Rust on shunt????

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Hello all first post here. I am very new to welding and have found this sight to be very helpful sofar. I got a smoking deal on a 1997 model year 225 thunderbolt AC/DC welder with leads gloves helmet hammer for FREE!! The man who gave me the machine said he would be surprised if the machine has a total of 3 hrs of run time on it. And has probably sat unused for 10 years.I removed the wrapper and blew out the dirt and dust and greased the shunt. My concern is the amount of surface rust on the shunt and mounting brackets. Is there anything else I should check before operating the welder? ThanksBrian Attached ImagesBrianMiller Thunderbolt 225 AC/DCEverlast 255 EXT with water coolerH.F. 170 Mig/Flux welderKent 3h.p. 9x42 milling machineHome Built 2"x72" variable speed 2 h.p. belt grinderHome built 9" variable speed 2 h.p. disc grinder
Reply:You are one VERY LUCKY dude!!!!!  I don't know about the shunt but you better go buy some lottery tickets real fast!!!  That looks almost brand new.
Reply:If that amount of rust was a problem, all of my machines would be non-functional. Nice score Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:Now that's a sweet deal. You should be fine as long as you greased the shunt and it moves up and down. Plug it in and start welding!I have had 2-3 of those and they are great little welders.Burt _____________________Miller Syncrowave 250Millermatic 211Miller 375 Plasma Cutter Hobart Handler 12010FtDrillBit.com
Reply:Thanks guys! There were a variety of electrodes in the box as well.  Some look bad, some look good. I have 6013 rods in .125 & .093 . The 7014 rods look moldy. The 7018 rods look ok but iirc 7018 rods need to be stored properly. Would any of these be any good or should I toss them all?BrianMiller Thunderbolt 225 AC/DCEverlast 255 EXT with water coolerH.F. 170 Mig/Flux welderKent 3h.p. 9x42 milling machineHome Built 2"x72" variable speed 2 h.p. belt grinderHome built 9" variable speed 2 h.p. disc grinder
Reply:Originally Posted by melsdadThanks guys! There were a variety of electrodes in the box as well.  Some look bad, some look good. I have 6013 rods in .125 & .093 . The 7014 rods look moldy. The 7018 rods look ok but iirc 7018 rods need to be stored properly. Would any of these be any good or should I toss them all?
Reply:I tried one of the 3/32 6013 rods couldn't even get it to strike just wanted to stick. I bought some new hobart 1/8" 7014 rods and they ran good. So here it is my first stick weld. I was running 125 amp on the AC side with a 7014 1/8" rod on a scrap of 4140I ran a 1" bead and stopped.  Then ran another 2.5" you can see where I restarted. I was makimg small circles as I progressed. The slag is a real mother to chip off...any suggestions? Attached ImagesBrianMiller Thunderbolt 225 AC/DCEverlast 255 EXT with water coolerH.F. 170 Mig/Flux welderKent 3h.p. 9x42 milling machineHome Built 2"x72" variable speed 2 h.p. belt grinderHome built 9" variable speed 2 h.p. disc grinder
Reply:Nice score! I've got one just like it that has 1,000s of hours on it. You might want to try the 70 series rods with D/C.. You'll like the outcome, also 70 series are drag rods and most 60 series are push rods. Typically if you have problems with a rod sticking on start up you can back the amps down a bit and solve that, I run 1/8" 7018 between 110-120 amps depending on position and material.Like Dave said.. It takes countless hours and a cargo shop full of rods to become proficient! Have fun with that thunderbolt! She will serve you well!Real welders know how to penetrate!(Equipment)Whatever can be used to beat my opponent into submission!
Reply:Dan I switched to DC at about 125 amps and and just drug the rod. This is going to take some practice for sure to get a straight consistent bead. Attached ImagesBrianMiller Thunderbolt 225 AC/DCEverlast 255 EXT with water coolerH.F. 170 Mig/Flux welderKent 3h.p. 9x42 milling machineHome Built 2"x72" variable speed 2 h.p. belt grinderHome built 9" variable speed 2 h.p. disc grinder
Reply:Watching the shape and distance of the slag puddle from the rod will help your consistency with 70s. I find what works for me is to hold the rod at a slight angle so the slag puddle makes a nice arc (half moon) about the width of your electrode behind the actual steel puddle. If you keep the slag puddle consistent the weld will look good! 60s are a whole nother ball game.!Real welders know how to penetrate!(Equipment)Whatever can be used to beat my opponent into submission!