Old Westinghouse ac/dc arc welder for general use?

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I've lived on an acreage for a few years and I'm really starting to realize the need for a general purpose welder. My highschool had a great welding program and I took every course I could, but that's going back almost two decades now. While I have a bit of experience and I understand most of the concepts and terminology I would probably describe my skill level as rusty at best. I've been watching local classifieds and I came across this Westinghouse unit that will be part of an estate auction at the end of April. It's not available for advanced viewing so the only information I have is what can be gained from this picture. The only time I will get a chance to actually look at it as at the time of auction, and I doubt it will be plugged it in. Is there anything specific I should look for in a situation like this? What's the most I should pay assuming I can't confirm it's working?Thanks,Rob A.
Reply:If you can't run it I wouldn't pay more than $50.00 for it. If it doesn't work hopefully it will have a copper wound transformer you can strip out for the copper scrap to recoup some of your money.with that said those old transformer welders usually don't break very often, not much in them to go wrong. If it works it will probably last the rest of your life and then you can pass it down to your kids. I have an old lincoln transformer(copper wound) welder from 1959 that works great.
Reply:Find out if it is 3 Phase.If it is , don't buy it.
Reply:1st welcome. I couldn't read the plate to see if it was single phase.  If you have 3 phase at your place that's better. If it works $125 max. Buying without knowing $5. Last summer a 350 amp Lincoln Torpedo welder(3 ph.) went for $5. Yes, five single one dollar bills. It worked. 3 phase sells cheap. Even the newer ones. I know  our location is vastly different. If a couple guys start bidding that up it might go for a couple hundred. Just smile and keep your hands in your pockets. If you get it for cheap check the power cord and go. It is a good machine. You have to buy at scrap price just in case. Good luck.Arcon Workhorse 300MSPowcon 400SMTPowcon SM400 x 2Powcon SM3001968 SA200 Redface1978 SA250 DieselMiller Super 32P FeederPre 1927 American 14" High Duty LatheK&T Milwaukee 2H Horizontal MillBryan
Reply:If I could burn a couple of rods I'll go $500 in a heartbeat (1 ph) !These idiots pay 2500 for a P.O.S. Dialarc !Bubble gumTooth pixDuct tapeBlack glueGBMF hammerScrew gun --bad battery (see above)
Reply:Thanks for the welcome notes and feedback guys. It's very much appreciated.I'm fairly confident it won't be 3 phase. Judging by the the other photos for the estate sale listing I doubt this property had 3ph service. This auction has only a small selection of items and most look to be complete junk. It's also in the middle of nowhere so if I'm lucky that might add up to a poor turnout and some bargain prices. I'll really be laughing if it rains.  He's also got an old Miller Thunderbolt 225 AC. Maybe an ok 2nd choice, but it looks to be in poorer condition and I'd much prefer a DC unit anyway. A question about the cables:The picture doesn't appear to show any. Supposing they're missing how hard are they to replace? I know the actual cables can be easily replaced, but what about the cable ends? Is there such a thing as standard connectors or would I be searching high and low for the correct ones? Or for that matter can I just replace the connectors on the unit itself with something more universal?Thanks again guys!
Reply:If  you waste more then five minutes looking for connectors, then you should consider replacing the jacks with the DINS style.   You will live happily ever after.
Reply:expect to spend a dollar a foot for leads, maybe $20 each for connectors..
Reply:That may use the same tapered connectors used by Century, Forney and others.  http://www.brweldingsupplies.com/len...271-red-black/"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:It looks a lot like a Century to me, most likely they are the same connectors.It is definitely a single-phase machine. That type of welder is quite simple and has few parts that can malfunction. Most likely it works fine and if not it can easily be repaired as long as the transformer is OK. It is worth at least $200 if it works.JohnA few weldersA lot of hammersA whole lot of C-clamps
Reply:If you buy it send me a private message and I'll tell(show) you how to make a simple lead connector to fit it. Very easy and simple and it works great.
Reply:That's valuable insight on cables/connectors. I really had no idea what a guy would be getting into trying to match new cables with old connectors. Sounds like it's not much of a problem at all. Plus I have about 30ft of insulated cabling from an old forklift charger. The conductor is about the diameter of a nickel and it's in great shape. I think it would make suitable welding leads. New connectors is all I'd need.I get the impression from the answers here and a few other threads that the odds are very good a solid old machine like this works, and works well. I realize a gamble but feel more confident now.Here's another scenario I just considered. What if I can plug it in but can't, within reasonable practicality, strike an arc with it? Obviously if it doesn't hum when powered on that's a deal breaker, but is there anything else to look for that would indicate whether or not it's working?
