There’s been a lot of talk lately about the welder shortage:

• “Solving The Welder Shortage: he nation is starving for welders. Here’s how you can make a difference.” by Jim Horvath
• “Solving the Welder Shortage One Tinkerer at a Time,” Miller Viewpoints
• “Where Have all the Welders Gone…” by Ilan Brat, Wall Street Journal

And there’s been a lot of talk about why women don’t become welders (too tough a job, too dirty, etc)

The fact is there are a lot of misconceptions about what kind of work welding is, and what kind of women weld… and I’d like to do my part to change that.

I’m initiating a new regular feature for this site, Women in Welding, and plan to feature women welders.

If you know a woman who welds, or if you are a woman who welds and would like to be featured, contact me directly: carmenelectrode –at– arc-zone.com. (or you can use the Contact Carmen Electrode form). I’m looking for all kinds of women to showcase the variety of opportunities there are for women whether its your hobby or profession I want to hear from you!

The spin doctors from Bernard seem to have missed the mark ever so slightly with their latest press release:

Based on overwhelming demand from the growing Latino population throughout the United States and Canada, Bernard has translated all of its English language product spec sheets into Spanish.

The [Spanish language] spec sheets are available as a free, downloadable PDF document from the Bernard Web site.

You can read the official press release from Bernard here.

Consider:

• Metal fabrication market size in Latin America projected at neary 4 BILLION dollars (report by Metalmecanica magazine)
• Weldmex 2008 a large welding exposition held in Mexico City, hosted over 4,500 attendees (exhibitors included representatives from 3M, the AWS, ESAB, Fronius, GE, Hypertherm, Praxair, Olympus… and more!)
• The Fabricator magazine is now published en espanol…
• Many US manufacturers have opened fully owned subsidiary plants south of the border… where they speak Spanish

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I admit, until I started working here at Arc-Zone.com, I had a lot of preconceived notions about welding. I had no idea how prevalent WELDING is. I know that sounds ridiculous, but I just never thought about it, but you find welding everywhere.

I thought welding was a dirty job (like the photo on the left) and didn’t take much know how. I thought welding involved lots of sparks flying (as in MIG welding). I knew nothing about TIG Welding, or Plasma Arc Welding or orbital welding.

I soon found out welders are smart. They have to know something about metallurgy, electricity, and geometry, for example. In addition, finer processes like TIG welding require the kind of dexterity that comes with dedicated practice. And good welders make good money. (more…)

I was perusing the Lincoln Electric website, and although they don’t have a lot of the sizzle and pizzazz that the Miller Electric site has, they do have some good solid information online, from Stick to MIG to TIG Welding Tips, How Tos, Projects, Equipment Selection and Safety Tips.

Here’s a few I found that I liked:

TIG Welding a mini stainless steel biplane. Instructions include pictorial description of step-by-step process, complete supply list, and even downloadable PDF instructions.

On TIG Welding Aluminum

Although many metals are TIG welded, the metal most frequently associated with the process is aluminum, especially with metals of a smaller thickness. Many other processes, of course, can join aluminum, but in the lighter gauges the most applicable process is TIG. The popularity of aluminum in automotive applications has brought TIG welding to a new golden age. Mechanically strong and visually appealing, TIG welding is the number one process chosen by professional welders for professional racing teams, and the avid auto enthusiast or hobbyist.

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Did you know that Arc-Zone.com has an eBay store?

For the most part you’ll find the same high-performance welding accessories that you’ll find at the Arc-Zone.com store, but soon you’ll also see an entire array of product that we have received as part of our Cash in and Trade up program. Some gently used, and some, well, you’ll have to see for yourself.

You may also find items that have not moved as quickly as we’d have liked from our warehouse….

And speaking of our warehouse, we have moved into a space with a larger warehouse space, which means that we’re cleaning out the storage locker… and we’ve hired Scott Reiman (pictured left), as head of operations. He’ll also be taking charge of the eBay store.

If you’re a regular Arc-Zone.com shopper, look for an announcement soon in your email inbox.

Over on the Millerwelds Viewpoints Blog, the latest post is about women in welding. Or rather the lack thereof. I’ve written about this before, wondering Where are the Women Welders, but it bears repeating.

I did a little poking around and re-discovered the Dream It Do It campaign by the National Association of Manufacturers. And lo and behold, found their YouTube space, and this video profiling Kellie Johnson of ACE Clearwater.

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It’s nice to see some of the big manufacturers stepping up and adding some real functionality to their websites.

Hobart’s site has been pretty good for a while, and includes a nice online forum where welders gather and exchange know-how.  This new  Product Approval Guide allows visitors to quickly locate filler metals that are approved by six of the world’s top regulatory agencies.

Read the whole story here. 

At Arc-Zone.com we just added BOOKS to webstore. And not just your basic how-tos either. The collection of books goes beyond the basics of welding and metal fabrication to include books that will inspire. Sample titles include How to Restore Metal Auto Trim, Dream Garages, American Hot Rod and Performance Welding. A complete listing of Arc-Zone’s welding books for sale can be found online at www.arc-zone.com.

Add to your welding library today!

Got a call from Matt up in North Dakota today. Brrrr. After we compared weather (Bismark 11, Carlsbad, CA 59) and talked politics (it’s Super Tuesday) we got to the real reason he called.

Matt is taking TIG Welding classes, and is setting up his weldshop. He just bought a Lincoln Invertec machine and needed a whole TIG torch set up to go with it.

His first question was “Do you sell Lincoln torches?”

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