Why do boys get to have all the fun?

This just in from Lincoln Electric’s iWeld newsletter (if you’re not signed up yet, go do it now! they send lots of great articles and my favorite, the How I Did It section showcasing different projects submitted by real life welders.)

Project Go Cart was submitted by Martin Ziskind and his son and built in 9 days…. would have been a great mother/daughter project too!

For some great how-to pics to stimulate your imagination, visit the Lincoln Electric site.

Just in time to celebrate the fact that Arc-Zone.com has added a few Stick / SMAW Welding Electrode Holders to the webstore…..

Hobart Brothers Offers the Cure to Common Stick Welding Troubles (for free!)

TROY, Ohio. May 6, 2008—Hobart Brothers has created the fourth in an ongoing series of free educational welding posters, addressing the 10 most common welding problems and their likely causes and solutions. Using diagrams and concisely written explanations, the poster is a handy reference tool for both professional and educational welding environments.

The problems discussed apply to SMAW welding.

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I cover TIG welding more than MIG welding on this site because I know a lot more about TIG. I’m learning about MIG, however, especially automated MIG and I came across this great article in Welding Magazine

Robotic GMAW Torch Maintenance

Robots are helping companies become more competitive by reducing costs and cycle times, but they are increasing one vital shop function: maintenance.

Effective maintenance is critical to consistent performance of robotic systems, Tom Jaeger, engineering manager for research and development and new product development for Tregaskiss (www.tregaskiss.com), said. Tregaskiss manufactures MIG welding equipment and consumables, including robotic MIG welding guns.

“Seconds count in this industry, and a slow-down, stoppage, or weld re-work on a line or in a cell can result in costly downtime and lost production. The welding industry is very competitive and all manufacturers work diligently to maintain productivity and get a good return on their investment in their automation,” Jaeger said…..CONTINUE READING ONLINE–>

Of course this got me to thinkin’ How many of you read the trade magazines? Did you know that many of them have online editions? and/or newsletters? They are a great resource for basic and very technical information. Here’s a list of my favorites:

• Welding Magazine. Website a little rudimentary but the content is good and they have the online forum, Welding Web.
• Welding Journal. This is the publication of the American Welding Society (AWS). If you go to the aws.org you’ll have a tough time navigating to the Journal. In fact, you’ll have a tough time navigating the site, but once you figure it out, you’ll find a ton of great information from Safety / Fact Sheets to the Welding School Selector.
• The Fabricator.  This website is actually the home of The Fabricator magazine, Stamping Journal, Practical Welding Today and Tube and Pipe Journal.

Do you have favorite sites or magazines that you frequent?

When cleaning contaminated tungsten, do NOT break off the end of the tungsten.

Breaking tungsten can cause splinter fractures, resulting in erratic arc. Use a cutoff wheel or the edge of a grinding wheel.

At Arc-Zone we would add the recommendation that you use a dedicated diamond wheel for grinding to avoid contaminating your tungsten.

Download your free guide to Selecting Tungsten Electrodes (.pdf) and Grinding Tungsten Electrodes (.pdf) — available in the Arc-Zone Welding Library.

Another great tip from Weldcraft®

Optimize shield gas coverage by using an appropriate size gas lens. Gas lenses help minimize rework and allow for greater tungsten extension for increased access to confined joints.

And check out the Large Gas Saver Nozzles available at Arc-Zone.com . Pretty slick.

As any skilled professional can tell you, it’s important to constantly improve your knowledge if you’re to become an expert. Welding requires skill and knowledge of metallurgy, geometry, electrical, design, and more.

There are a lot of great resources out there, many of them I have referenced before on this blog:  The Fabricator Magazine, Lincoln Electric’s website, Miller’s website, ESAB’s website,   Hobart’s website, Arc-Zone.com’s Welding Library, The American Welding Society, and Edison Welding Institute to name a few.

Of course you can buy welding books (Arc-Zone.com carries a nice selection!)  You should also consider signing up for manufacturers’ newsletters. Although they are obviously plugging their own products, they offer a wealth of information that you can download or print out for your own welding library. Here’s a few to get you started:

• Miller’s Power Click e-News (Welding Newsletter via email)
  
• Lincoln’s iWeld Welding Newsletter via email
• Arc-Zone’s Weld Like A Pro(tm) E-Zine

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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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!

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.