NEW BSX® HYBRID™ JACKET AND SLEEVE

For the best of FR cotton and genuine leather in a sleek stylish and safe welding apparel, check out the new BSX  Hybrid™ jacket and sleeves. The Hybrid™ series takes advantage of the comfort and breathability of FR cotton and adds genuine leather for additional durability and protection where it is needed most.

The BXRB9C/PS BSX® Hybrid™ welding jacket features durable grain pigskin sleeves to protect against sparks and light slag.

And just because you’re dressing for safety doesn’t mean you can’t be comfortable and look good!  The royal blue flame resistant body is specifically designed to fit comfortably and look good on any welder. It features adjustable waist straps to provide an optimal fit, a stand-up welder’s collar, slant-opening scribe pockets, and a zippered inner pocket.

The new BX-19P BSX® Hybrid™ sleeve is convenient, comfortable, and pulls on easily for added protection in light welding. It combines grain pigskin with flame resistant cotton for extra durability and comfort, and features a secure wide arm elastic.

The BSX® line of welding gear is available at Arc-Zone.com. Details and information about BSX® products can be found at www.bsxgear.com

Check out this slammin’ stainless steel desk made by Lincoln Electric customer Dave Harmon:

Dave’s project was featured in the Lincoln Electric iWeld newsletter–  another great source for information, and project ideas Check it out for yourself online–> (I think my favorite part is the can of chile on the upper right hand corner)

Lincoln features a ton of great projects on their website as well… so let us know if you try one yourself!

And of course, if you need performance proven MIG, TIG or Plasma Arc Welding and Cutting accessories to make your project idea a reality, check out Arc-Zone.com.  We’re constantly adding new product.

Lincoln Electric to Hold Free Pipeline Welding Seminar in March
Sessions to Address Safety, Quality and Productivity

Cleveland – Lincoln Electric is offering a free Pipeline Welding Seminar intended for contractors and professionals in the pipeline industry. The three-day, in-depth session will take place on March 29-31, 2011, at Lincoln Electric’s corporate headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio.

With the growing demand in energy markets, rehabilitation of existing infrastructure and construction of new cross-country and subsea pipelines will continue to increase. The seminar will focus on these topics, as well as new solutions for overall improved safety, productivity and quality.

Topics will include:
• Solutions to common pipeline welding challenges
• Understanding hydrogen cracking and how to minimize it
• Effects of welding essential variables, including heat input, on weld metal properties

Sessions will be followed by welding demonstrations on the latest pipeline welding techniques, equipment and consumables. Tours of Lincoln’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities will also be included.

For more information on this free informational seminar or to reserve a spot, contact Lincoln Electric at (216) 383-8355. Space is limited, and the deadline to register is Tuesday, March 15, 2011.

The Lincoln Electric Company, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, is the world leader in the design, development and manufacture of arc welding products, robotic arc welding systems, fume extraction equipment and plasma and oxyfuel cutting equipment. The company holds a leading global position in the brazing and soldering alloys market. For more information, visit their Web site at www.lincolnelectric.com.

This would also be a good time to check out some of the performance proven pipe welding accessories at Arc-Zone.com like purge film and heat resistant purge bladders and purge baffle systems for localized purging…  not to mention our incredible stock of top performing CK TIG Torches and Weldcraft TIG torches, parts and accessories.

Since Arc-Zone is based in sunny San Diego, California, the only snow we get stays in the mountains, where it belongs.  We’d much prefer to surf in the morning and ski or snowboard at night.  San Diegans are generally peeved if the temperature drops below 65.  The worst we get is probably some rain that most people elsewhere would refer to as “light drizzle”.  But still, you never know when some showshoes may come in handy! Check out these custom fabbed snowshoes from Jake Thamm in Colorado:

By Eric Lundin

You purchase raw material.  You cut it, you bend it, you weld it, maybe you even coat it.  You make the best components you can, ship them to your customers, and hope to earn an honest day’s wages for an honest day’s work.  If you’re an OEM, you do much the same thing, but you ship complete products.  Either way, you probably don’t expect to win awards for your work, do you?

