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.

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.”

We had a visit from our Weldcraft sales rep the other day. He had lots of great information to share, and some behind-the-scenes company info (we were sworn to secrecy, but I’ll let on as soon as we are given the O.K.) And, the new Weldcraft catalog is available. Drop me a note if you’re interested in having one– we’ll get one sent out to you.

Sales people always have great schwag : branded post-it notes, pens, coffee mugs, you know. Sometimes you can go months without going to the office supply store!

Joshua is no different. He left me this great notepad. (Thanks!) Not only does it have all the appropriate contact information on it, but along the bottom there’s TIG WELDING TIPS. I’ll share them here, on the blog, just in case you don’t get a visit from Joshua.

TIG WELDING TIP

Prevent excessive electrode consumption: maintain one second of post-flow gas for every 10 amps of weld current and choose a tungsten diameter appropriate for your application.

And don’t forget, Arc-Zone.com has some great welding tips, articles and links in their library. And don’t forget about JoeWelder– a great place to read commentary on welding industry news, and tips on metal fabrication from Jim Watson.

We’ve been learning a lot about pipe welding and creating a localized purge dam for a new customer who’s working on a liquified natural gas (LNG) plant.

Purge bladders are popular in Europe. Not so much here in the U.S. In fact, some folks still purge an entire pipe system for welding. You can spend a lot of money on shield gas doing it that way. There are a lot of options for creating a purge dam, but our LNG customer has opted for the inflatable purge bladders as a way to improve their weld quality, lower the purge volume (and gas consumption and expense) and minimize downtime (time waiting to flood an entire system in purge gas).

A few things to keep in mind regarding purge bladders for pipe welding.

First, for pipe IDs larger than 12, it is highly recommended that you use the quick purge system, especially if you’re doing field pipe welding as opposed to pipe fabrication in the shop.

The larger standard inflatable purge bladders can be difficult and cumbersome to situate, and if they are twisted up at all, you can get creases in the bladders which allow oxygen to seep in. This ultimately will negatively affect your weld quality.

The connection between each bladder in the quick purge system is more rigid, which facilitates correct placement of the bladders.

These quick purge systems are brand new products, available now from Arc-Zone.com. Give us a call (800-944-2243 :: toll free US or 760-931-1500 world wide) We can get you a quote or an order right quick!

Did you know I’m on MySpace?  I’ve not totally figured it out yet, but I’m already meeting new people online, most recently Debra from The Metal Shoppe

I have to say their web site is not that impressive but the pics they have online are pretty impressive.  Here’s what Debra has to say about TIG Welding:

We specialize in custom metal work, particularly copper – or at least that is the direction things have gone this last couple of years. We have discovered that TIG welding is the best choice for “joinery” if you will when it comes to copper when the application calls for it, especially when you use any patina coloration since the silicon bronze or solder does not color up the same.

We actually figured out if you cut actual strips of the copper and us it for filler rod, it makes a completely undetectable seam.

Thanks for the great tip Debra!

My friend Scott always says, “A clean job site is a safe job site.” Thankfully he’s never seen my desk. Of course my desk is covered with papers, not with heavy equipment or sharp objects so safety isn’t much of an issue. I also don’t do much welding at my desk.

Thinking about safety isn’t usually the most fun part of a welding project, but it is essential. Jim just wrote a great post over at JoeWelder. com talking about safety when it comes to grinding tungsten electrodes. And another about safety, “What’s Your Health Worth?” Check ‘em out.

And lately there’s been a lot of buzz online (and off) about the “new” OSHA regulations regarding hexavalent chromium (present in welding fumes).

If reading government regulations is too overwhelming, Practical Welding Today wrote a pretty good article about how these regulations specifically affect your welding operation and what changes you need to make to be in compliance. You can read the full article online, “OSHA’s new hexavalent chromium standard: what it means to you and your employees.”

And you can download the American Welding Society’s fact sheet on Hexavalent Chromium (a PDF document)

If that’s not enough information for you, check out the picture on the left Jackson Safety — they’ve got a space age looking welding helmet / air purifying rig.

We got a call from a potential customer yesterday. He was looking for a Pyrex nozzle for a WP-20 TIG Torch. Now we don’t have these nozzles anywhere on our website, so it was curious that Brett found us. So I asked.

Apparently Brett reads The Fabricator magazine, at least the online version, where he read an article written by Arc-Zone’s own Jennifer Simpson, Improve your GTAW in 3 steps: Front-end parts that make a difference:

Once you know some basic information about the equipment on the front of your GTAW torch, you can get the right parts for your application and start improving your welding performance.

An industry-standard manual gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) torch package includes a torch body and a cable set, either 12-1/2 or 25 feet long. Front-end parts generally aren’t included. While it may sound like the manufacturers are being cheap, it’s really in your best interest, because it lets you customize your torch for the job at hand or to use front-end parts already in stock.

…….

Pyrex and Quartz. Pyrex is a low-temperature, nonconductive glass material, while quartz is a high-temperature, nonconductive glass material. These glass materials are hand-blown to make nozzles for specialty torches for microwelding or standard torches that allow for added visibility when welding in confined spaces. While the Pyrex nozzles look good, the improved visibility doesn’t add much benefit for general-purpose welding. After all, you should be watching your weld puddle, not the gas coming out of your torch. Also, Pyrex nozzles get dirty quickly.

