Airco welder info needed

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I've got an old airco welder that was my dads.  Now it's mine and I was wondering if anyone knew where I could get a manual, parts and other information on this welder.  I don't have the model number available right now but will post that when I get it.  I haven't found a whole lot of info on the web so far but I knew that someone here might have a good lead.Thanks!
Reply:As far as I know airco is still in buisness you should try to give them a call.
Reply:I had not been able to find anything on the web.  I assumed that they were out of business. If they are still in business, that would be great.  Thanks for the info Robby!Does anyone know where I can get pedal controls for this welder?  It has a plug-in on the front but I am not real familiar with what to get or where to get it.Thanks Again!
Reply:I bet it is a 3 prong plug like that used by the old millers (dialarc).  If it is, several companies still make the plug and it is not NEMA, so you will have to order it, but the foot petal is going to be harder.  You will have to either find a used one or modify another brand to work, or pony up big bucks for a new aftermarket one (for new and a nasty sticker shock try http://www.ssccontrols.com/ ).  Ebay is probably the best bet.  As for the welders, I think airco, as a welding power supply manufacture, is gone.  If you need more info on the plug, I can get the info for you.  I just dont have it with me now.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:Smithboy, you're right, it is a 3-prong.  The prongs are arc shaped and spaced equally around the perimeter of the plug.  There is a hole right in the middle of the plug as well.I did find a company, called arc-products, that carries Airco equipment.  I was able to order an owners manual for my welder from them.  They appearently bought all the Airco stuff from ESAB.  We'll see if it's the right one when I get it.I didn't have any luck yet on ebay finding any foot controls and SSC didn't have anything listed that looked like it would work.  Although, I didn't call them, I just checked out their website.Thanks for the help and if anyone has a lead on a foot pedal please let me know.
Reply:newsithlord,FYI, Airco (Air Reduction Company) welders were built by Miller for many years.Tony
Reply:can you tell me a little more about the machine. Is it a mig machine, crackerbox or other? I can ask around for you. I bet its orange huh? lol I learned to weld on a airco mig machine about a hundred years ago but man even the best millers out today can not top the welds of those old orange machines. I remember they had a crank wheel about as big as a hubcap. I miss that machine  reminds me of the good old days
Reply:It's orange alright!  "150 amp ac/dc MSM heliwelder" is what is says on the front panel.  I'm using it for tig welding.  I already have a millermatic for mig.  It has a crank right in the middle to adjust amps.  Plus it has a hi/lo switch for the range of amps as well.  It has the jack for High freq control.  Thats what I want to use so I can weld aluminum.  There is a switch by this jack that looks like is for turn the remote on and off.  The switch looks like it has broken off so I really have no idea what it is for.Can I stick weld with this machine?
Reply:You should be able to.  Most of the old tig welders are just stick welders with the high freq units built in.  Most came with a selector that allowed the unit to run continuously (for aluminum) or just on the start of the arc (for steel).  You just need the electrode holder and a cable.  The hi-freq jack is probably just a place to put an inline off/on switch.  You may have to just bypass that if you cant find the original connector.  I have one that had an odd connector and I just built a new one and made a remote foot switch from a cheap foot controler off some old vaccum pump.  It's a rig-up but it works like a top.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:Smithboy:So if I flip the switch on to use to HF. Then I don't need to the foot pedal to use the HF function.  That would be great.  I thought that you needed the foot pedal to start the arc and control the amps when welding aluminum.  Probably showing my ignorance here!  I guess you could do the same no matter what the material being welded is.  But, HF is an aluminum only thing right?I have an electrode holder that is being used as part of the ground circuit right now.  That's why i was wondering if I could stick weld because the equipment needed for that process is already there.  I even have some rods to burn!Hopefully, when my owners manual shows up, and if it's the right one, I'll learn a little more about this machine.I appreciate everyone's help here!
