can't get arc

admin

There are lots of threads on this but I have a slightly different problem and question.I have a small stick welder I bought on sale to use for small jobs like 1/8 steel.  I had it in my basement and didn't realize I had a flood one day.  The welder was probably in 3" of water, which is enough to get to about 1" of the transformer.  I let it dry out and tried it one day and had no problem striking an arc.Now, about 6 months later I take it out to do a small job and no arc.  The transformer is humming away nicely and I have 32 V AC at the rod holder, but it won't even spark if I touch the holder to the ground clamp.  I have tried Max. and Min. settings with the same results.  I took off the case and don't see any signs of corrosion other that some rust at the rod holder which I cleaned up.  I am assuming it to be an amperage problem, but I am not sure where to go from here.It is just a cheap welder, but replacing it is not in the budget.Any ideas?  Any help appreciated.Regards,Leland
Reply:First, what welder is it? Pics always help too.If you want help, don't make people guess.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:What Dave said may help and it sounds like a bad connection due to corrosion.With your VOM connected to the work clamp and stinger, see what happens to the OCV when you touch the rod to the material.  If it drops to or near zero volts you've got a bad connection problem which can be either on the primary (input) or secondary (output) side of the transformer.MM200 w/Spoolmatic 1Syncrowave 180SDBobcat 225G Plus - LP/NGMUTT Suitcase WirefeederWC-1S/Spoolmatic 1HF-251D-1PakMaster 100XL '68 Red Face Code #6633 projectStar Jet 21-110Save Second Base!
Reply:Was that ground clamp hanging in the water? It could be as simple as corrosion between the cable and the clamp.250 amp Miller DialArc AC/DC StickF-225 amp Forney AC Stick230 amp Sears AC StickLincoln 180C MIGVictor Medalist 350 O/ACut 50 PlasmaLes
Reply:Thanks fur the replies.  There was some corrosion on the stinger connection, but I didn't notice any on the clamp.  I'll pull it off just to be safe and check voltage drop.I should have mentioned that I went all the way back to the transformer and peeled some of the insulation off of the wires and touched the stinger cable to the ground at that point with no spark, the same with touching the ground to the positive at the transformer.There is no smell of shorted electrical nor any sound of short, just a normal transformer hum.The machine is a Mastercraft 110V, I believe 80 amps on Max,  It has no dial,, just a Min. or Max setting, but is all I need for now for my small jobs.