1944 Welder..... Having trouble......

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I bought an old welding machine..... from 1944......The makers plate says AC Arc Welder. It has box on top that I thought.... or maybe still think.... was a DC rectifier....However...... I can't keep a 5P+ rod lit with this thing. Today at class I tried on a Dialarc and ran 15 rods of 5P+ without sticking a single one..... Decent for a student.I get home and try to run the same rod on this 1944 machine and can't get it to work...Question is: What happens when you attempt to run a DC rod on an AC machine? (I'm now assuming that this is an AC only machine....... not a DC machine like I thought).Is my machine ready for scrap? Or do I just need to get some 6011 rod and call it a day with this thing? Attached Images
Reply:6010 won't weld well on even some very nice DC machines, Maxstar 150's for example. It just doesn't have the right OCV to burn them right from what I understand. That would be my guess with your machine if that is a DC rectifier on top. It's simply not putting out the kind of DC power that rod wants to run well with.Unless you are doing code quality work, I can't see why 6011 can't stand in for what you would do with 6010, For all practical reason it's simply 6010 for AC, and you can still run it on DC if you want. If that machine welds well with 7018 ( either standard or AC), and other rods you want to use other than 6010, just keep it. There's nothing wrong with it if you are the average hobbyist or farm guy. It wouldn't be my choice for code work, but that doesn't mean it couldn't work for some code things if it tested out right..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:What does the label on the little top box say ?
Reply:The box on the top only says the following:Missing LinkHy-Cycle Automatic ArcMid-Sates Equipment CorpChicago IllinoisModel Number 1Primary Volts 220ACAmperes 1/2   Cycles 50-60   Phase IPatent PendingTo the WelderDo Not operate at more than 300 Amperes Attached Images
Reply:http://books.google.com/books?id=AiE...epage&q&f=truelooks like it is a high freq add on unit on top.
Reply:@DSW:My only experience is at ACC in Austin on a DialArc machine. I think it is a DialArc 250 if I remember right. I cranked it up this morning at 95 amps...... I ran 15 of the 5P+...... did it fast.... in about 5 minutes.... then for shiggles I ran 3 rods of 7018 fresh out of the oven at about 125 amps.All ran smooth. Nothing stuck. I felt very happy that I might have actually learned something last semester in my CE course.I then resumed my TIG training.... that's another story...
Reply:Originally Posted by leightrepairshttp://books.google.com/books?id=AiE...epage&q&f=truelooks like it is a high freq add on unit on top.
Reply:From the verbiage in the article it sounds like high freq. States that you can start the arc without touching the work piece. Also says that you can use it with ac/dc. Looks like it has an on/off switch, I don't think you would need that for a bridge rectifier (converts ac to dc).
Reply:run the welding cables off the bottom unit and try that I am guessing that the top is a rectifier and if the selinium rectifiers are bad then it can be goofy . Try the machine on ac then let us know how it goes.Miller thunderbolt 250Decastar 135ERecovering tool-o-holic ESAB OAI have been interested or involved in Electrical, Fire Alarm, Auto, Marine, Welding, Electronics ETC to name a just a few. So YES you can own too many tools.
Reply:So take the top unit out of the equation ?   ......... Plug my ground into the bottom unit ground hole and plug the electrode into the amp hole?  Is that what you mean?
Reply:The top thing seems to be an arc booster.Just try the cables in the bottom holes,it should act like a regular AC arc welder.
