power supply to stick welder

admin

Hello i am jason,ive done some welding when i was teen, just small pre-fab work. Im trying to get back to welding. I bought a 200 dollar stick welder from harbor freight (have to start somewhere huh). Now i have a 7500 watt generator and im trying to put them together. My generator has a 220 plug but it is a locking four plug , AND my stick  welder has a three prong plug like a duplo  reg. plug9just bigger) also im noticing that the stick welder takes 225 amp max what can i do when all i see sold are 50 ampis connectors.Do I have to tie these in with a regulator or what?  Well I have the first of many roadblocks can someone help me
Reply:You are reading it wrong - your stick welder only draws 50 amps max.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:Your not going to get much "steady play time" with a 50 amp welder. Its duty cycle wont hold much. You will be able to somewhat start back practicing on plate and such running a bead. and doing some small projects it will be fine for now. Does you welder plug look like the plug in off of a dryer?
Reply:I would suggest returning the harbor freight and shopping for a used Lincoln tombstone or a Miller thunderbolt. In my area you can get these off craigs list from $50 to $300.00.AC is less money while AC/DC is more. Better and proven  machines.
Reply:welcome to the forum Jason.Lincoln A/C 225Everlast P/A 200
Reply:The 220 volt plug on your generator, will have a breaker,  how many amps is that breaker?  On your welder and in the manual thier should be a "input power" spec eg.  230volt 40 amp 60hz.  Your generator will have a 4 wire plug 2 live 1 neutral and 1 ground and your welder will not have the neutral wire.  (Difference between 110/220 and 220 power).   If your generator has a 30 amp breaker and your welder is 40 amps you can weld in the lower settings on the welder without tripping the breaker.  In my opinion if you went to your local welding supplier  these questions would be answered and you would know if the welder was the right one for the projects you have planned.  May cost a few more initial dollars but education is expensive.  (particularly trial and error education)
Reply:A bit of relevant discussion regarding running transformer stick welders on a generator:  http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...nerator-to-useYou can make up a patch cord to make your welder and generator match, or switch the plug on the welder.  However, if your generator has a 30A 240V outlet, don't expect the welder to perform well. Lincoln Electric recommends a 15 kW generator to run an AC-225!  Might get by with 10 kW at lower settings.http://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-us...ze-detail.aspx"USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:Math might suggest this will work, but in reality it won't. Lincoln suggests a 15KW generator to run their basic AC/DC transformer stick machine with pretty much the same power requirements that has. Your 7.5Kw unit is most likely rated in surge watts. It probably only puts out about 6KW-6.5 KW continuous, nowhere near enough power to make this work.Transformer machines don't use power linearly. At the lower end, they are so inefficient, that they just soak up power and don't give you any weld output. Combine that with losses that you get when running a genny, and I doubt you will be happy with the results.That price is also quite high for what amounts to a very basic AC transformer stick machine. I see those listed on CL used fairly regularly running between $50-$150 for much better units. I'd rather than an old Craftsman or Montgomery Wards unit than that thing even new.  You might want to just take that back and locate something like a used Lincoln AC 225 or AC Miller Tbolt, or one of the older store branded units instead.If you choose to ignore me and just go ahead and try to run it off your genny, I'd strongly suggest you not change the plug or alter the machine in any way. That way you can return it when it doesn't work. Build yourself a 6-50R to 30 amp twistlock adapter instead. Lowes/Depot should have everything you need to do so. It's a bit more expensive than just swapping out the plug. but it will save you in the long run..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:The electrical talk throws me into left field  I got to figure out these watts and kw's, and hertz lingo haha
Reply:It never hertz to know watts happening with voltage and current. Per Lincoln:It appears that a 5000 or 6000 watt 230 VAC generator is large enough to operate my AC/DC 225/125 welder using a 1/8 inch diameter E6010. Please confirm.It does appear (if you do the math) that you should be able to use 1/8 in. and smaller diameter electrodes with an AC/DC 225/125 powered by a 5000 or 6000 watt generator. Unfortunately, the design of the transformer on the AC/DC 225/125 is not efficient enough to be powered by a small generator. If you try and weld with this combination you will most likely experience the electrode being hard-to-strike and also the electrode frequently sticking to the work.If you are fortunate to establish an arc, the arc will tend to pop out frequently. Also, there will not be adequate heat input to the work, resulting in low weld quality (poor fusion), and poor bead appearance.To successfully run your AC/DC 225/125 welder you would need a minimum of a 15,000 watt AC generator.--------------------------------------Tranny welders generally have high inrush, low power factor and low efficiency, unlike inverter welders."USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:I have my stick welder powered by an 18HP Kohler Engine. Don't need a generator to run it off of, or a wall socket to plug into.
Reply:Originally Posted by BistineauI have my stick welder powered by an 18HP Kohler Engine. Don't need a generator to run it off of, or a wall socket to plug into.
Reply:Thanks to each of you, I really appreciate returning answer to my question so promptly. I do believe that you all are right I'm probably better off just taking back my Harbor Freight special and finding myself a good priced used welder. So that brings me to my latest question , anybody know where or who of finding my new secret love, "My metal melting love"  Where can i find myself a good welder at a reasonable price? thanks again Jasonemc
Reply:It would help if you added your location to your profile so we know where you live. We have members from all over the world and it's hard to answer that question if we don't have any idea where you live.I like to use Searchtempest to search CL listings and use "welder" as my search term and sort the list manually. If you see an add you think might be of interest to you, feel free to post up the link, and guys will tell you if it's a good fit for what you want ( assuming you tell us a little about what you are looking to do). Some areas nice used welders pop up all the time on CL. Other areas you have to go a bit farther afield to  find stuff and it's not as common..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:Its duty cycle wont hold much. You will be able to somewhat start back practicing on plate and such running a bead.