Sylvania (yes, the lightbulb people) are at present the only US source for tungsten electrodes. Nearly every tungsten electrode comes from China (75%) or Austria, Bolivia, Portugal, and Russia.

If you’re interested in learning more about tungsten production, there’s a great new website that offers some of the most comprehensive information about tungsten and tungsten electrodes for welding that I’ve seen in a while. (Yes, I may be a little biased, but there really is some good information about tungsten there.)

Now, Arc-Zone.com offers Sylvania Tungsten Electrodes, made in the US, and ready for immediate delivery:

• PURETUNG® / Pure Tungsten (Color Code Green)
• 1% Thoriated (Yellow) Tungsten Electrodes
  
• 2% Thoriated (Red) Tungsten Electrodes
  
• 1.5% Lanthanated (Gray) Tungsten Electrodes
  
• 2% Ceriated (Orange) Tungsten Electrodes and
• ZIRTUNG® / Zirconiated (Brown) Tungsten Electrodes
  

Arc-Zone will be stocking the standard 7″ length in diameters, 0.040″ to 1/8″ though other diameters are available. Contact sales –at– arc-zone.com for details.

From the Welding Shortage Fact Sheet: The United States is in the midst of a welder shortage that is expected to intensify as baby boomers age and the need for skilled labor grows. Studies show that there are more than 500,000 welders employed in the U.S. And the need for these skilled workers is only getting stronger as virtually all construction and manufacturing companies require some form of welding, from the production of assemblies to maintenance and repair. But finding a highly skilled and experienced welder is no easy task. Skilled welders are in short supply and the situation is only getting worse. According to AWS and other industry research (1), the average age of a welder is in the mid-fifties, with many approaching 60 years old. It is estimated that more than half of the industry’s highly trained workforce is nearing retirement, creating a potential shortage of more than 200,000 skilled welders by 2010.–continue reading about the welder shortage–>

I’ve written about it before on this blog. It is part of what inspired me to begin the New Rosies series, which will hopefully inspire some young women to go into welding as a career. But how do you get into welding as a career? How do you get the really high paying welding jobs?

I recommend starting with professional training. There are a lot of low cost programs out there that will at the very least get you started. Check out my earlier post on How to find a Welding School.

Welding is far more complex than many people realize. A good welder needs to know about metalurgy, geometry, electricity AND have good eye/hand coordination to actually lay down some beads.

Look for a school that offers an open enrollment program so you can practice, practice, practice. One of the benefits of an open enrollment program like the Simi Valley Career Institute (we featured welding instructor Tony Marsden over on JoeWelder.com earlier this month) is that students can learn at their own pace and the classroom serves as a workshop. Beginners can learn, or they can improve their skills– learning to weld titanium or Inconel, or getting a pressure vessel pipe certification– which means additional money!

How did you learn to weld? How did you get your first welding job? What advice would you give anyone interested in joining the industry? First five to leave a comment (who aren’t related to me or Arc-Zone.com) will get a free t-shirt!

Well, the initial results are in, and you can get your look at the folks behind Arc-Zone.com and CarmenElectrode.com and JoeWelder.com:

ESAB produces consumables and equipment for virtually every welding and cutting process and application. More than 100 years of continuous research, development and manufacture have made ESAB the world leader in welding and cutting and also an international supplier of products, know-how and services that none can match. ESAB’s subsidiaries and distributors worldwide are ready to handle your requirements – large and small alike.

Welding safety is serious business. ESAB wants to support efforts to educate everyone in the welding workplace about simple safety procedures that can protect health and save lives. We are offering a safety poster to help spread the word or remind workers about the importance of safety procedures. If you would like a poster, just tell us where to send it.

More information on health and safety issues, including important safety data sheets, is available in the Safety Section of our website.

Avoid porosity by maintaining tight TIG torch fittings and cable connections, using higher gas flow rates, shielding the weld area from wind and cleaning your base metal.

Joe Welder™ usually recommends a gas lens too:

One of the best improvements you can make to the performance of your torch is to replace the standard collet body with a gas lens collet body. A gas lens version is an enhanced collet body constructed of a series of concentric, layered screens of varying mesh engineered to improve shield gas coverage. The screens generate a laminar gas flow, optimizing the weld zone coverage and eliminating turbulence, which can draw in contaminants from the surrounding air. It’s especially beneficial with stainless steel and materials such as aluminum and titanium, which are particularly sensitive to oxygen contamination.

A gas lens also allows the tungsten electrode to extend beyond the end of the TIG/GTAW nozzle by as much as 1 in. for improved visibility, reducing tungsten inclusions and weld defects.

More tips available at www.JoeWelder.com

For excellent arc starts on low-amperage AC or DC applications, use 2% ceriated tungsten (color code: orange) especially on carbon and stainless steels.

For consistent performance on all metals, and for all machines, Arc-Zone.com recommends our new ArcTime™ Hybrid All Purpose Tungsten:

Professional yacht tower fabricators, manufacturers of aerospace parts, and mountain bike builders have all selected ArcTime™ because of its excellent ignition properties, low burn off rate and longevity. As an added bonus, this hybrid tungsten electrode works well with all power sources and all metals from mild steel to titanium.

