Stick welder help

admin

Sorry to bother you pros with a DS question, but here goes anyway.  A friend gave me an unused Sears Craftsman 100 AC infinite amp arc welder.  I finally got around to opening it up, and immediately encountered a problem.  Instructions say to connect the "shorter lead" to the grounding clamp; however both leads are the same length.  How do I determine which lead is the ground lead?  The power and ground leads are on the same piece of twin lead that is pulled apart to provide the separation needed to weld.  I've use my continuity tester to see if I could figure out which lead is ground, but without being powered up, I don't believe you can determine using this method.  I suppose it might make no difference, but there is a "troubleshooting" step that suggests a problem associated with the ground clamp being connected to the wrong lead.  Before I do something really stupid, I'd like to know I have the unit connected correctly.FYI, "pros" at Sears Craftsman tools could only provide me with the name of their supplier--Clore Automotive.  They won't be available until Monday, and I would like to do some practice welding this weekendThanks in advance for any suggestions.
Reply:If it is just an AC welder, then it truly doesn't matter. Fire it up and give it a try.- John
Reply:John... Thanks for the quick reply--it is an AC welder, I'll go fire it up this afternoon.
Reply:You can split the twin lead anyhow. It will be easier to work with with .  Have fun!DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:AC is 50% DCEP and 50% DCEN so it doesn't matter.  John