Operation - Lincoln Electric K2481-1 Operator's Manual

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Read entire operation section before
operating the
WIRE FEEDER WELDERS
WARNING
ELECTRIC SHOCK can kill.
• Do not touch electrically live
parts or electrode with skin or
wet clothing. Insulate yourself
from work and ground.
• Always wear dry insulating
gloves.
FUMES AND GASES can be
dangerous.
• Keep your head out of fumes.
• Use ventilation or exhaust to
remove fumes from breathing
zone.
WELDING SPARKS can
cause fire or explosion.
• Keep flammable material away.
• Do not weld on closed contain-
ers.
ARC RAYS can burn eyes
and skin.
• Wear eye, ear and body protec-
tion.
Observe all safety information throughout
this manual.
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OPERATION

.
WIRE FEEDER WELDERS (125, 140, 180 MODELS)
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION (PRODUCT
CAPABILITIES)
These small portable wire feed welders are capable of
MIG welding on steel, stainless steel, and aluminum.
They are also capable of flux-cored welding on mild
steel.
MIG welding stands for Metal Inert Gas welding and
requires a separate bottle of shielding gas to protect
the weld until it cools. Appropriate shielding gas
based on the type of material you are welding can be
purchased separately from your local welding gas dis-
tributor. MIG welding is ideal for welding on thinner
and clean materials when a very clean excellent cos-
metic looking weld is required. An example would be
automotive body panels.
Self Sheilding Flux-cored Welding does not require
separate shielding gas to protect the weld since the
welding wire has special additives known as flux to
protect the weld until it cools. Flux-cored welding is
ideal for medium to thicker material and if welding on
painted or rusty steel. Flux-cored welding is also ideal
in outdoor applications where windy conditions might
blow the MIG shielding gas away from the weld. Flux-
cored welding produces a good looking weld but does
not produce an excellent weld appearance as MIG
welding does.
Your machine includes the necessary items to weld
with either the MIG or the flux-cored welding process
on steel. To weld on stainless steel optional stainless
steel welding wire can be purchased separately. This
machine can weld aluminum using .035 diameter
4043 aluminum welding wire. Since aluminum weld-
ing wire is soft an optional aluminum spool gun is rec-
ommended for best results. A welding Procedure
Decal is located inside machine door to help provide
suggested settings for welding.
COMMON WELDING ABBREVIATIONS
GMAW (MIG)
• Gas Metal Arc Welding
FCAW (Innershield or Outershield)
• Flux Core Arc Welding
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