“You’ll notice a difference just by striking the first arc– no finer electrode exists anywhere,” says Jim Watson, aka Joe Welder, president of Arc-Zone.com, Inc.

As a native of the Cleveland area, Erin was familiar with the reputation of Lincoln Electric, a leading manufacturer of welding equipment. It was the people at Lincoln that clinched the deal. “Lincoln is a big company with a small company feel,” she says. “Everyone is very personable.” The combination of technical expertise and a pleasant work environment seemed to be the perfect fit.

Erin’s official bio states that although she had some experience welding during a stick welding lab in college, it wasn’t until she went through 16 weeks of welding classes at Lincoln’s renown welding school that she learned the special skills needed to excel as a technical sales representative in the Detroit District office.

As an engineer, it’s not surprising that Erin finds the challenge of welding to be a big part of the draw. “Welding is an art that requires a lot of practice. There is a lot of science and technology behind that art,” she says.

She is familiar with SMAW, GMAW, FCAW and SAW but counts GTAW as her favorite. “It takes a lot of time and skill to get good at. The skilled TIG welders I’ve met always have the best tips and tricks and it’s amazing to watch them work.”

Discrimination has not been a problem for Erin. “As a woman I don’t think people expect you to know a lot about welding. Once you show that you know what you’re talking about, it doesn’t matter what gender you are,” she says.

As proof, after a year and half, Erin was able to parlay her experience and skills to a move back to Cleveland where she is now a corporate trainer along with three other technical trainers at Lincoln’s headquarters. The school trains customers, distributors and Lincoln employees by providing general product knowledge, background for sales knowledge and best practices on maximizing productivity.

Growing up, Erin’s parents encouraged her development in math and sciences while her grandfather—an engineer—encouraged her to pursue her education in engineering. Had she known then what an integral part of her career welding would be, she probably would have advised her fifteen-year-old self to take a class or get involved with a welding club.

As for young women interested in welding as a career? Erin would encourage them to consider a career in welding even though women are still a minority. “There are a lot of great career opportunities available…. If you think about it, there aren’t too many things that you use on a daily basis that haven’t in some way been touched by welding.”

Since 1917, the Lincoln Electric Welding School has instructed over 100,000 men and women in the various methods and techniques of safety and arc welding processes. These Lincoln-trained students are in high demand by a variety of welding fabricators, at pay levels that exceed industry average. In addition, the school is listed by the Ohio State Board of School and College Registration, under certificate number 71-02-0059T. The Lincoln Electric Welding School is the oldest and one of the most respected arc welding schools in the United States.

Kyle Riegel who is entering his first year at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, plans to major in electrical and mechanical engineering. With the support of the SME Education Foundation Family Scholarship, Kyle will begin his path to becoming an engineer.

Children or grandchildren of SME members are eligible for the Family Scholarship. The recipient must be a graduating high school senior or undergraduate student with no more than 30 credit hours, maintain a G.P.A of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, have a minimum SAT score of 1,000 or ACT of 21 and be pursuing a degree in manufacturing engineering, technology or a closely related engineering field of study at an accredited college or university in the United States or Canada.

Other scholarships were awarded through the Directors Scholarship program:

Christopher Bird of Bridgeville, Penn., will graduate in 2009 with a degree in manufacturing engineering from Robert Morris University.

Benjamin Ferron of White Bear Lake, Minn., will graduate in 2011 with a degree in manufacturing engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Stout.

Directors Scholarship applicants must be full-time undergraduate students currently enrolled in a manufacturing degree program at a U.S. or Canadian college. The recipient must have an overall minimum G.P.A. of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, have complete at least 30 college credit hours and demonstrate leadership skills in a community, academic or profession environment.

The Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation is one of the nation’s leading non-profit organizations dedicated to advancing manufacturing education. Its approach is three-fold: to inspire youth to pursue careers in manufacturing; to support students studying for a career in an engineering-related field and prepare these students through its Manufacturing Education Plan grant program in colleges and technical schools.

Since 1980, the Foundation has provided more than $19 million in grants, scholarships and awards. As we get ready to go to school, or send our kids to school, professional organizations like SME can be invaluable resources, offering a lot of financial help for well-deserving, high-achieving future engineers not to mention great opportunities for networking with future co-workers and learning first hand what the job is all about.

Read more about these fine students online. And drop a note in the comment section here if you have any advice to offer a young person starting out in manufacturing.

They just announced the addition of pipe welding videos on their website:

Miller Electric Mfg. Co.’s Pipe Welding Technique videos are now available for free downloading on the Miller Website at MillerWelds.com/education/articles/article125.html. These videos explain techniques and technology that increase pipe-welding productivity. On-line video topics include new advances in pipe welding techniques, preparation of the pipe joint, RMD™ on carbon steel pipe, RMD on stainless steel pipe and cap and fill passes with Pro-Pulse™. A free CD containing these videos can also be ordered by visiting MillerWelds.com/products/multiprocess/pipepro_welding_system/
CONTINUE READING PRESS RELEASE –>

AND just a note. The videos are available for streaming, not download! There’s some good basic information. Pipe welders may be interested in some of the purge gas equipment that Arc-Zone.com carries: purge bladders, weld tape, water soluble purge film and tape.