What to do with excess stick welding lead lengths

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Finally getting around to hooking up my "new" used Lincoln 250 stick machine. Most of the time I will only need about 25ft of welding lead but want to be able to weld outside the shop door if necessary. Am I better off to split the 50 foot leads in half and put Tweco connectors on it so I can join them when necessary? or just coil up the extra lead I don't need and weld anyway? Will having the leads coiled up cause induction problems?I was thinking about putting female Tweco quick connects at the welder, male/females on one set of 25ft leads, and males on the working leads, and connect in the extra 25ft as necessary.Bought from a working welding lab at auction at a local community college for $75. Think I done good.
Reply:I have a couple hundred feet of lead, in 50-feet sections. My whip is 30-feet long, and the ground lead is about 15-feet long. When at the welding table I only use the whip, and ground lead, if I want to weld outside the shop I start adding lead, or fire up an engine drive. Attached ImagesDon’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:Great deal for the AC/DC version and I agree with and have the same basic arrangement as CEP.Seeing as welding performance issues have been traced to coiled cables either on a reel, holder or floor, I'd recommend the Tweco connectors method along with CEP.MM200 w/Spoolmatic 1Syncrowave 180SDBobcat 225G Plus - LP/NGMUTT Suitcase WirefeederWC-1S/Spoolmatic 1HF-251D-1PakMaster 100XL '68 Red Face Code #6633 projectStar Jet 21-110Save Second Base!
Reply:Originally Posted by ttyR2I was thinking about putting female Tweco quick connects at the welder, male/females on one set of 25ft leads, and males on the working leads, and connect in the extra 25ft as necessary.
Reply:Build yourself a wheeled cart for your welder. Then add some cable hangers to the cart, wrap up your leads and unwrap what you need.I put stud to tweco adapters on my ideal arc. All my pieces of cable have tweco connections. I also have a cable hanger on my cart.Last edited by snoeproe; 06-01-2014 at 04:53 PM.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:I use Tweco 1AF for the machine and 1MPC for the leads.  I have a short set about 15 feet long for working at the table and longer sets for outside or inside across the shop when I don't want to or can't move the machine.
Reply:I just sold a machine like that one. I have a bunch of stuff left over and I think there's a new pair of bolt-on welding cable lugs. If you want to talk about them email me offline at grant AT nwnative DOT us please.metalmagpie
Reply:Originally Posted by duaneb55Seeing as welding performance issues have been traced to coiled cables either on a reel, holder or floor, I'd recommend the Tweco connectors method along with CEP.
Reply:I would think the issues would stem from the coiled cables acting as large inductors, Jerry. I don't think the effects would be huge, but there would be some change in welding performance. Whether good or bad, I can't say.
Reply:Originally Posted by ttyR2I would think the issues would stem from the coiled cables acting as large inductors, Jerry. I don't think the effects would be huge, but there would be some change in welding performance. Whether good or bad, I can't say.
Reply:Man, off topic, but that sure looks like a very well kept Idealarc you found.  I usually never see them in that good of a condition in craigslist in my neck if the woods.  Lincoln Power Mig 216Lincoln AC/DC-225/125Miller  625 X-Treme PlasmaMiller 211 Forney 95FI-A 301HF 91110Victor Journeyman O/PMilwaukee DaytonMakita  Baileigh NRA Life Member
Reply:good deal on the machine. i have 2 at work but not in such good shape. one of mine has a small rack on top to hold the welding leads in coils or loops and i haven't noticed any problems when i weld.i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:Insaneride & TTYR2,Thanks.Jerry30+ yrs Army Infantry & Field Artillery, 25 yrs agoMiller 350LX Tig Runner TA 210, spool gunLincoln 250/250 IdealArcESAB PCM 500i PlasmaKazoo 30"  vert BSKazoo 9x16 horiz BSClausing 12x24 lathe20T Air Press
Reply:I've had trouble with coiled leads before, but only at high amp wire feed welding. It's kind of like arc blow in a way. You know something just isn't right with the arc. I've heard the coiled leads form a magnetic field. To this day when I stretch out leads, I don't like it when they have to cross each other. Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:Originally Posted by SuperArcMan, off topic, but that sure looks like a very well kept Idealarc you found.  I usually never see them in that good of a condition in craigslist in my neck if the woods.
Reply:I've never had a problem with coiled leads creating a strange arc.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:Whats strange is: copper is non magnetic.I dont think burning a few rods on a transformer machine with a 100ft lead coil'd up will hurt it but; a 100ft coiled lead burning rod all day on an inverter mite/may or could hurt it.
Reply:CEP, if they cross at right angles you are fine, running parallel is an issue (sometimes).Insaneride, granted copper is not magnetic but it does have a magnetic field around it.That's how a electromagnet works or a transformer.
Reply:If you have to coil lead up, do it in a figure 8 pattern. Or if you know how, an over-under single coil. The idea is to have the loops oppose each other and cancel out. This is what we have to do with high power feeds (200-800 amp) for stage work. It definitely affects AC power too.
Reply:drujinin, it seems to apply to aluminum as well. DeuceTrinal, can you xplain over-under single coil? Also, wouldnt twisting the lead pairs cancel the effect?For me, a coil is the simplest electrical device that is the least understood. I think a ferrite core is used to cancel the magnetic effect. If ferrite isnt used, I think the coil gets contractions from DC or something like that. Can anybody please xplain this better?