Reply:The "Missing Link" is a high-frequency arc starter, not a rectifier. That welder is AC only, and 6010's run poorly if at all on AC. Use 6011, 6013, or 7014 and you'll be fine.If the HF unit works, you can set up a primitive TIG rig with it for welding aluminum.JohnA few weldersA lot of hammersA whole lot of C-clamps
Reply:If you haven't already, post pic in the "oldest welder being used" thread. Nice find."Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding"Stick-man"
Reply:Originally Posted by FexalThe box on the top only says the following:Missing LinkHy-Cycle Automatic ArcMid-Sates Equipment CorpChicago IllinoisModel Number 1Primary Volts 220ACAmperes 1/2   Cycles 50-60   Phase IPatent PendingTo the WelderDo Not operate at more than 300 Amperes
Reply:Originally Posted by FexalThe box on the top only says the following:Missing LinkHy-Cycle Automatic ArcMid-Sates Equipment CorpChicago IllinoisModel Number 1Primary Volts 220ACAmperes 1/2   Cycles 50-60   Phase IPatent PendingTo the WelderDo Not operate at more than 300 Amperes
Reply:Today I am on "daddy duty" meaning I am spending my day coloring with Ava..... watching Mikey Mouse Club House........ and now and then convincing Ava we should tidy up the garage...... She is two and a half....... so..........I had a few minutes to steel away to the garage and got to run a single (yes.... just 1) rod on this old Buzz Box. Based on feedback here..... I learned it is in fact AC only. So.... I ran down to Home Depot the other day and grabbed a 5# box of 6011 rod. I have never run 6011...... only 6010 and 7018 on the Dialarc at school.At first, I was having a hard time getting the 6011 to light using the top box..... getting aggravated, I remembered someone here saying to just plug into the bottom box only.So I did...... the bead is not pretty...... at all.....but it ran non-stop unlike the 6010 attempts where it would stop burning all the time.The first pic is the 6010 rod I use at school with great success. On this machine left all of the crap you see in the picture of the piece I used to weld on. The second picture is the 6011 rod I bought at Home Depot.The third picture is the old machine without the use of the box on top (it must be defunct or something). I was running on 100 amps.The fourth picture is the 5/16" piece I was working with. The Yellow Arrow points to the first ever attempt on 6011 rod that ran without stopping (ugly, but I'm happy the machine ran it non-stop)......... Everything else in the photo is the crap that was produced by the 6010.The last is my kiddo..... helping me in the garage....Oh..... on more thing...... when I lifted my hood...... the garage was filled with smoke..... is that normal for 6011? Does it just throw off lots of crap in the air? Attached Images
Reply:If that was 1/8 rod think you need to crank it up a bit. Not bad, just looks cold. Yea its going to be smoky. Oh and that little girl is too cute, bet she has you wrapped around pinky already
Reply:I ran a few rods today. I ended up running at 135 amps.... too hot I think... but the 120 amp slot doesn't work, and I kept sticking it at 100 amps today.... so 135 amps it was....A little hot.... but the rods ran nice enough.... I'm still a student at this whole thing..... but I think I can finally make this machine a regular fixture in my garage!A few pics...... Attached Images
Reply:don't waste your time or money. get yourself a Lincoln Idealarc 250 AC/DC unit.  If you're serious about learning welding, put that old equipment behind you.
Reply:I am serious about welding...... and we use the 250 Dialarc at class.... and I like that machine. I can run 6010 and 7018 without sticking all day now........ But I'm funding challenged......... Or else I would have one of those in my garage...... but this 1944 welder is somewhat of a novelty for me...... I mean the darn thing is 70+ years old and works like a champ..... I mean that is cool..... it has a spot in my garage on that merit alone........I also want a Hobart EZ Tig 165i like no body's business....... but again..... I'm funding challenged.......
Reply:not calling you out. I know about money problems. trust me. i m going through them now.  look around, search craigslist, ebay, even barter for a DC unit and you will be way ahead of the curve.  I bought an old IdealArc for $300 a few years back. Not saying you will find one for that price, but they are out there.  Good Luck.
Reply:Fex,Wow, she is growing so big! Congrats. That is awesome to have a girl in the garage. I have a suggestion....Sandblast those cabinets and repaint it, have some new decals made for it. Sell it and use the money for a welder that is more capable and useful. Just an idea. Guys collect old stuff like that. Unless you are really in love with it. If you love it, hold onto it like no tomorrow. That water softener? Toss that bad boy out in the garbage. I have been through several of those units. Get yourself a Kinetico. I use 25% of the salt and it is so easy.Lincoln Power Mig 210MP MIGLincoln Power Mig 350MP - MIG and Push-PullLincoln TIG 300-300Lincoln Hobby-Weld 110v  Thanks JLAMESCK TIG TORCH, gas diffuser, pyrex cupThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 101My brain
Reply:Most of my welding is done with an old Weld Master welder made in Boston MA.Its wound with  cotton insulated wire.Its marked 150 amps.My Dad bought it in the mid 50s in a junk yard for 10 bucks.It didnt run 7018 well so I bought a Lincoln 225 in 1964.Its easy to blame the old machine when welds look bad.The old welder will do good work if you know how to use it.