craftsman 113 202460

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I have a chance to pick up an old Craftsman welder model number 113202460. input 220 volts. Output 20-185 amps. Was this thing any good new? Is it worth 40.00 now?
Reply:I believe thats a rebranded  AC transformer stick machine made by Century for Sears from the parts pict I pulled up.  $40 is a  very good price in almost any condition.  Used AC machines around me usually run $50-150, with units like that often being around $100 or so. There's not a whole lot that can go wrong with one of those machines, and if something does break, it's usually a very simple fix like a coroded switch etc. Wouldn't at all surprise me if your grand kids could still be using that machine years from now.180 amps of AC is fine for most medium stick projects. You might have issues getting the machine to go down low enough to do thin sheetmetal work with 1/16" rods, but thats not a big deal. ( thin steel and stick is a PITA anyways.) If you are looking for an inexpensive starter stick machine, you really can't go wrong with one of those..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:You can bet it will weld better than 120 volt mig welders on projects that require anything thicker than sheet metal.Miller thunderbolt 250Decastar 135ERecovering tool-o-holic ESAB OAI have been interested or involved in Electrical, Fire Alarm, Auto, Marine, Welding, Electronics ETC to name a just a few. So YES you can own too many tools.
Reply:Originally Posted by DerekBoydIs it worth 40.00 now?
Reply:as the others have said. heck if it works and has leads, your welding and making more smoke than you could get out of a carton of cigarettes for the same price.225NT bobcatAEAD200LEScott 125mm175, mm252 w 30A, PT225mm211, TA 181iHyper Therm 380, cut master 529100X & XX, Digital Elite6 Victor setssmith little torch, meco midget kalamazoo band sawsteel max saw evoulution circular saw
Reply:Thanks for the input. No leads with the machine. Good point about making more smoke than a pack of cigarettes for less money. If it is still there in the morning, I'll go pick it up. Guess I always was going to get it. Haven't stopped thinking about the thing since i saw it. This will be a starter machine for me.
Reply:$40 bucks but no leads... I'd pass on that!Heck you pick up a brand name Lincoln AC-225-s used for about $100 - $140 easy with leads.Buying a no-name with no leads is not a deal; it'll cost you at least $40 for 25 ft of #4 gauge welding cable, then another $40 minimum to put a decent ground clamp and electrode holder on it.Total =$40 + $40 + $40 = $120For that kind of bucks, there are way better deals- IMO.Rick V 1 Airco Heliwelder 3A/DDR3 CTC 70/90 amp Stick/Tig Inverters in Parallel1 Lincoln MIG PAK 151 Oxy-Acet
Reply:Been to a few auction sales this fall you cannot touch any ac/dc welder under $175.00- absolutely worth $40.00.
Reply:If it works, I guarantee that if you buy this welder, someone will tell you should not have spent your money.  I also guarantee that if you dont buy this welder; someone will tell you that you let the deal of the year pass you buy.We pay our money and take our chances.  Good Luck.I offer three choices: Good, Fast, & Cheap. You may pick two.Hobart AC/DC StikMate LXHarbor Freight AD HoodHarbor Freight Industrial Chop SawDeVilbis 20 Gallon, 5 HP Compressor
Reply:Originally Posted by pistolnoonBeen to a few auction sales this fall you cannot touch any ac/dc welder under $175.00- absolutely worth $40.00.
