And, while Jolson depends on his Dura-Flux gun and Fabshield XLR-8 wire, other parts of his welding arsenal help keep the company’s productivity on track, too.

Getting the most from GS welding
After Jolson discovered Bernard’s Dura-Flux gun, he liked it so much that he sought out an option for his gas-shielded applications. The result? With the help of Stubblefield, he customized a Bernard Q-Gun with the exact neck, consumables, and cable length for his applications. (Bernard allows customers like Jolson to create their own style MIG gun with their online configurator, or by working with a company representative or distributor). In this case, he built a MIG gun with an OXO-style handle and Bernard’s Centerfire consumables, and then added a six-inch flexible neck. He also uses Bernard’s Jump Liners.

“Like the Dura-Flux gun, the Q-Gun has been really convenient, especially welding in tight spots,” according to Jolson. “Plus, it’s very easy to use and maintain — very user friendly. I don’t know that I’ll ever change from it.

Jolson said the Bernard Jump Liners have added measurably to his productivity increases. In fact, he estimated that it takes him or Hobbs approximately two to three minutes to change a Jump Liner, compared to the 20 or more minutes to change a conventional MIG gun liner. Bernard Jump Liners connect with standard liners at the base of the Q-Gun’s rotatable neck and run through the most common wear point up to the contact tip. Jolson doesn’t have to replace (or trim) the entire gun liner when it becomes worn at the neck (the most common wear point.) The Jump Liner stays with the body tube and the main liner stays within the gun.

“It [the Jump Liner] saves me a lot of time because we don’t have to tear the whole gun apart in the middle of a welding process,” he explains. “We just remove the gooseneck, pop out the Jump Liner and slide in a new one. It’s very cost-effective, and it gets us back to work faster.”

Reducing downtime and adding to his productivity are the Centerfire consumables (contact tips, diffusers and nozzles) that Jolson uses on his Q-Gun. Centerfire series contact tips ‘drop in’ the gas diffuser and lock in place by tightening the nozzle. The nozzles feature a built-in spatter shield to protect the gas diffusers and provide smooth gas flow.

“I use a small nozzle for getting into tight spots. Some people think that I’ll have gas diffusion problems because of that, but I just don’t,” said Jolson. “The holes inside the nozzle distribute the gas evenly. There’s not a problem with that. Plus the contact tips last longer than screw-on tips. I would say three to four times longer.”

Jolson couples his Q-Gun with Hobart Brothers’ gas-shielded wire, Excel Arc 71—a change that he said has helped the company’s productivity in several ways, including improving weld quality and reducing cleanup.

The company uses a 0.045-inch diameter wire, which Jolson and Hobbs operate at 19 to 24 Volts and approximately 175 to 500 IPM using 100 percent CO₂, a set-up that they say gives them exactly weld quality and travel speed they want. In many cases (as the specifications for a given project allow), Jolson said that he and his team can use the wire for the root, fill and cap passes, all with minimal downtime for interpass cleaning.

“We usually run two- or three-foot passes at a time,” according to Jolson. “By the time we get halfway through, usually the slag is already falling off.”

The Excel Arc 71 also gives the team the versatility to produce a variety of different size welds — ranging from as thin as a quarter-inch to as large as 1 inch, and produces very little spatter in the process, features that keep productivity high and downtime for cleanup at a minimum.

“With competing wires, I find that they are a little more finicky. I get a lot of spatter even if I mess with the gas, voltage, and IPM,” said Jolson. “I don’t have time for that. I need to get the job done, and with the Excel Arc 71, we don’t have to worry about those problems.”

According to Jolson, pairing the Fabshield XLR-8 and Excel Arc 71 welding wires with his Bernard Dura-Flux guns and Q-Guns, respectively, has had a significant impact on his company’s productivity—to the tune of a 30-percent increase.

“The changeover has really worked out well for our company,” he said. “We can be a lot more competitive with our bidding now, and a lot more productive.”

That’s important for someone who never knows what project he’ll be taking on week-to-week, but needs to be prepared for whatever comes down the pipe.

Andy Monk is a product and marketing manager for Bernard, a supplier of MIG guns and welding consumables. Tim Hensley is a distribution manager for Hobart Brothers Co., which develops and supplies welding filler metals.