New to me old tombstone....

admin

Picked up a ac180 Lincwelder, circa 50's for a song and a dance. Needs new ground and stinger leads as well as power cord. Max amp out is 180, any advice on lead set? Stinger? Ground clamp was salvageable. I am thinking of using soow wire for the power cord. Any idea of where to find a d shaped grommet to fit into the back of the unit?Thanks
Reply:I had the same situation with an old tombstone.  I installed miller recepticles on the front panel and use the same leads I use on my Miller AEAD.  Cheaper by far than buying new leads and a second stinger and ground clamp.
Reply:For you perhaps, but unfortunately I do not have any other leads to use.
Reply:Originally Posted by chopnhackPicked up a ac180 Lincwelder, circa 50's for a song and a dance. Needs new ground and stinger leads as well as power cord. Max amp out is 180, any advice on lead set? Stinger? Ground clamp was salvageable. I am thinking of using soow wire for the power cord. Any idea of where to find a d shaped grommet to fit into the back of the unit?Thanks
Reply:Thanks Cope. Why not cut the electrode and ground leads to equal lengths? The ground clamp I have is a tweco style, nice old heavy casting, the screw on the stinger's wire holddown was stuck and when it bust loose, so did the threads... I was able to find the manual, http://www.lincolnelectric.com/asset...oln3/im124.pdf and I am trying to find a replacement for part #77 output lead tips. They looked like soft steel splices, but the one end was closed and rounded over, meant to fit into the receiver part 59. Any ideas on where to find something like that?
Reply:Originally Posted by copeI would either 25' or 50' of #2 welding cable and cut it10'/15' or 15'/35' for ground and electrode cables.
Reply:Thanks Rick, kinda what I thought but wasn't sure. Hobbyist working out of garage with mostly small scale items so roughly equal length will work for me. I figured instead of rolling out the heavy tombstone it would be easier to have long leads and leave the welder against the wall in the garage. I don't feel comfortable welding inside the garage, fumes and all.
Reply:Originally Posted by chopnhack... I figured instead of rolling out the heavy tombstone it would be easier to have long leads and leave the welder against the wall in the garage.
Reply:Rick, the weather here is unpredictable, esp. in summer where it can just rain in a flash. I'd rather be able to run my cables in than try and lug the welder back in fast. BTW, there is no freaking way that 1950's ac-180-k welder is 80lbs, I can lift 80lbs sacks of concrete all day long, but this little bugger wouldn't budge. Took me and another guy to load it. I am guessing around 140 or I need to start hitting the gym I was leaning toward a 10' section of SOOW 10/3 for extension cord, the local BORG sells it for $1.69/ft. So far on one of the welding supply websites I have found #2 welding wire for $1.80/ft - I figure I can pickup about 25' for each lead and be able to weld far away from the house for about $90. Good point on being able to switch your amp. without walking a mile, but I was hoping that after doing a test piece you could dial into the work and then leave it set.Any clue on those output lead tips?
Reply:Originally Posted by chopnhackBTW, there is no freaking way that 1950's ac-180-k welder is 80lbs, I can lift 80lbs sacks of concrete all day long, but this little bugger wouldn't budge. Took me and another guy to load it. I am guessing around 140... Any clue on those output lead tips?
Reply:Thanks Rick. I'm glad I am not getting weak yet  I was getting a sinking sensation that I was screwed on that particular part. I saved the one tip off of the damaged output cable. It looks to be aluminum colored metal, not sure if its copper with al. plating, but its swedged onto the wire. The tip then inserts into that funnel looking thing on the block and then you tighten the screws on the block. I am pretty sure that just putting the wire in will not work. I was wondering about those copper splices they sell for welding cable https://weldingsupply.securesites.com/lencosplicers.pdf maybe cut one side off and solder it shut with the wire inside. Too bad it doesn't list an outer diameter to see if it will fit in the funnel. I will check our area local welding supply house and see if anyone remembers these connectors. Thanks for the info, really appreciate it!
Reply:If your going to order your cable in bulk I would order 60ft and cut it to have 25/35 lengths. The reason being is that if your ground/work can reach then your stinger for sure will reach. If they are equal length and your gound/work barely reaches then the stinger won't give you enough range. It seems that people forget to take into account that you start to loose length on your leads especially if your welding on a large project you need to work around. I prefer to weld away from my machine, less chance of sparks and grinding dust hitting it. Also with more time under your welding belt you will be able to leave your machine set a little on the hotter side and deal with it.
Reply:Good point Jay. For instance I only thought that I would be doing small jobs, but the first project is a 5' long frame, so your right, you need the walk around space. Maybe I'll go 30/20 split then. I also have about an 11' power cord on the unit. Thanks for the info.