Old Craftsman 220v stick welder doesn't work - fixable?

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My father in law has an old Craftsman stick welder (should be about 40 years old or so) that doesn't work.  The story goes that his father bought it and used it for a couple years, then it stopped working mid-project one day and it has sat in the corner of the garage ever since.Think it could be something fixable or is it more likely that the transformer is shot or something?
Reply:Jeez! With what you have given us so far, who the Hell knows! Pull the cover off and check the connections, take a multimeter and check the switch and if you have a electrician friend with a megger have him hook it to the transformer and take a run at it. By and large most transformer machine are dirt simple and reliable, but wiring connections aren't...start there.Lincoln PrecisionTig 275Miller 251Miller DialArc 250Bridgeport millHossfeld bender & diesLogan shaperJet 14 X 40 latheSouth Bend 9" 'C'Hypertherm 900Ellis 3000 band saw21"Royersford ExcelsiorTwo shops, still too many tools.
Reply:Roy is right. With more information, someone may be able to help you. Chances are it can be fixed and if it can be fixed it should be apparent and cheap to do.Pull the cover off, post some pictures on here. I'll almost bet when you pull the cover you will know what the problem is.Burt _____________________Miller Syncrowave 250Millermatic 211Miller 375 Plasma Cutter Hobart Handler 12010FtDrillBit.com
Reply:Well that's kinda what I was hoping to hear.  I knew you folks couldn't diagnose it by what I gave, I was more looking for an idea as to how common large failures are on a transformer machine.  IE - how often does the transformer actually fail or is it normally just a connection?  Sounds like the latter.  I'm going to get it from him next time I'm visiting and see what I can do.  I repair electronics on the side and have build a few guitar amplifiers from scratch, all of which have power supplies that were more complicated than that whole machine
Reply:The transformer will not usually fail,unless you live in lightning county.The double pole switch tends to get gummy and dirty.
Reply:My last welder that quit working mid-project (during a weld bead) was because of a bad diode.  Cheap part.Dave J.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:if its an ac only welder it's prob something very simple. BUT it also depends how handy you are. SO....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:Check the cord connections also, then go to the switch.I "fixed" a Miller for a guy, sprayed the hinges in the snap portion of the switch to free it, then lubed the same.He couldn't figure it out as it was above hs skill level.
Reply:Yeah, all the above!  The only "welder failure" I ever had turned out to be a defective stinger extender cable.I had an embarrassing (in the end) thread on that one.I presumed my old Lincoln tombstone had gone belly up, but it turned out to be only a faulty extension cable I was using at the time.It only took me about 4 years to find that out by accident.
Reply:Be careful diagnosing that machine...220v hurts!
Reply:try to find the model number on the welder. might be two of them.one from craftsman and one from the factory that made it. look  on the front for a row of text. should have all the specs. and maybe a model number that starts with 110.post it and then we can help.
Reply:Thanks for the help guys.  I'll let you know what it is once I get it from my father in law.  He lives an hour away so I'm not sure when I'll see him next.As far as skill level to fix it, I'll be fine.  I was just curious if due to major loading the transformer going bad might be common in welders.  It almost never happens in a guitar amplifier or other electronics unless they overheat (normally someone blocked the vents or something).Like I said, if I can build an amplifier from scratch and repair existing ones (which I do for a local guitar shop), I'm sure I can get this figured out.