Forney CA aka Baby’s First Buzzbox

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Howdy guys! I’m a much better mechanic/electrician/engineer than I am a welder. Just had to get that off my chest before I said anything else...I’ve decided to purchase what’s advertised as a Forney model CA(?) that looks a lot like a C5 including the model number visible in the pics attached. Seller says it’s 220A but I think he means 220 volt because the C5 is 180A.Regardless, $60 buys me my first buzzbox and my first real chance to practice welding in a decade. I like the old transformer units because they’re so simple and consistent. So what would I benefit most from practicing doing once I’ve given it a good cleaning?


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Reply:Usually we get started (again maybe) with padding on a flat plate. Just run rows of straight stringer beads, strive to be consistent. Any AC compatible rod will do, E6011, E6013, AC7018, etc. Boring though it may seem, few of us start with machine-like regularity.Have fun, Happy New Year!

City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:6013 will be a good rod to start with.  Have fun. I have a couple of those old Forneys.  The F230 I bought new for the farm in the mid 1960’s.

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Reply:I had an old Forney welder for a few years it was quite a bit different from the picture of the one you posted. The sockets on the one that I had were vertical in two rows and it had a high and a low ground. It never ran 6011 or 7018 worth a darn it did great welding using 6013, or 7014 rod. Everytime I tried running 7018 with it almost acted like it didn't have much at all as far as voltage even when I would use the highest plug end settings. Why it didn't like the 7018 I have no idea


Reply:If that old machine could talk it would teach us all a lot about stick welding.
Reply:My buzzbox Forney is the only welder I had on the farm for 35 years.  6011 and 6013 was all I ever used.  Didn’t even know about 7018.   Take the cover off, blow out the innards,check the connections and replace the input power cable if necessary.   Have fun!BTW if you want to try 7018 make certain that it’s 7018AC. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk:
Reply:

Originally Posted by Lis2323

My buzzbox Forney is the only welder I had on the farm for 35 years.  6011 and 6013 was all I ever used.  Didn’t even know about 7018.   Take the cover off, blow out the innards,check the connections and replace the input power cable if necessary.   Have fun!BTW if you want to try 7018 make certain that it’s 7018AC. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Reply:I had to wait for the rain to pass so it came home this afternoon. It is as you’d expect for a welder that started out on a farm then was given as a graduation gift about 40 years ago. It’s seen some things and it’s made some things. Just needs a good cleaning and some new wires and it should be right back to it.Thanks for the advice guys. I’ll update once I have some rods, all the wiring done, and proper cleaning brushes. Would a welding supply store be the right place to find brushes to clean out the sockets?


Reply:Check your connections at all the plugins for looseness... they can work loose over time and burn the wires off. Be careful tightening the bakelight insulators as they do strip easily. The new plastic ones seem to be even worse. I've run tons of 6013 and 7014 through mine as well... haven't tried 7018 on it but I've used it for NI-Cad's and hard surfacing rods. I've cleaned the male plugs lightly (you don't want to remove enough material to make them loose) with fine emery cloth but I don't think I've had to clean the female ones yet. I'd just wrap some fine emery around a screwdriver and go easy.Last edited by whtbaron; 01-01-2019 at 08:24 PM.250 amp Miller DialArc AC/DC StickF-225 amp Forney AC Stick230 amp Sears AC StickLincoln 180C MIGVictor Medalist 350 O/ACut 50 PlasmaLes
Reply:One day a year or so back I was over at someone's house and noticed while he and I were visiting that he had an old forney welder sitting in front of his shop. I asked him if it worked since it was just sitting outside and he said it has never missed a beat. He said it will run just as pretty a weld as most any AC welder today. This guy I was visiting with is in his mid-70's and he said it was his Dad's old welder. No telling how old it was but I am sure it had seen a lot of rods ran through it during the years.
Reply:I got around to giving the unit an initial cleanup yesterday. It needs blown out but all looks well on the inside. Contacts on the power switch look good.

I started by cleaning the sockets. Emery cloth wrapped around a pencil was perfect for the job. Pipe brushes, not so much. (You can’t buy anything for an ID smaller than 1/2” around here anyways.)

I wiped the rest down the rest of the unit with soapy water. The back half of the unit is covered in some sort of sticky goop.

Finally I cleaned the top and quickly reformed it to its roughly original shape.

Not too bad for 60-70 years old!

Next up is the dry rotted power cable replacement (12 ft of 10/3) and a new 50A plug to match the receptacle it will share with the heater. After that I’ll drag out my spare leads and make something workable to test it.
Reply:How about gun cleaning brushes? All kinds, plastic, brass, copper.. Pick your caliber."The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:

Originally Posted by Sandy

How about gun cleaning brushes? All kinds, plastic, brass, copper.. Pick your caliber.
Reply:I picked up a companion for the Forney today. I’ll be finishing work up on the Forney tomorrow morning then testing both units out. I can’t wait to see what a crap welder I am! That said, they may still come in handy in custom hanging the exhaust under my C10 later in the day.


Reply:I've had 2 pro welders use my Forney, and both of them were amazed at how nice it welded. I'm curious to know how that DC adapter works with it... keep us posted.250 amp Miller DialArc AC/DC StickF-225 amp Forney AC Stick230 amp Sears AC StickLincoln 180C MIGVictor Medalist 350 O/ACut 50 PlasmaLes
Reply:Had to special order the tapered plug ends (#57901 and #57902). The local welding store didn’t have any and the originals were crimped on. Looks like it’ll probably be another week til I get to use the Forney. It’s even more disappointing because I have the passenger side exhaust on my truck mounted up but the driver side requires cutting and welding to fit.Soon enough! Next time I’m back it’ll be to report how it works.
Reply:I'm no pro, but I'm not sure stick would be my first choice for exhaust system pipes, unless you are working on hangers. The last Speedy Muffler I was in, the guys were still using O/A with steel rods.250 amp Miller DialArc AC/DC StickF-225 amp Forney AC Stick230 amp Sears AC StickLincoln 180C MIGVictor Medalist 350 O/ACut 50 PlasmaLes
Reply:I’m no pro either and I know for certain I’d make a mess of using stick for exhaust tubing.  Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk:
Reply:Thin pipe is a great test for patience.  But I believe he said hangers.City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:

Originally Posted by tanglediver

Thin pipe is a great test for patience.  But I believe he said hangers.
Reply:

Originally Posted by tanglediver

Thin pipe is a great test for patience.  But I believe he said hangers.
Reply:Reviving this tread with pics of my “new” Forney I picked up today for $31usd ($40CA)


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Reply:

Originally Posted by Lis2323

Reviving this tread with pics of my “new” Forney I picked up today for $31usd ($40CA)Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Reply:

Originally Posted by whtbaron

I'm not sure if that's a newer or older version of my F225... probably newer. Mine is just a square box.
Reply:Dad bought ours new around 1977.... I'm thinking around $300...250 amp Miller DialArc AC/DC StickF-225 amp Forney AC Stick230 amp Sears AC StickLincoln 180C MIGVictor Medalist 350 O/ACut 50 PlasmaLes