Best Welding Shirts for Comfort and Protection

Designed to self-extinguish hot sparks, the best welding shirts protect and provide peace of mind from stray sparks that may sneak past welding helmets, jackets, and leathers. 

The best shirts for welding can keep you warm in cold weather, or even release trapped heat so you’re more comfortable when things get hot. 

Because you don’t want a trapped spark to smolder—or burst into flame—under your jacket, a good flame-resistant (FR) welding shirt is an essential part of your PPE (personal protection equipment). 

Can You Weld Black Iron Pipe? (Is It Safe?)

With threaded connections and a choice of sizes, it’s easy to create projects from the black pipe and fittings found at home improvement stores or in scrap piles.

But can you weld black iron pipe? 

Its unique feel and appearance adds a great vintage/industrial look to any plans—but do you have any idea what the black coating is?

Let’s find out what black iron pipe is all about.

Hobart Handler 140 Review: Would This Owner Buy Again?

This hands-on Hobart Handler 140 review features a welder I purchased two years ago. 

My research found this MIG welder popular with DIY’ers tackling the same light welding projects I do: home and business maintenance repairs, auto body work and just creating stuff in the garage.

I like that it has a good reputation going back years. It’s best known as a reliable, no frills, simple to use welder that’s ideal for beginners.

Hobart 140 vs Lincoln 140: MIG Welder Face-Off

Many in the market for a good-quality MIG welder for home or small-business use will face a Hobart 140 vs Lincoln 140 decision.

First-time beginners wary of no-name, cheap, knock-off welders (or second-time buyers replacing one) look to trusted brands like Lincoln and Hobart.

As far as build-quality and specs go, the Hobart 140 and Lincoln 140 are similar. Hobbyists choosing either will get a solid, no frills, easy-to-use machine—you almost can’t go wrong. 

Here’s Where to Find Scrap Metal for Welding Projects

I’m going to give you some common (and not so common) ideas about where to find scrap metal for welding projects.

When going to these places, make sure to always be honest with the owner. Let them know that you’re looking for scrap metal so you can work on your next welding project, (this will get you a lot farther when collecting scrap metal than anything else you can say).

How to Become a Welder: Steps to a Professional Career

When erecting the 5.4-ton Iron pillar of Delhi in India at around 310 A.D., the workers could not know how much influence welding would have on the world today.

Sixteen hundred years later, our progress beyond the ancient forge-welding process is evident. Anywhere you look there are bridges, skyscrapers, airplanes, and even cell phones, all thanks to welding.

As the American Welding Society states: “Welding is the secret ingredient that keeps today’s world together.”

Does that make you wonder: “What exactly does it take to become a welder?”

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The 7 (Or So) Best Welding Books in My Library

It’s a great time to take up welding. Welders have never been more affordable, safer, or easier for beginners to use.

While new welders are easy to use, developing basic skills and knowledge can ensure you’ll enjoy welding. Beginner frustration (lack of success) can end a hobby before the fun begins.

But you can avoid disappointment with your new hobby. Choose and read one of the best welding books in this article to:

What Size Welding Gas Cylinder for MIG or TIG? Argon|CO2

If you’re new to MIG or TIG welding, you may have no idea how much welding you’ll do—let alone how much welding gas you’ll go through.

But you’d probably like to have some sense of how long a welding gas bottle will last before deciding what size cylinder to choose.

I’ll show you how much welding time to expect from the most popular cylinder sizes used by hobbyists. Then you can compare physical dimensions so the bottle will fit your vehicle or welding cart. 

What is a Tweco® Style MIG Gun?

How many innovative product designs can you name that have lasted half of a century?

In 1969, Tweco Products, Inc. (formerly Townsend Welding Equipment Company) introduced a new MIG assembly design. Tweco’s invention used a single cable to transfer gas, welding wire, and electrical power to the MIG gun. The MIG gun was also a new lightweight, cool-operating design.

Most MIG guns mounted on today’s modern MIG welders follow the fifty-year-old Tweco design. And, many product descriptions include the phrase “Tweco Style” when referring to MIG torches or consumables. Many buyers are left wondering: What is a Tweco Style MIG gun?