Jake Thamm didn’t start his fabricating venture expecting to win awards, but indeed he did.  An avid outdoorsman and entrepreneur, he ran across a unique snowshoe several years ago.  He tracked down the manufacturer, purchased the design, co-founded the Crescent Moon® Snowshoe Co., and in a few years increased the sales of the product tenfold.  And the snowshoe won a couple of awards from outdoor recreation magazines.

CONTINUE READING OVER AT THE FABRICATOR – >

And if you’re the next Jake Thamm looking for TIG parts or torches, or tungsten electrodes for your TIG applications, be sure and check out Arc-Zone for all your welding accessory needs.

One of the most common questions we get from customers shopping for a dedicated tungsten electrode  grinder are:  how long will the wheel last?  and how do you know when your diamond grinding wheel is worn out?

As for how long a wheel will last–  not to be cagey, but it’s hard to say.  It depends on how much you use it, and how hard you use it…  in other words are you consistently prepping 1/8-in tungsten or .040-in tungsten  for your TIG welding or  plasma arc welding application?

NOTE:  if you are running an automated TIG or Plasma Arc Welding application you may want to consider pre-ground tungsten electrodes, prepped to your specifications to minimize variables.

You’ll have to visually inspect your grinding wheel to see the signs of wear:   “grooves” where there is no diamond grinding media.  On most tungsten grinders you can simply adjust the pick up point (where the tungsten contacts the wheel) this will engage fresh diamond media for continued grinding.  When you have moved across the entire face of the wheel it’s done — replace it!

In some cases the wheels become glazed over or smooth and no longer grind.  In that case you need to replace the wheel as well.

And don’t forget–Arc-Zone.com offers the industry leading Core Exchange program for Diamond Grinding Wheels…   a great way to stretch your budget, check out the details at our webstore.  And while you’re over there, check out the line up of diamond grinding wheels for most every tungsten electrode sharpener on the market! (and Made in the U.S.A)

We also carry a line of tungsten electrodes for your TIG and Plasma Arc Welding needs, including premium brands like ArcTime Hybrid (good for all metals and all machines) and tungsten from top quality manufacturers like CK,  Sylvania and Weldcraft.

The end of the year is a good time to look back, see what you’ve done right, and wrong, and a good time to take stock.  Give yourself credit for what you’ve done right, and for the things that didn’t go so well–  now you have an opportunity to do it better next time!

Continuous improvement has always been a part of the Arc-Zone culture, and while I hesitate to say “resolutions”  GOAL SETTING is an awesome way to start off the New Year.  It’s also a good time to replenish the stock and look at ways to improve for the upcoming year.

If one of your goals is to improve your weldshop and maybe get some new equipment, here’s some places to start your research:

Miller EQUIP TO WELD.  Miller Electric just launched this easy-to-use online tool to help you select, customize, and even price the welding system you need.

Weldcraft Torch Selector. Weldcraft also has an online tool that guides you to selecting the torch for your specific welding application.

Welding Design Online Buyers Guide. From Cylinders to Safety products and welding equipment, this guide lists many of the industry’s top manufacturers though you may have to dig around to find where to buy…

If one of your goals is to learn more about metal fabricating and the welding  industry and keep up-to-date on equipment, technique, and what’s happening  (aside from reading this blog, and CarmenElectrode.com) check out The Fabricator magazine and its affiliate publications  Tube and Pipe Journal, and Practical Welding Today.  You probably qualify for a free subscription.

AND… since you know this is an Arc-Zone.com powered site, I have to add:

The place to end your search is Arc-Zone.com–  for a wide variety of high-performance MIG, TIG and Plasma Arc Welding and Cutting accessories.  You’ll also find a great selection of welding safety apparel and equipment, welding books and DVDs, tungsten electrodes for TIG welding and Plasma Arc Welding, tungsten electrode sharpeners, water coolers for welding… well you get the picture!

Check it out for yourself. And if you don’t find what you’re looking for, or need help making a decision on what you need, give us a call.  We’re available online (Live Chat and email) and on-the-phone (7am to 5pm California time) and it’s a top priority for us to make sure our customers find the right product to amp up their weldshop and Weld Like A PRO !

May 2011 be good to all of us!