CONTINUE READING ….

So if you’re interested in Pyrex nozzles, they will be in our webstore soon, but in the meantime, give us a call!

And do let us know if there is a product you’re interested in that we don’t have on our website…

TIG Welding is everywhere, as you probably already know. And all kinds of people need to know how to TIG Weld. Here’s a pretty well written article from Aircraft Maintenance Technology magazine:

Tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding, also known as gas tungsten arc welding (GTA welding or GTAW), is often used in aircraft applications. TIG welding provides a clean, strong weld joint that makes it ideal for assembling and repairing various aircraft components. In this article, we will discuss the basic theory of TIG welding and discuss some tips for better TIG welding results

Read the rest of the article, “TIG Welding: Tips and techniques for better welding” By Joe Escobar, Editor

A quality weld begins with a properly prepared weld environment, including the material to be welded. This is especially critical when TIG / GTAW (gas tungsten arc) welding.

PREPARING YOUR WELDING ENVIRONMENT

Because contamination is always a concern, high quality fabrication demands attention to cleanliness not only of the base metal, but of the shop as well. The area should be free of air drafts, moisture, dust, grease and other contaminants.

PREPARING MATERIAL TO BE WELDED

Joint surfaces must be smooth, clean and completely free of contamination.

Use only a stainless steel brush. To prevent cross contamination, I prefer to use a dedicated brush for each material I weld: stainless steel, titanium, aluminum, carbon and mild steel. This ensures the best possible results day in and day out.

Remove slag produced by grinding, machining or plasma arc cutting with a file, grinder or belt sander.

Clean the base metal prior to welding.

It’s important that weld joints and weld rod be free of mill scale, dirt, dust, grease, oil, moisture and any other potential contaminant. Foreign substances introduced into the weld can affect the quality of the weld, and in some instances like when welding titanium, will degrade properties that titanium is prized for, such as corrosion resistance.

Many fabricators use acetone or solvent as a cleaning agent. Arc-Zone.com recommends EZ Wipes™, specialized, pre-saturated lint-free fabric wipes that come in a convenient shop canister. One side is abrasive to loosen dried contaminates and the other side is smooth to reveal a cleaner polished surface. This is an acetone free cleaning agent, safe, easy to use, and can be disposed of in the regular trash.

Never use a chlorine-based cleaning solvent.

Weld joints should be kept covered with paper or plastic to avoid re-contamination when not being welded.

WELDING

Oxygen contamination is one of the most common reasons for sub-standard welds, and molten weld metal must be protected from contamination by air. Also, any heat-affected zones, and in some cases the root side of the weld, need to be shielded.

Argon is the shield gas of choice for TIG welding, although in some specialty applications a combination of helium and argon is used.

For thick section aluminum jobs you may benefit by adding helium which ionizes hotter than argon. A 75/25 or 50/50 Argon/Helium mix is available from your gas supplier. Always buy your gas from a trusted supplier, and make sure all the leads and fittings have been tested for leaks to ensure there is no oxygen contamination.

When checking for gas leaks, it’s best to use a soap and water solution and a small acid type brush. Apply the solution liberally to the connection and watch for growing air bubbles, a sure sign of a leak.

Use a high-quality TIG torch like Weldcraft (parts are engineered to fit and work together), checking all gas connections and supply hoses, ensuring there are no leaks. Also check torch insulators and o-rings for proper fit and seal.

More shield gas is not always better!

Increasing the flow rate can create turbulence which actually pulls oxygen into your weld zone. Set your flow meter and do some test welds on material similar to what you will be welding.

This will allow you to fine tune your torch set-up and gas flow rate.

Use a gas lens for your TIG Torch. In fact, I strongly suggest using these devices for every TIG welding application. They are inexpensive and easy to install.

You’ll need a gas lens nozzle or cup. The lens will fit right onto the 9/20 series TIG torches. For the 18/26 series TIG torches, you’ll need an additional Teflon nozzle insulator.

Whether you’re using a standard TIG nozzle, a gas lens nozzle, or a larger nozzle like the
Monster(TM) TIG Nozzle, make sure that all o-rings, gaskets, insulators and gas cups are in good working condition, and fit properly.

Always buy from a trusted welding accessory supplier like Arc-Zone, whether you’re using original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts or aftermarket parts. This is the best way to ensure that all the parts of your torch work together the way they are supposed to.

TUNGSTEN

Thoriated tungsten is often recommended for TIG welding, however, 2% Ceriated or 2% Lanthanated tungsten are good non-radioactive alternatives. Always buy your tungsten from a trusted supplier to ensure quality, and grind your tungsten on a dedicated tungsten grinder, away from your clean welding environment.

Arc-Zone.com recommends the ArcTime™ brand tungsten, formulated with state-of-the-art alloys to deliver balanced migration and evaporation rates as well as outstanding ignition and re-ignition properties. In other words, it works great, and the best part is that it works for all metals, and all machines.

And last, but not least, have fun!

Do you have any tips for TIG Welding Like A Pro? Feel free to drop a comment here on this blog, or send an email to Carmen [at] Arc-Zone.com.

–Carmen Electrode