Montgomery Ward a-c welder

admin

A friend of mine gave me a Wards A-C Arc Welder Model 2-5 Serial no. 7297. Does anyone know how old this one is and a little history on how to use it.  It works great  but I am not sure on the settings for different thickness of metal. I am just a home welder that just likes to play with the welder and make things.
Reply:Most Monkey Wards welders are made by Century. If so it should have a 6-digit model number on it, probably in small print. Posting good pictures of the welder will help a lot. JohnA few weldersA lot of hammersA whole lot of C-clamps
Reply:Settings for the machine are mostly based on the type and size rod you choose. You choose the size and type of rod based on the material you are welding.Most small packages of rods will tell you the suggested range for that type or rod for that size. 1/16 or 5/64" rods are good for say up to 1/8", though really thin sheet will be a PITA to weld with stick. 1/8" up thru say 1/4" 3/32" rods work well. 3/16" thru say 3/8" then 1/8" rods would be a better choice. Thicker than 3/8", larger rods say maybe 3/16" or 5/32" depending on the upper limit of your machines output.75-120 is about the range of most 3/32" rods. 100-150amps about the range of many 1/8" rods. 6011 is an exception as it usually runs at a much lower amperage than other rods. 75-120 would be the rough range for say 1/8" 6011. In the range, usually the middle is a good starting point to try. You shouldn't have sticking issues like you do at the lower end of the range, or problems burning thru like you might at the upper end. Adjust as needed based on how things are welding..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:Originally Posted by DSW6011 is an exception as it usually runs at a much lower amperage than other rods. 75-120 would be the rough range for say 1/8" 6011.
Reply:The numbers above were just a generic suggestion. Every manufacturer has their own range rods should be run in. Lincoln has 5 or 6 different 7018 rods that they sell and there is a slightly different range for each one that they suggest. I've also seen some that are widely different than other brands. I think some of the Hobart rods in 6013 are suggested to run a lot lower than others do when I looked up what seemed to be a "wrong" suggestion some one had made.Keep in mind that what the machine says also may not be what the actual output is either. I've seen machines whose knob markings are way off from what they really are. You might have to set the machine 20-30 amps higher than you might on another machine to get it to weld correctly..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:Yeah... don't want to hijack the thread, but the short version is that the rods weren't lighting well on the thick rust of recycled oilfield pipe, so they had the amperage turned up so high it'd blow holes in it. The original welder had been running it around 170, and you could see where he'd gouged almost all the original metal out of his beads.On the plus side, at least it wasn't code work.Currently working as a Paralegal, but still interested in hobby welding.Miller Bobcat 225ntOne- Character Fractions: ¼ ½ ¾ ⅛ ⅜ ⅝ ⅞