Welding Supplies Blog

Within any community you’ll find a sense of pride, loyalty and a clinically-insane amount of memes. This has never been truer than within the world of welding. In case you’ve somehow avoided being ...

December is the best time of year to be looking at a new machine as you’ll often find some incredible deals. Also, if a welding machine manufacturer is going to increase their prices, it usually ha...

Gift buying with welders can get a little tricky. Your friends and family ask, “What can I get you for the Holidays?” Of course, you want something for welding. But you can’t just say “something fo...

For welders who like to go between MIG, TIG and stick, multiprocess machines are a lifesaver. Hauling your TIG/Stick and MIG welders around your shop can be a huge pain and buying the same accessor...

With huge rebates on both the Lincoln Power MIG 210 MP and Multimatic 215, people want to know how these two welders stack up. Both machines offer the ability to Stick, MIG or TIG weld, but which o...

If you learned anything as a kid, it was to say “NO” to crack. It’s time we all took another look at those life-guiding words of wisdom. Because welding cracks are a common, yet incredibly serious ...

Does this highly praised machine really deserve all the fanfare it gets? It’s been hailed as possibly the best-selling MIG machine of all time, but how does it hold up when put to the test? The Mil...

It’s more than slasher movies, haunted houses and candy corn: It’s that time of year when making your own decorations really stands out. So let those creative juices flow like blood in an 80’s horr...

When it comes to picking between the different types of welding, including MIG, TIG and stick, it's not an exclusive relationship. However, learning to master a single method can take a significant...

How often do your loved ones see a lawn ornament or piece of furniture and say, “You could build that!” It’s an enticing idea: building your own furniture. When done right, it’s a great way to save...

Nothing is more frustrating than porous, spattery welds that seem to happen no matter what you do. This is often a huge issue specifically with Stick welders since a bad machine can pretty much cou...

How could anyone possibly screw up tacking? The truth is, you could be tacking wrong and never know it. This is because most of the problems with tacking incorrectly often don’t become apparent unt...

When the web was first being populated by an unwavering multitude of cat videos, a few welders managed to claw their way out of obscurity and become something of internet celebrities. Specifically,...

For beginners, welding can often seem like an overly complicated and perplexing task. There are different welding techniques, different types of welding machinery, and so many different pieces you ...

Right now, IOC has some great prices on Optrel’s best-selling helmets, plus our “try it, love it or return it” promo on the Optrel E684. The only real question is, which Optrel helmet is right for ...

Often where you weld can be just as important as how well you weld. Your location determines how much work is available near you and how much competition there is. For instance, you’ll make a whole...

  In the immortal words of Freddie Mercury, “I want to weld my bicycle, I want to weld my bike.” No, that’s not exactly how the song goes, but now that line is now stuck in your head. Don’t fight i...

  As winter’s chilling grasp finishes melting away, it’s the perfect time to take on a few summer welding projects. Here’s some of our favorites to help get your creative juices flowing.   Fire Pit...

This is a serious machine. We’re talking 600 pounds of engineered power. Its Professional level equipment: That means it’ll run all day, every day, while dealing with rough environments and fluctua...

Oxyacetylene cutting is a process often used in welding and fabrication, involving a unique blend of oxygen and acetylene gas to create a flame hot enough to slice through metal with ease. Understa...

Among plasma cutting fans, the Powermax45 has been a favorite. Although somewhat dated now, the original 45 built a reputation as one of the most reliable plasma cutters ever made. Recognizing this...

We’ve all been told if there’s any risk of electrical shock, make sure you’ve got some solid rubber boots. But would rubber boots really keep you from being zap-fried by an electrical jolt? What’s ...

Buying welding gloves can feel like a nightmare and a petting zoo mixed together, especially if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Do you need deerskin or goatskin? Who even knows what deer an...

We call it a loyalty program, but it’s really just like “here’s free stuff!” And who doesn’t want things for free? “That depends on what the free ‘Stuff’ is,” you say? Well we’re talking anything w...

