Newbie - Do I have clearance to Launch?

[dmccr]

Hi-
I acquired a Lincoln Weld-Pak 155 at a steal of a price. I've done a fair amount of reading. I've seen someone MIG weld "up close." I have a HEALTHY respect for electricity and high heat.

I'm looking for someone to tell me OK, plug it in, lay out a scrap of steel, aim, fire!

Of course you all can't know what I've learned so far, but I think I'm to the point of giving it my first "shot." At least I feel unlikely to earn myself a "Darwin Award."

Any last words of wisdom for me? Words of Encouragement? Discouragement? Sense? Non-Sense? Hygiene tips? Anything?

[vipermanz]

Give it a try, No way to know unless you've done it!!

Plenty of good newbie advice. Number one, don't weld in a shop where they do alot of woodworking and there is sawdust on the floor. Keep the area clean.
Wear long sleeve cotton shirts. Welding can actually give you a "sunburn" (arc burn). And heavy, DRY, leather gloves are a must. I think one of the most common oops is picking up hot metal or touching it when you just aren't thinking.
Stay Ventilated. You don't need to run a fan, though there are masks that run airhoses so that it gives you fresh air. You don't want to lay over your work and suck nothing but fumes.
Under no circumstances should you "go tward the light". Always wear your helmet. I tried the whole don't look at it tack weld process (used quite often by the OCC crew) and it doesn't work. Ere on the side of safety.
Get something stable to put your work on.. make sure you aren;t using a wood table.. remember you are generating a whole bunch of heat. The floor may or may not be appropriate for welding on either. You will have to make that decision.
Get a whole pile of scrap, and go to town... ask lots of questions, there are a few people out there that know what the heck they are doing, and some that THINK they know what they are doing... take a look at what they have produced before you take advice. Experience is a great techer, so practice like crazy... Good luck.

BTW, don't forget to get some fire prevention stuff in the vicinity of your welding...

[ralenr]

Like you said we don't know how much you've learned. Good suggestions so far. A question, are you using flux core or gas and solid? The polarity is different. Just make sure it's correct and the process should go well. Let us know how it went.

Allen

[hankj]

dmccr,

You didn't say if your 155 had the gas conversion kit installed. If not, it's flux-core only.

By now, you've probably "launched". How did it go? Need help? Let us know.

Be well.

hank