[EricLeifermann]

So this is Tyler Olds favorite story to tell about me, though I wan't the only one doing it at the time...

Back when I was a freshman on 93 I was recruited to be the teams welder. I had several years experience welding but had never done TIG welding. So one night a group of us were trying to get some practice in on some new metal the shop teacher had just purchased. Nothing we did would make an arc. I mean we tried everything, change welding machines, change the gas, clean the metal, you name it we tried it. Well, after about 2 hours I had to leave, as I'm packing up my school stuff the mentor who was helping us calls me back into the shop and proceeds to show the group what he had just found... The metal had a thin clear plastic wrap on it to protect it. That is why we couldn't get an arc... Needless to say I still get needled about it today 12 years later.

So always check your metal for a protective covering before trying to weld!