Welding with tired eyes sucks. After several hours of staring at your arc, your peepers can feel like they’ve gone through hell and back. Eye fatigue is one of the most uncomfortable and irritating...

It’s said in order to be a true master of a skill, you must first master the fundamentals. There are books, videos, and entire curriculum that cover MIG welding, but today we’ll be scratching the s...

Penetration: One of the most important, most innuendoed topics in all of welding history. In every new welder’s journey, there comes a point when they realize welding is more than just “sticking” 2...

2017 saw the rise of a nightmarish dance move known as the “dab”. To be very clear, that’s not what we’re talking about. Dabbing in the welding world is one of the most common techniques used for T...

We’ve covered everything from space welders to working on oil rigs and yet we’ve never hit on one of the most aspirational positions in the industry. That’s because pipeline welding is a mine field...

We tend to treat grinding like monkey work. For instance: When working in larger groups, often the lesser experienced welders are put in charge of grinding. But is that how it should be? Few expert...

Sight. It’s an important part of welding. It’s so important, we’ve gone to great lengths to protect our eyes. Because sight helps us understand what we’re doing. It helps us comprehend our surround...

For some welders, small electric shocks can be common occurrences. It begins to seem like a bunch of kids playing with an electrical fence. Sure it doesn’t feel great, but there doesn’t seem to be ...

Imagine little metal termites eating through your weld, digging out craters and carving tunnels. Not only is that what porosity looks like, it’s a great visual of what it actually does to your weld...

With the end of the year comes a barrage of sweet deals on welding equipment and gear. It’s the perfect time to snag those machines you’ve been eyeing for the last 12 months. But most of these prom...

Look us in the eyes and give us your honest opinion: Do you think welding is a dying career? What’s weird is that no matter what you say, you’d be right (at least, in part). According to the Bureau...

Over the years, we’ve featured a smorgasbord of different career paths a welder might choose. Some of these have been fairly normal, while others have been dangerous, surprising and down-right weir...

You probably think welding in the rain is illegal because electricity and water don’t mix. But then you think of all the stories you’ve heard from other welders, how they were stuck welding in ditc...

We get it. Bright lights and sparks aren’t great for our eyes. In fact, 99% of welders in the US aren’t doing stupid things like welding with their eyes closed or using $5 shades they bought from t...

As Halloween nears, ghouls and ghost slink out of their graves and clowns with bright red hair haunt our sewers. Our imaginations become a weird wonderland of terror. But the most real fears aren’t...

  Halloween is the perfect holiday to get those creative juices flowing. It’s the only socially-acceptable time to turn your home or apartment into a house of horrors. Sometimes coming up with proj...

Purchasing a welder/generator is a big decision. You want to know you’re getting the best setup for the best deal. When you decide to seal the deal, you want to ensure your welder/generator will la...

Wouldn’t it be great if your workpiece wasn’t covered in metallic baby vomit after you finished welding? Completely preventing spatter has been the Holy Grail of welders and welding equipment compa...

It’s a big fat can of worms stuffed inside a truck packed to the brim with cans of worms. We’re opening the Pandora’s Box of controversial welding subjects. You’re thinking, “What in the world are ...

  What’s the point? It’s a serious question. Is walking the cup like a suit tie, a fancy-looking piece of fabric that serves no function other than to embarrassingly attract stains? Is it all just ...

  What’s the most nerve-racking project to work on? A bridge? A plane? A nuclear bomb? How about food grade piping? Sure it doesn’t seem too bad, but welding in the food industry actually requires ...

&nbsp The truth is that there’s still millions of welders across the world that don’t even have a basic understanding of plasma cutting and how it works. Even within the last 10 years, plasma c...

The plasma cutting world is not an easy market to compete in. Within the last decade, we’ve seen incredible innovations from brands like Hypertherm, Thermal Dynamics, Lincoln, Miller and more. The ...

Plasma gouging is by far one of the most overlooked processes in welding. Even welders with plasma cutting units often don’t know what plasma gouging is or how to do it. It’s like having a pocket k...