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Stick welder rehab

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    Stick welder rehab



    Quick backstory:
    Buddy went to an estate sale in Center Point to go look at a generator. Saw the welder and brought it home for me for $20. It's an old Century 230 Amp AC welder. We had no idea if the thing even worked.

    This is the same welder I asked questions about HERE

    I dug into it this past weekend. After getting a plug adapter for my electric dryer plug in the laundry room, I wired up a borrowed extension cord and plugged the welder in. Power switch on and it started humming like an old cracker-box does!
    Along with a set of borrowed leads (same guy I got the welder extension cord from), I was able to burn a few rods in no time flat!

    But it was pretty dirty...







    Inside was full of dirt, saw dust, and a mud-dauber's nest.



    There was some rust in a few places on the body panels, but nothing completely rusted thru. I spent a couple hours cleaning everything up and applying some "Ospho" rust treatment. I was able to get all the grease/oil off the top and sides (something had spilled on it).

    Original plan (if it worked) was to sand and respray the body panels and give it a new look. But it cleaned up a little better than I thought it would, so I'm just leaving it for now. Besides, it's just going to get all dirty again over time!











    I'm currently waiting on a ground clamp, stinger, and new cable plugs to come in so I can make up some leads for it. That will be the next step in this process.

    Goal is to try and have a decent little welder for less than $100!

    #2
    Not bad for $20.00

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      #3
      Looks good!

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        #4
        I think I found some cables!



        Unless I'm wrong, they appear to be 2 AWG size. They're at least as big as the cables on a buddy's HF welder, if not slightly larger.



        They are approximately 18+ feet long, each cable. Plenty of length for my needs!

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          #5
          Oops...forgot to update this thread.

          After securing some additional pieces, I was able to get my cables made up. Had a bit of a hiccup on the ends that plug into the welder. I originally got "LP-10" connectors but the brass end was too small of a diameter to fit correctly. After getting the correct "UP-10" connectors, everything fit just right.





          Putting it all to the test with some replacement bumper modifications...



          The whole setup worked out great!
          I have plenty of length on the cables. Welder functioned flawlessly. And I was able to burn up a bunch of rods!

          Not bad for having just under $80 all-in on this welder!

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            #6
            Heck Yeah that worked out great

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              #7
              Heck of a deal right there. I have the exact same welder, bought it used 20+ yrs ago, and it's still going strong. They're good little machines.

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