Strange problem with my welder

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I inherited an old Montgomery Ward ac/dc welder. It works and welds but one of the first things I noticed about it was that current is flowing through the ground.  So if you hook up your ground clamp and touch your work piece you get a feel of it..  the electricity.  It's wired up correctly to a 220 plug.   Something is causing some current to flow through the ground inside the machine.  Any ideas?
Reply:I zapped some pigs in the barn when I was welding pens in the barn with a bad ground connection inside the welder of my Forney buzz box. Check your ground connections everywhere... right back to the clamp. It's seeking a new ground because the correct one isn't working.The harder you fall, the higher you bounce...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:Yea I'll take a look.. seems like somehow elect. Is leaking into the ground in the machine making it somewhat hot.  I did do some welding without blowing anything up lol but that's how I discovered this issue.. I kept getting shocked from the ground end..
Reply:Not to harp on the old “ground” clamp vs “work clamp”argument, but in this case, calling it a ground could leadto some confusion.Maybe something in the welder is conducting to ground like: secondary winding, rectifier or welding cable connector, givingvoltage between ground and the work clamp?Miller a/c-d/c Thunderbolt XLMillermatic 180 Purox O/ASmith Littletorch O/AHobart Champion Elite
Reply:It might be helpful to see if the problem happens when the leads are reversed.  Try both DCEP and DCEN...might help you narrow down what to look at first.Check out my bench vise website:  http://mivise.comMiller Syncrowave 250DXMillermatic 350P with XR AlumaProMiller Regency 200 with 22A feeder and Spoolmatic 3Hobart Champion EliteEverlast PowerTig 210EXT
Reply:How were you were you wet? How were you completing the circuit... When moved the clamp, touching the work? Is the welder on the table or work?
Reply:It likely has nothing to do with the ground (work) clamp. YOU must become part of the circuit to feel/receive a shock. That means you must have come between the stinger and the ground somehow. Normally with a stick welder, current doesn't flow from one lead to the earth. A TIG welder with HF is a different situation. In any case, check your stinger for bare metal that is putting you in the loop of the circuit. I had this happen once and it was the set screw in the electrode holder handle, and it had backed out enough that it could be inadvertently touched while holding the stinger. Check the insulation on your leads too.Miller Multimatic 255
Reply:If I had something that old do that to me, I might give it a quick look for something Obvious, but then it'd be a trip to the Dump

Today's welders are Much Improved, get a nice little inverter...
Reply:I thought it was pretty common to get shocked wiled wet and sweaty leaning on the work.  Many times I as many others have creatively put a rod in the stinger.
Reply:

Originally Posted by Louie1961

It likely has nothing to do with the ground (work) clamp. YOU must become part of the circuit to feel/receive a shock. That means you must have come between the stinger and the ground somehow. Normally with a stick welder, current doesn't flow from one lead to the earth. A TIG welder with HF is a different situation. In any case, check your stinger for bare metal that is putting you in the loop of the circuit. I had this happen once and it was the set screw in the electrode holder handle, and it had backed out enough that it could be inadvertently touched while holding the stinger. Check the insulation on your leads too.
Reply:The ground may have a internal ground .Transform secondary side to ground or the welder needs cleaning Dave

Originally Posted by justawelder

I inherited an old Montgomery Ward ac/dc welder. It works and welds but one of the first things I noticed about it was that current is flowing through the ground.  So if you hook up your ground clamp and touch your work piece you get a feel of it..  the electricity.  It's wired up correctly to a 220 plug.   Something is causing some current to flow through the ground inside the machine.  Any ideas?