Practical Welding Today has introduced Practical Welding Television, an online video channel. Video topics include general welding safety as wells as tips on improving SMAW and GMAW skills.
Want more informative welding videos? Arc Zone features free educational welding videos on a variety of topics, from comparing TIG torch cable materials to connecting an air cooled TIG torch.
Everyone has their own needs when it comes to remote amperage controls for TIG welding. Mario, from TSR Fabrication (and expert TIG welding guest on Jesse James’s Monster Garage TV show) stopped by to pick up a Arc-Zone Hot Foot™ remote control and we discussed what he likes in a foot pedal. He uses his pedal for a variety of precision TIG welding applications- from high end custom fabricated header systems and turbo intercoolers each one welded by hand and on a turntable. Depending upon the job, he either uses the fine incremental control of the pedal or sets his power source on “RMT” and uses the pedal to start and stop the machine. Mario chooses the Arc-Zone Hot Foot™ brand high-performance foot control “they are durable, comfortable foot pedals with a nice foot bed and extra long cord”.
This foot pedal has a 1/2″ (12.7mm) high heel stop and a low-profile design for precise small current adjustments. Designed for the pro, these high-performance industrial workhorses feature a slim top traction area, non-slip 3M® traction pad, comfortable at-rest and operating foot positions as well as a 27′ (8.2m) cable and high-quality connectors. They contain a patented design which improves low-current welding, while providing precision arc control. These sleek, all steel pedals are available in classic black.
What Customers Have Been Saying
Plugged right into my machine and works great. I love the design with the heal stop. Thanks for taking my old pedal for trade in credit.
Date Added: 05/14/2009 by Roger Wilcox
This PEDAL ROCKS. The extra long design is great for my size 12 boot. Offers better control. Thanks for the M&Ms!
Date Added: 05/05/2009 by John Crane
What applications do you use your foot pedal for?
And, if you have a favorite pedal style or make, let us know so we can make it available to the welding community.
I found another great free resource for you. The Welders Lens is an educational welding website created by Michael D. Treadway, an experienced boilermaker, ironworker, and welder. The site features free articles and a video welding course on everything from stick welding to TIG welding. Here’s an example of one of the instructional videos:
Arc Zone also offers free educational welding videos which can be viewed here.
A lot of folks wonder what the difference between inexpensive import TIG Torches you see being sold at a lot of online welding suppliers, and the quality name brand– and yes, more expensive TIG torches such as the ones carried by distributors like Arc-Zone.com.
One of the biggest differences between brand-name and no-name torches is the materials used in manufacturing…
Copper
There is tellurium copper, which is very basic plumbing type copper and then there is leaded nickel copper which is a high conductive, high tensile strength copper alloy. This is important for two reasons, one it’s a better conductor, and two it is more durable, the TIG torch body threads last longer, collets don’t buckle and twist etc.
Silicone Rubber
Weldcraft changed the rules when they introduced the Silicone rubber molded TIG torch. Prior to that all torches were molded in a hard plastic material. Difficult to hold, impossible to bend and very susceptible to arcing out. You would think that silicone rubbers are all the same, but again there is a big difference in the material quality, and how much heat it takes before it begins to breakdown, and how well it is bonded to the copper TIG torch body. Materials and preparation are key here and come back to the basics of production standards
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David from Peoria (Arizona!) wrote in and asked:
….about “spray arc transfer MIG.” I tried it with my Miller 8VS and Syncrowave 200 (on CC mode). It sounded like TIG, but I ruined a tip & nozzle. Is this type recommended “at home,” or do you need a bigger multi-processor power source, and what are the advantages?
I quickly replied:
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