Sears Craftsman Welder - Cleaning Up and First Start

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I just picked up this welder.  She's a little dirty but looks in pretty good shape.Now I haven't owned a welder in a while and never one used like this.  It's been sitting for a few years.What should I do to clean it up before plugging her in?  I'd like to repaint the box and make it look like new.


Reply:Maybe blow it off good , pull the cover and blow it out, check the cooling fan reassemble and get to it, I had the same welder, I added some lead to both the ground and electrode cable and used it that way for over 20 years. They are good little AC  machine, if I remember correctly the arc is more stable in the "low" range. It will do great with 7018 AC, 7014, 7024, 6011, 6013 and a slew of other alloys.Last edited by CAVEMANN; 03-25-2019 at 10:22 PM.IMPEACH BIDEN!NRA LIFE MEMBERUNITWELD 175 AMP 3 IN1 DCMIDSTATES 300 AMP AC MACHINEGOD HELP AMERICA!“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream".RONALD REAGAN
Reply:That was about what I was planning.  Looking forward to getting started!Thanks for the advice on rods.  I'm going to use this box to learn with so will probably need more advice along the way!
Reply:Make sure the knob is tightened down fairly well when you go to lock the amperage in. If not, the sliding core will cause the setting to move, sometimes rather violently, upon initiating the arc.
Reply:Be care over-tightening the lock handle, the knob on my dads 295 stripped after a while, I think I ended up putting a 3/8 nut on the thing somewhere to allow it to lock properly, just don't remember how I did it, may ave been like a j-nut.IMPEACH BIDEN!NRA LIFE MEMBERUNITWELD 175 AMP 3 IN1 DCMIDSTATES 300 AMP AC MACHINEGOD HELP AMERICA!“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream".RONALD REAGAN
Reply:i had that same one. After cleaning out all the dirt dobber nests, fixing the power switch and dialing it in. I did a repair to make the movable shunt inside really smooth. After that it was my favorite AC buzz box, even more than the half dozen tombstones i'd owned including a round top : /  Here's me welding with it 3years ago          thermal arc 252i  -  millermatic 350P -   miller XMT, cp300ts, 30a 22a feeders, buttload of other millers, handfull of lincolns, couple of esabs  -   Hypertherm 1250 G3
Reply:Been a while since my last post, but am making progress! Got it stripped down and painted upOn the bench

Before

After

Reassembly

And then the dang ol switch broke!  This was the last thing before buttoning everything up!

So now I’m all stopped. I’ve downloaded the manual and searched the part number but nobody carries that switch and I can’t find one on eBay. Any suggestions?Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Reply:So now I’m all stopped. I’ve downloaded the manual and searched the part number but nobody carries that switch and I can’t find one on eBay. Any suggestions?i've picked up two more of these. One 30-230 and the 30-295. The 30-295 has the SWITCH repair done with a double breaker (pictured).

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        thermal arc 252i  -  millermatic 350P -   miller XMT, cp300ts, 30a 22a feeders, buttload of other millers, handfull of lincolns, couple of esabs  -   Hypertherm 1250 G3
Reply:Have you tried https://www.searspartsdirect.com/ ?I've gotten parts for some really old stuff from them!
Reply:The part you are calling a breaker is probably just a switch.Looks like a factory install to me.Maybe Sears realized there was a problem with the original switch design.
Reply:that industrial gray and your rebuild looks realllly goood. Motivated to work on mine now, im only worried about how clean i can get the faceplate        thermal arc 252i  -  millermatic 350P -   miller XMT, cp300ts, 30a 22a feeders, buttload of other millers, handfull of lincolns, couple of esabs  -   Hypertherm 1250 G3
Reply:

Originally Posted by rexcormack

Have you tried https://www.searspartsdirect.com/ ?I've gotten parts for some really old stuff from them!
Reply:use a breaker laying around.....check out the bigger panel sockets on one of the four i owned. Must've done 'real work'



Attached Images

        thermal arc 252i  -  millermatic 350P -   miller XMT, cp300ts, 30a 22a feeders, buttload of other millers, handfull of lincolns, couple of esabs  -   Hypertherm 1250 G3
Reply:I had a buzzbox that had been sitting for a while. Make sure the fan is spinning when you fire it up.
Reply:Try a Lincoln 9SS7670 line switch. looks similar in size and is the same design.
Reply:

Originally Posted by ccawgc

Try a Lincoln 9SS7670 line switch. looks similar in size and is the same design.
Reply:I have the ugliest functional welder you have ever seen. Mine is Twentieth Century, has the switch you show. Mine is DC also. It hasn't had a switch since. I unplug it, and turn off the breaker.An optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.
Reply:

Originally Posted by sharp21

I took a look but most of the parts are unavailable. I’ll head over to the local welding supply and see if they have something, otherwise I’ll just jury rig something in place I guessSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Reply:And the welding station is complete

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Reply:I had a stick box just like that.  Liked it a lot.  Heavy old school unit.  It did just fine.  Miss it.Loaned it to my son when he started his excavation/concrete business.  One of his friends developed a drug habit and stole it along with thousands of dollars worth of tools.That thing will serve you well for as long as you want to own it.Last edited by Barefootdog; 12-25-2019 at 10:08 PM.