Reply:Sounds like you have all you need to stick weld.  two cables (gound and electrode holder, and electrodes.)Hi-freq is used for most metals to start the arc in the tig process, just for different durations, depending on the metal.  I dont know if your welder will allow you to run the high-freq without anything plugged into the remote, but you can find out by just turning the welder on and switching on the hi-freq to continuous and check the contacts for a continuous spark.I tig aluminum all the time (and steel sometimes) with no foot adjustment.  A pedal does make things a lot easier at the edges, but I just never got around to getting one for myself.  I have used an old rhc-3 miller hand control as a substitute, but even that is just for convienience.  The Rhc-3 only changes the amps, it does not affect the hi-freq in any way.Generally, on the older machines, when you flip to "continuous" it stays on as long as the machine is on (if it has its own 120v power, it might even stay on when the welder is off).  If hi-freq is working (try to make sure it is), you should hear a noise that sounds like a bug zapper comming from the contacts and see an arc between them (if they are visible).  They look like contact points out of an old car (becasue that is what they are...sorta).  If your welder has a "hot start" or "something start" switch, that setting is for tigging mild steel or other similar metals in DC, not aluminum in AC.  Switch to "Continuous" or something that sounds like that and make sure you are in AC for aluminum.  The bare minimum needed to tig alumunum is 1) an air cooled tig torch with the appropriate tungsten (pure tungsten is probably a good place to start), 2) an ac welder with 3) hi-frequency running continuously, and 4) pure argon shielding gas.  If you have hi-freq set to "hot start" you will get an arc, but it will immediately extinguish...Remember "continuous".  Clean the surface of the aluminum you intend to practice on with a stainless brush (practice first).  You should see a real difference in the shinnyness of the metal where you clean.  If Hi-freq is working continuously all you need to do then is turn on the argon to a flow of about 20-30, get the torch really close, but not too close.  The arc will start on its own as soon as the shielding is adequate and the distance from torch to workpiece is adequately small.  Don't jump when the arc starts.  Everyone I have ever tried to teach to tig aluminum jumps and drops the torch onto the metal.  This means you have to go re-grind the tungsten and that gets frustrating.  Some folks even close thier eyes until it starts...whatever works, right?  150 amps is not a whole lot when welding aluminum.  You might not be able to do anything more than probably 3/16 inch in a single pass easily (maybe not that much).  Get the arc started and just experiment (different amps, different speed, etc). You will probably screw up a lot of metal before you get comfortable, so expect that.  If you dont...well, you did much better than I did.  When I was learning, I felt like I had single handedly wasted enough aluminum to build a 747.  Be careful with the tig torch/ tungsten electrode and dont get too relaxed.  You are using high amp AC current with high frequency to boot.  It can jump a gap and bite hard and make you dance...and, in some cases, kill.  Don't take the torch apart while the machine is on.  My son did this and it shocked the snot out of him...he still ain't right...but that might be more genetics than electricity.As long as high freq works and your welder is working, you have argon and a tig torch, the rest will come, sooner..................................or later.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:Smithboy:Thanks for the massive amounts of info.  I appreciate the help.  When I took welding classes at the local tech college we tig welded AL for one class. It was some Miller multi process machine.  With that machine I could control the amps with the foot pedal. I was hoping to be able to do the same with the Airco.I received my owners manual from arc-products today, it was the correct one, and it looks like adjustable amps is not possible with the foot pedal.  It is an on/off only HF remote or flip the the switch on the machine to on for continuous HF.  Just like you thought smithboy!You mentioned a hand control unit.  Is this attached right to the torch or replaces the torch or what?  Not familiar with that item but sounds like a neat thing to have if only for convienience like you said.Now I just need to replace the switch on the machine so I can access the HF function.  Will any on off toggle switch do?  The manual had no info on the type of switch.Thanks!
Reply:I used a kit that miller sells to add remote amperage controls to my dialarc and bought a RHC-3 controller.  You can make the kit yourself out of some wire and a simple twist lock plug/outlet and an on/off switch to switch between remote and machine amp controls.  The kit costs $49 from a miller service center.  You are really paying mostly for the instructions cause you probably have the parts you need already around your house.  My guess is that you can do the same with pretty much any welder that uses a big hefty potentiometer for amperage adjustment.  The RHC-3 is just a potentiometer in a box with a long 3-wire connector cable.  It isnt one of those thumb dials or a new 14, 16, or 99 pin cable devices that control gobs of stuff.  It's a big clunky box that you just carry with you and sit beside you while you weld.  Saves on walking back to the welder, but a foot controler would be better.  I am just cheap.  If you get the remote plug wired, you can add a simple foot-pedal potentiometer for amp controls or use a remote hand control unit like I have for cheap.  I found my first RHC-3 in a yard sale 10-12 years ago for $5.  I bought a second off ebay (as a backupand and as a possible experiment) for about 20 bucks with shipping compared to 3 to 5 times that for a used foot pedal.To begin with you should just try to check to see that everything works right and you can weld aluminum sufficiently well with the welder to see if you want to go through the trouble of adding a remote.  Once you have successfully done a couple of aluminum beads that are approximately fair, send me a personal message and I will send you a copy of the wiring diagram for the remote receptical and you can see if you want to attempt to adapt the info to your machine.  I added mine a long time ago now, but I still have the instructions and still havent popped for a foot pedal...Althought I have thought of trying to turn the extra hand contol into one.Note to self:  Check to see if "the Clapper" can be used to turn on Hi-frequency. Last edited by smithboy; 09-07-2005 at 06:14 PM.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:That's a nice set up you have.I removed the broken toggle switch from the machine today and will replace it when I can find a suitable replacement.  Then we'll see if the HF works on this unit.  As far as I know, my dad never used this for anything but mild and stainless steel.Thanks for the help and I will post back with the results.
Reply:Got the switch replaced.  Fired it up and welded some 1/8" aluminum fine.  I first tried 75 amps and that was way too cold.  135 was too hot and 125 seemed to work fine.  The rod I was using was 3/32".  Seemed a little big but that was the smallest the welding supply house had.  Also, I wasn't using pure tungsten.  All I had was 2%.  Didn't seem to effect it too much but this was only a test piece.  I did notice that the tungsten did not form a ball at the end like i am used to seeing when welding aluminum.  Any information on this?Anyway, looks like the high freq works.  I really appreciate everyones help.
Reply:The non-pure ac rated tungstens are supposed to be better at holding their shape.  I use the black banded ones (I think 2% th.).  Not everyone uses pure tungsten for aluminum (especially in inverter machines).  There are plenty of charts that show what works.  It's just that pure is the old tried and true for older welders.  Just thought it would be a good place to start, but you have started...that's what counts.  Sounds like you got a pretty good machine that's simple and effective.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.