Reply:Only info I easily found on that model number.http://www.searspartsdirect.com/part...dMod=113202460I still think it's worth $40. I doubt for that machine you'd need a stinger and clamp worth $40. A quick look at HF shows a plain steel spring ground clamp similar to what was originally on that machine for about $8. Stinger would set you back about $10 from what I see. I bet I could find nicer ones at about the same price if I hunted a bit more. Cable you are probably close on the lower end if you hunt some. used you might save a few bucks if you looked hard enough.Still even if it's $100-120 when all is said and done, it's a lot better than $250 or so for a new Lincoln Ac machine for someone just starting out on a buget, It's a lot more machine than a small Harbor freight 110v stick machines in thae same price range. A lot also depends on your area. I've seen people asking crazy kinds on money posted up here on CL adds well above retail for AC machines. If he gets 2-4 years of use out of it and keeps it in nice shape, selling it for $75-120 wouldn't be unreasonable. At that price he'd get back almost 100% of his investment at best, and only have spent maybe $25-50 overall at worst for the use of the machine over those couple of years. Not a bad investment. A lot better than buying a new AC 225 and selling it for maybe $50 more and loosing $100-150 over the original price.the lack of leads also gives him some room to bargain, though at that price admitedly not a lot. If the person doesn't know much about welders, chances are the leads may even be there, or you can haggle them down a few bucks simply using the reasoning you have to dump more cash into the unit to get it functional and can't test it as is. If the seller is simply trying to unload grandpas old junk, they'd probably take $20 for it just to get it out of the shop..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:I got the welder and took the cover off every thing looks ok. I'm going to disconnect the connections and clean them all. Some mild oxidation on the electrical connections.  Haven't been able to test it yet, but I could tell the cover has not been off in a long time. Dosn't seem like much could go wrong with the thing.  Having trouble finding the right lead connectors to attach the leads. May have to adapt another type of connector. I have a 15 foot set of jumper cables made out of 1 guage welding leads. I'll turn those back into welding leads. If any one is intrested, I'll keep you all posted and put up some pictures some time this week when I get back from the lake.
Reply:Originally Posted by DerekBoydI got the welder and took the cover off every thing looks ok. I'm going to disconnect the connections and clean them all. Some mild oxidation on the electrical connections.  Haven't been able to test it yet, but I could tell the cover has not been off in a long time. Dosn't seem like much could go wrong with the thing.  Having trouble finding the right lead connectors to attach the leads. May have to adapt another type of connector. I have a 15 foot set of jumper cables made out of 1 guage welding leads. I'll turn those back into welding leads. If any one is intrested, I'll keep you all posted and put up some pictures some time this week when I get back from the lake.
Reply:Originally Posted by DerekBoyd... Having trouble finding the right lead connectors to attach the leads. May have to adapt another type of connector.
Reply:This is the machine in question. Attached Images
Reply:Before and after cleaning all electrical connections. Looks rough on the inside, but works great. Attached Images
Reply:Some practice welds. You can seee where I welded the lid of this old bbq pit closed and cut it open with the welder as well. These are my first ever welds with a stick welder. Attached Images
Reply:More practice. I really just played around. I was using harbor freight 1/16 welding rods at anywhere from 20-80 amps. just trying to learn by mistake. I really had a lot of fun. Got a small slag burn and a sunburn (arcburn?) on my left arm. Can't wait to play around some more! Found out the machine was made by emerson for sears.  For a lead connector I just found the closest thing and filed and sanded until it fit. Seems to work well no arcing in the connector. Attached Images
Reply:Forgot to add this:I was suprised. I really did not have great trouble starting or maintaining an arc at any amp setting I tried. The 20 amp setting was more tricky, but not too bad. I noticed on the 20amp setting the closer I got the rod to the pool the more of a tendency it had to stick. Also I know there is a lot of spatter on some of those welds, but i intentionaly pulled the rod away from the weld just to see it spatter and to see how long an arc it would make.
Reply:Hi! I'm new to this forum and I'm hoping someone can tell me where to get a copy of the owners manual for the old Craftsman 113.202460.I'm unable to find one anywhere. I'm hoping the manual will tell me what heat settings (A or B) to use for different metal thicknesses and what rod types to use.I'm 54 and have not welded since high school back in 79.When I was in high school welding shop, I scored A+ at the top of my class.Needless to say I'm rusty now and can't see worth a crap with my 3.0 cheater glasses.I figure it's like riding a bike, as soon as I get back into it I will probably do OK to fix stuff around the house.The first thing to fix is a broken mower deck on my cub cadet.I can't wait to get started!
Reply:We all learn by mistake. You don't remember all the good welds, but You sure as hell remember the bad ones. HOPEFULLY!