Welding Supplies Blog

Just when it seems like it’s over, here it comes again. Finding the perfect gift is indistinguishable from the Halloween movies: You think you’ve survived and that everything worked out, and then ...

Hard Surfacing (or surface welding) has somehow become a trade secret. It’s an incredibly useful process buried in a mountain of complicated details, surrounded by a circus of welding elite all ch...

Buying someone welding equipment can get a little hairy. We’re a very passionate bunch, who know exactly what we want. For instance, get me 1/8” wire instead of .035” and I’m not going to be a hap...

While these posts are dedicated to helping you become a better welder, in honor of Veterans Day, we'd like to remember a very special breed of fighting man. See, we know the men who won World War...

Wrapping your head around purging can get a little crazy if you don’t have a habit of pipe welding corrosion-resistant materials. In reality, it's quite a simple concept. Imagine an older woman wh...

It really shouldn’t take us by surprise that welding is one of the most dangerous professions in America. I mean, we’re literally waltzing around with miniature electric flame throwers. We’ve surv...

Like microwaves, smartphones, and liposuction, galvanized steel is one of those modern miracles. Its protective zinc coating keeps it from corroding at a cheaper cost than stainless steel. However...

In honor of October 21st, take a trip back with us to where welding all began and see how it's drastically change since then. We present to you, the History Of Welding in 1 Minute: Welding hasn't ...

Most of us are naturally good at figuring out what something is made of. It’s probably because all our prehistoric ancestors with the poor-judgement genes got wiped out trying to hunt down t-rexes....

Welders didn’t invent the overhead position. The artist, Michelangelo, was one of the first. He spent 4 years on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, paint dripping into his eyes the entire time. For all t...

Everyone’s bound to screw up sooner or later while Welding. Not everyone is willing to put it online. Here’s our top 5 favorite welding fails. I Can Weld It Myself! True bravery comes from drag rac...

Who first thought to milk a cow? We bet that blew people’s minds. All these years, they’d been surrounded by walking factories of creamy goodness and didn’t even know it. Well, You, my friend, mig...

If welding were a prescription drug, warpage would be its side effect. Except it always last 4 hours or longer and your doctor can’t help you. The good news is, with the proper tips you can almost ...

Ever meet a welder who’s got to one-up everything? You say, “I’m into MIG welding.” They say, “Oh MIG welding’s nothing, I MIG weld underwater. Blind-folded. Naked.” No matter what you say, they’v...

We all spend about 92 days of our lives sitting on the toilet. That’s just one way we wasted time, but at least we have to do it. Wading through product page after product page to find the perfe...

The term “Welding Cost” gets thrown around a lot. Seems like every welding product will save you money over time. For the most part, they’re all right. The real trick is finding the products that’l...

What if there was a welding helmet that hardly felt like it was there at all. “BS” you say? The new Miller Infinity Series Helmets are pretty darn close. Seems like a lot of welding helmets were bu...

DC or AC Stick Welding? It’s an ever-changing debate that’s evolved as welding itself has advanced. There’s a lot of once-good advice out there that’s become outdated as technology has improved fo...

Clams are the secret to stick welding. Not like eating them or rubbing them over your body (though we haven’t actually tried that). We mean CLAMS: Current settings. Length of arc. Angle of travel....

A lot of stick welders tend to learn with one electrode type. This makes sense. It allows you to perfect your skills without having to worry about different parameters and settings. However, it al...

From time to time, we’ll hear these whispers of an ongoing war: Plasma Cutters Vs. Oxy Acetylene, the great debate, the civil war among welders. It’s like there’s gangs of welders roving around wi...

Nate has been working in the welding industry for more than half of his life. He’s currently our Head of Customer Service & Order Management for the eCommerce Department. When he’s not talkin...

It’s throw-down time. We’ve rented out the arena. The Rocky music is blaring. It’s time to see who’s king: Inverter Tech or Transformer Based welders. In the left corner, we’ve got the granddaddy. ...

Imagine your welding gun hovering in front of you, slightly swaying from side to side. Everything seems to hang in space around you, like someone just turned off gravity. You look down, expecting...

You know what Burnback is, right? When that thing does something and it… with the wire or something? See, every welder has heard of Burnback but many of us aren’t exactly sure what it is. The main...

It’d blow your mind to realize the treasure trove of welding accessories out there that make life so much easier. Most of all, clamps. And not just any clamps, Strong Hand clamps. If you’ve ever to...

Warranties feel good. It’s like a friendly hand on your shoulder that says, “Don’t worry, I got your back.” But have you ever actually tried to use a warranty before? Depending on the company, it c...

We’re constantly looking for the Holy Grail of welding helmets. Because good helmets aren’t just protection, they’re beyond that. When you’re welding with a good helmet, it doesn’t get in the way; ...

Finally, something smart to do with your Smartphone. Here’s some of our favorite welding apps to make your life a little easier. Miller Weld Settings Calculator In case you’ve lost your 200 page co...

You never forget your first, your first welding machine that is. Because your first welding machine can make or break the whole experience for you. It’s a big decision, one that can be extremely di...

We all know the importance of selecting the right tool for the job. When it comes to welding, the process you choose is every bit as important as the tools themselves. Different metals will require...

How old’s your welder? 10 years old, maybe 20? Ever wonder what's happened to welding machines in that time? Well my friend, hang on to your butt because we’re about to blow your mind. Inverter Tec...

Ty is a regional manager for our parent company Indiana Oxygen. He has over 15 years of experience dealing with just about everything you can imagine, and a few things you can’t. When he’s not s...

Let’s face it. We’re all kind of know-it-alls when it comes to welding. We talk big, but 90% of the time we’re just blowing smoke. It’s in our nature. The truth is, even the best in the business ne...

Every welder thinks they know what “Duty Cycle” means until their machine starts smelling like burnt plastic. In fact, here at IOC, many of our most-asked questions are about Duty Cycle. It seems l...

Welders have always been a community. When someone says, “How’d you do that?” We don’t clamp our jaws shut and give ‘em the bird. We help each other out, we talk to one another. Every expert welder...