MK Products Cobra Gold Gooseneck - Manual (Page 4)

Cobra Gold Owner's Manual Page iii
Bare skin protection. Wear dark, substantial
clothing. Button collar to protect chest
and neck, and button pockets to prevent
entry of sparks.
2. Eye and Head Protection
Protect eyes from exposure to arc. Eyes
may be damaged by radiant energy when
exposed to the electric arc, even when not
looking in the direction of the arc. Never
look at an electric arc without protection.
Welding helmet or shield containing a
filter plate shade no. 12 or denser must
be used when welding. Place over face
before striking arc.
Protect filter plate with a clear cover plate.
Cracked or broken helmet or shield should
NOT be worn; radiation can be passed
through to cause burns.
Cracked, broken, or loose filter plates
must be replaced IMMEDIATELY. Replace
clear cover plate when broken, pitted, or
spattered.
Flash goggles with side shields MUST
be worn under the helmet to give some
protection to the eyes should the helmet
not be lowered over the face before an arc
is struck. Looking at an arc momentarily
with unprotected eyes (particularly a high
intensity gas-shielded arc) can cause a
retinal burn that may leave a permanent
dark area in the field of vision.
3. Protection of Nearby Personnel
Enclose the welding area. For production
welding, a separate room or enclosed bay is
best. In open areas, surround the operation
with low-reflective, noncombustible screens
or panels. Allow for free air circulation,
particularly at floor level.
Viewing the weld. Provide face shields for
all persons who will be looking directly
at the weld.
Others working in area. See that all persons
are wearing flash goggles.
Before starting to weld, make sure that
screen flaps or bay doors are closed.
B. Toxic Fume Prevention
Comply with precautions in 1-2B.
Generator engine exhaust must be vented
to the outside air. Carbon monoxide
can kill.
C. Fire and Explosion Prevention
Comply with precautions in 1-2C.
Equipment’s rated capacity. Do not
overload arc welding equipment. It may
overheat cables and cause a fire.
Loose cable connections may overheat or
flash and cause afire.
Never strike an arc on a cylinder or other
pressure vessel. It creates a brittle area that
can cause a violent rupture or lead to such
a rupture later under rough handling.
D. Compressed Gas Equipment
Comply with precautions in 1-2D.
E. Shock Prevention
Exposed electrically hot conductors or
other bare metal in the welding circuit, or in
ungrounded, electrically-HOT equipment
can fatally shock a person whose body
becomes a conductor. DO NOT STAND,
SIT, LIE, LEAN ON, OR TOUCH a wet
surface when welding without suitable protec-
tion.
To protect against shock:
Keep body and clothing dry. Never work
in damp area without adequate insulation
against electrical shock. Stay on a dry
duckboard, or rubber mat when dampness or
sweat cannot be avoided. Sweat, sea water,
or moisture between body and an electrically
HOT part - or grounded metal - reduces the
body surface electrical resistance, enabling
dangerous and possibly lethal currents to flow
through the body.
1. Grounding the Equipment
When installing, connect the frames of each
unit such as welding power source, control,
work table, and water circulator to the building
ground. Conductors must be adequate to
carry ground currents safely. Equipment
made electrically HOT by stray currents may
shock, possibly fatally. Do NOT GROUND
to electrical conduit, or to a pipe carrying
ANY gas or a flammable liquid such as oil
or fuel.
Three-phase connection. Check phase
requirement of equipment before installing. If
only three-phase power is available, connect
single-phase equipment to only two wires of
the three-phase line. Do NOT connect the
equipment ground lead to the third (live) wire,
or the equipment will become electrically
HOT - a dangerous condition that can shock,
possibly fatally.
Before welding, check ground for continuity.
Be sure conductors are touching bare metal of
equipment frames at connections.
If a line cord with a ground lead is provided
with the equipment for connection to a switch
box, connect the ground lead to the grounded
switch box. If a three-prong plug is added for
connection to a grounded mating receptacle,
the ground lead must be connected to the
ground prong only. If the line cord comes with
a three-prong plug, connect to a grounded
mating receptacle. Never remove the ground
prong from a plug, or use a plug with a broken
ground prong.
2. Connectors
Fully insulated lock-type connectors should
be used to join welding cable lengths.
3. Cables
Frequently inspect cables for wear, cracks,
and damage. IMMEDIATELY REPLACE those
with excessively worn or damaged insulation
to avoid possibly lethal shock from bared
cable. Cables with damaged areas may
be taped to give resistance equivalent to
original cable.
Keep cable dry, free of oil and grease, and
protected from hot metal and sparks.
4. Terminals and Other Exposed Parts
Terminals and other exposed parts of electrical
units should have insulating covers secured
before operation.
5. Electrode Wire
Electrode wire becomes electrically HOT
when the power switch of gas metal-arc
welding equipment is ON and welding gun
trigger is pressed. Keep hands and body
clear of wire and other HOT parts.
6. Safety Devices
Safety devices such as interlocks and circuit
breakers should not be disconnected or
shunted out.
Before installation, inspection, or service of
equipment, shut OFF all power, and remove
line fuses (or lock or red-tag switches) to
prevent accidental turning ON of power.
Disconnect all cables from welding power
source, and pull all 115 volts line-cord
plugs.
Do not open power circuit or change polarity
while welding. If, in an emergency, it must
be disconnected, guard against shock
burns or flash from switch arcing.
Leaving equipment unattended. Always
shut OFF, and disconnect all power to
equipment.
Power disconnect switch must be available
near the welding power source.