the connector to hook back to the cooler….

FYI: Industry standard is that all water connections should be Left Hand thread (LH), gas connections are Right Hand thread (RH)

Shown here is the Miller Synchrowave, with Arc-Zone.com’s CoolKit(tm) — everything you need to to hook up a water cooled TIG Torch and Weld Like A Pro(tm)….

Not sure a water-cooled TIG Torch is right for you? Think you’re doing just fine with the WP-17 TIG Torch that came with your machine? Check out the article, “Why Upgrade” and then decide.

Another Weld Like a Pro(tm) TIG / GTAW Welding Tip:

Maximize your shield gas coverage by extending your tungsten no further than the inside diameter of the cup (nozzle). For example, if your cup is a size 6 (3/8″ ID) then your tungsten should not extend beyond 3/8″.

OR, if you use a set up like the Monster(tm) TIG Nozzle from Arc-Zone.com, with it’s one-inch-wide cup, you can stretch that tungsten electrode out an inch!

With the gas lens collet body set up, you’ll benefit from a coherent umbrella of shield gas with minimal turbulance– especially great when your TIG welding stainless steel, titanium or other alloys.

You can see this Monster(tm) TIG cup in action at The Fabricator online, “Delta repair welders aim high: an introduction to GTAW repair at Delta Airlines.”

To learn about all your TIG Torch front end part options, check out Practical Welding Today online, “Improve your GTAW in 3 steps: front-end parts that make a difference.”

Weldcraft has added a tungsten grinder to their lineup. Of course this has been in the works for a while, and not a big surprise as Illinois Tool Works (ITW) Weldcraft’s parent company, purchased Georg Fischer Rohrverbindungstechnik GmbH of Germany back in early 2006.

This new tungsten grinder from Weldcraft, the Triad Tungsten Grinder (Manufacturer’s list price $835) has four pre-set angle settings (15, 18, 22.5 and 30 degrees) and accommodates tungsten electrode diameters from .040″ to 5/32″

The Triad(tm) Tungsten Grinder also comes with a rugged steel carrying case for welding in the field. Read the entire press release from Weldcraft here.