Chris recalls a recent need from a customer in the southern part of the United States—the customer needed some additional training on the product—the call came in over the weekend. But because the nearby Green Bay Packers had a Sunday home game, the Monday flights out of town were all booked. Not wanting to wait another day, Chris and a service tech jumped in a truck and drove the 13-hours to the customers shop. “We went in and talked to them, saw their applications, showed them how to improve their processes and provided additional education on the product. Later that day we jumped in the truck and came home,” says Roehl.

My Hero

Mark Clodfelter is my Hero because he found himself laid off from a metal treating business so he decided to enroll in a local community college welding class. He had little or no experience in welding, but he knew that it would lead to a new career.

Making a Difference

He is very thankful to his instructor, Mike Harmon, for sharing his skill and knowledge with him, as well as his classmate and dear friend, Steve Hodge, for his support and willingness to help him. Steve answers lots of welding questions and found opportunities that he offered Mark that led him to his current success.

Welding Application

In his semester course, he has successfully accomplished certification in both Stick and MIG welding. He is now very passionate about welding and wants to strive for certification in TIG welding as well.

Miller on the Job

His love for his new skill development drove him to purchase a 1982 Millermatic® 200 welder, and he has completely restored it back to original condition, and it performs very well. I bought him a Miller welding jacket to celebrate his accomplishments in this semester course. Mark always strives to not just get the job done but to do achieve the highest level of performance.

My Hero

Joel Stanley is my Hero because he is the ideal model for what a welder can become. He began as a welder, worked hard every day and was promoted to quality control manager of Fastco Corp.

Making a Difference

As a certified welding inspector (CWI), he holds himself to the highest ethical standard. As a certified welder, he settles for nothing short of perfection in the quality of his own welds. Whenever there is a less talented welder struggling, he is always willing to offer his assistance.

Miller on the Job

Joel was the driving force behind Fastco’s recent purchase of the Miller® PipePro® 450 system, which we used to produce X-ray quality welds for natural gas service. As usual, once the machine was delivered to the shop, Joel was quick at it to qualify the welding procedure and show the inexperienced and experienced welders alike what great quality welds that the Miller PipePro can create. The RMD® process is unparalleled with ease of operation and quality when performing V groove open root welds on pipe. Thanks Joel and thank you Miller!

Learn more about the vehicle.

Miller teamed up with J.F. Ahern’s Pipe Fabrication shop to get them premium Arc Armor welding PPE that they had never tried before. The Miller team came in and personally matched up each of the welding operators with the correct welding protection for their application. They were given PAPRs (Powered Air Purifying Respirators) to keep from breathing in smoke and harmful fumes, WeldX and Classic Cloth Jackets, Titanium 9400i welding helmets with integrated grinding shields, gloves and more. After a week of use, the Miller team came back and got these testimonials from the guys and we couldn’t have asked for better feedback.

For more on Miller’s complete line of welding safety gear and PPE, click here.

Give your welder a “once over” checkup.  This is something you should be doing on a regular basis, but usually gets overlooked.  While you have a little time before the race season starts up, these are the most common and easiest things to look at to keep your welder happy.

• Inspect and tighten all cables including the ground clamp.
• Inspect gas hoses and connections.
• A good blow out will keep your machine running cool and prevent conductive metal dust from messing with internal connections.
• Check the condition of the gun cable on your MIG welder for cuts in the rubber casing.
• Check and tighten the contact tip and adapter.
• Check the gun liner by making sure the wire pulls through the gun freely when the drive roll tension arm is released.
• Check the drive rolls for wear and alignment with the wire/groove.
• Inspect the torch cables and back cap on your TIG welder for cracks, and check the o-ring.
• Check, add or change your TIG coolant if you’re gun is water-cooled.
• Stock up on all your consumables now instead of when it’s too late and you need them.

Until next time,

Andy Weyenberg
Motorsports Marketing Manager

Check out the build and visit KOH sponsor Miller Welders and Blue Torch Fabworks on Miller Welders Way for hands-on product demos and FREE weld support, equipment access and pit repair.

Products available include:

• Diversion™ 180 TIG welders: this easy-to-use welder can connect to 115V or 230V power and features a digital display for accurate adjustment of weld settings.
• Dynasty^® 200 Series TIG welders: this welder combines advanced inverter technology with Auto-Line™ technology, offering the most flexible AC/DC TIG/Stick power supply in the welding industry.
• Millermatic^® 211 Auto-Set™ MIG welders with MVP™: featuring a 30- to 210-amp MIG welding output and a great low-end arc for sheet metal work.
• Millermatic^® 212 Auto-Set™ MIG welders: also 210-amp units, but with a higher duty cycle for making longer welds on thicker material.

• Spoolmate™ 200 Series spool guns: offering reliable and economical direct-connect solutions for home hobbyists and light fabricators looking for smooth feeding of aluminum wire.
• Spectrum^® 625 X-TREME™ Plasma cutters with XT40 Torch: a 21-lb. plasma cutter with the power to cut 5/8-in. mild steel in a single pass.
• F-Series ArcStation™: portable welding workbenches with a folding design, convenient handle and wheels that offer the ability to take the 74-lb. bench to the jobsite or to move freely around a shop or garage.
• Auto-darkening welding helmets, gloves, welding jackets and other protective apparel from the line of Arc Armor^® welding protection.

Happen to be a driver? Look for your KOH/Miller Welders decal in your driver registration packets. And best of luck on race day!

Miller Electric Mfg. Co. released its 2012 Full-Line Catalog of welding and cutting equipment. The free catalog can be requested or downloaded by going to the literature request page via MillerWelds.com.

The full-color catalog provides specifications and product comparisons on Miller MIG welders, TIG welders, Stick welders, plasma cutters, welding generators and FILTAIR fume extractors. It also highlights available Arc Armor™ welding protection including helmets and apparel.

The catalog showcases “What’s New from Blue”, including:

TIG Welders:
Maxstar® 280 and Dynasty® 280

MIG Welders:
Invision™ 450 MPa
AlumaPower™ MPa

Multiprocess Welders:
XMT™ 450 MPa

Engine Driven Welder/Generators:
Big Blue® 450 Duo CST™
Big Blue® 700 Duo Pro
Bobcat® Series

Plasma Cutters:
Spectrum® 375 X-TREME™
Spectrum® 625 X-TREME™

Fume Extraction:
FILTAIR™ 400 Industrial High-Vacuum System

Helmets and Welding Protection:
PAPR with Titanium 9400i™ Helmet