A Little Time Now Can Save a Lot Later
It's always a good idea to avoid downtime in a welding operation, right? Not necessarily. When it comes to good MIG gun maintenance, taking the time to assess and correct minor problems can save time in the long run, not to mention money. In fact, proper MIG gun maintenance may even increase your productivity!

Routinely checking for loose connections, or wear on cables and consumables helps extend the service life of the equipment and minimize the cost and time for replacement. Plus, it helps gain the best performance from the MIG gun, which means you'll spend more time making quality welds and less time completing unnecessary (and costly) rework.

Find out how to get the most out of your MIG gun by performing proper routine maintenance.

Q&A: Curing Burnbacks
Q: Why am I experiencing frequent burn backs and how can I solve this problem?

A: Like any welding problem, troubleshooting the cause of frequent burn backs might take a bit of investigative work. Burn backs, which result when the welding wire fuses to the contact tip, can happen for two main reasons. First, you may experience this common problem if the wire feed speed is too slow. Secondly, it may be the result of holding the gun too close to the work piece. In either case, burn backs add to downtime and cost for replacing the contact tip every time it occurs.

Find out how to solve burn backs and other common welding problems on the Bernard Web site. Or if you have a welding problem you need help solving, just email us. Fill out our Contact Us form and submit it with “MIG Tips Q&A” in the subject line. We’ll be happy to answer your question.

Did you know?
Approximately 90 percent of wire feeding problems are caused by improper liner installation.

Bernard Jump Liners install easily and accurately, and minimize changeover downtime by allowing you to replace only the most frequently worn part of the liner.

Jolson Welding Improves 30 Percent with Bernard Guns and Consumables

Bob Jolson, shown here, uses the Q-Gun's flexible neck to avoid uncomfortable and difficult welding positions.

Being a welding contractor is no easy business. From tackling long-term projects on short notice to finding skilled welding operators to assist on jobs, it takes a lot of patience and tenacity to finish a contract— and finish it properly. Well, that and the right tools. Just ask Bob Jolson, owner of Jolson Welding in Wheaton, California.

Jolson and his team of contractors work on some of the toughest jobs on the West Coast, including welding piles, water lines to beams, heavy wall underground pipe and bridges. And they do it 30 percent faster since converting to Bernard’s Dura-Flux™and Q-Guns™, which they paired with wires from Hobart Brothers of Troy, Ohio.

Visit the Bernard Web site or visit Bernard's new YouTube Channel to learn how Jolson Welding made such big improvements.

Check Out Our New YouTube Channel!

You’ve seen Bernard news on our Web site and in print. You may have even met some of our team in person at a trade show or two. Now you can check out our new videos! We’ve recently created our own YouTube channel - TheBernardDifference.

There, you’ll find some great customer testimonial videos from companies who have improved their welding operations with Bernard products, like our Centerfire system and Dura-Flux guns.

Take a look for yourself and learn how others have gained such great benefits from Bernard products! And check back often. We’ll be adding more videos on a regular basis.

Industry News - Join Us At FABTECH 2010!

It’s show time again! Bernard is gearing up to attend the FABTECH 2010 trade show at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, November 2 to 4.

There, we’ll share Booth #6811 in Hall C with Miller Electric Mfg. Co., Hobart Brothers, Weldcraft and Tregaskiss. This year we'll be displaying all of our core products that have established themselves as the industry standards for quality, productivity and durability, including the Q-Gun, S-Gun, Centerfire consumables, Dura-Flux gun and more. And who knows, there might even be a surprise or two in store waiting at the booth!

Stop by the show to see these great products and to touch base with one of our Bernard representatives. Or if you can’t attend, let us bring the show to you! Be sure to check out our YouTube channel for video updates from the show floor.

AFTER 5: Golf With a Shotgun

About the author - If it goes bang, throws a projectile or casts a lure, Chuck Schroeder likes it and probably wants one. He is an NRA life member and certified hunter safety instructor. He writes for a living. You can read his blog at http://chuckoutdoors.wordpress.com/

Sporting clays - one of the fastest growing shotgun sports - offers different challenges from trap or skeet. Where trap and skeet show repeatable targets, the targets in sporting clays are thrown in a great variety of trajectories, angles, speeds, elevations and distances.

A round of sporting clays typically involves shooting at a total of 50 "birds" from 10 to 15 stations. Each station features two traps and always requires shooting at two birds every time you call "pull!" The shots come as either a "true pair" where both clays are thrown simultaneously or a report pair where the shooter calls for the first bird and, upon hearing the report of a shotgun, the "trapper" launches the second bird.

Visit the Bernard Web site to read more about sporting clays and why it's called "golf with a shotgun."