Reply:Originally Posted by kctgbIf you buy it send me a private message and I'll tell(show) you how to make a simple lead connector to fit it. Very easy and simple and it works great.
Reply:The battery cables you describe sounds like 2-0; using an unnecessarily large stinger lead cable is a PITA.    Consider a 2-0 work lead and #2 stinger lead for everyday use.  Without the heavy lead weight you will have much better control.   If and when you really need the amp’s, you can then buy or use your 2-0 for the stinger.Take a good whiff of the welder to see if it smells burnt; that is usually a good indication of the transformer being cooked. (nasty arced smell)    Any other problems like a switch or diodes are an easy fix.Last edited by Billdacat; 04-15-2014 at 08:38 AM.
Reply:You could be right it is a rebranded century probably 295 amp 30% duty cycle ac/dc single phase one step under a tombstone or dialarc.Still a good welder .Lenco has 2 pin plugs for it.
Reply:It doesn't look like any Century welder I've seen."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:Originally Posted by OldendumIt doesn't look like any Century welder I've seen.
Reply:Originally Posted by BilldacatThe battery cables you describe sounds like 2-0; using an unnecessarily large stinger lead cable is a PITA.    Consider a 2-0 work lead and #2 stinger lead for everyday use.  Without the heavy lead weight you will have much better control.   If and when you really need the amp’s, you can then buy or use your 2-0 for the stinger.
Reply:I have #4 leads on all my stick welders, they are much lighter I get less fatigue using them and I weld better.If my memory is correct #4 leads are rated for 250 amps out to 30 feet. If I need to go farther with the leads I hook up #1 leads to the welder and connect the #4 leads to them.Lighter is better.
Reply:Originally Posted by kctgbCentury made a welder for monkey wards way back that looked very similar to the westinghouse, but I'm not sure they ever made one in DC.I have heard that westinghouse had a welder division that had two manufacturing plants somewhere on the east coast. When it was sold they shut down the plants and sold everything for scrap.This is hearsay I have no proof of this, take it for what it is.
Reply:The circuit breaker switch is pure Westinghouse and the slide amp control with a lock is pure Century.
Reply:Originally Posted by RobASince seeing the auction listing I've searched high and low for information on this welder and Westinghouse welders in general. Detailed info is scarce but what I have found would indicate they manufactured their own products. One location in particular that keeps popping up is Skyesville, MD. I've seen little to indicate they ever sold re-branded Centurys other than a few other forums where people also suggest they look similar. Like you say though it's all just hearsay with no real evidence to support or dismiss either claim.
Reply:I found something, I read this some time back on another forum. I got some of it right, the memory isn't as good as it used to be.    It was made by Westinghouse welder division in Buffalo NY. They had a 2nd plant in Va i think but can't remember. I have been digging up Westinghouse welder info for years with no luck. Even wrote them with worse luck. Seems like in the Westinghouse/CBS merger the welder division was "lost". I did get a phone call one night from an old Westinghouse plant manager who said the welder division was just parted out and scrapped, gone overnight. I have a Westinghouse Mig from June of '66 and a matching spool gun. Your welder looks like early-mid 70's being squared off. The Linde's had about the same look...BobLast edited by kctgb; 04-16-2014 at 11:55 PM.
Reply:Westinghouse had a facility in Sykesville, MD that was opened in 1967.  It was closed in 1984.  There was some sort of welding facility in Montevallo, Alabama.http://sykesvilleheraldproject.com/w...esville-plant/"June 27, 1968This month the Welding Department of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation held its annual sales meeting at the new facility in Sykesville, Maryland. Representatives from the entire United States were present for a three-day combination lecture and demonstration meeting. The theme of the meeting was “1968 – A Banner Year.” And indeed it was, as May ended the greatest booking month in the entire history of the company’s welding department.The new plant site and facility therein have permitted not only the design and manufacture of a wider scope of welding products but also two new welding concepts that will shortly be announced to the welding public. Edwin B. Wright, division manager, presided at the sales meeting. R. A. Hendricks, department manager of the Sykesville operation, and R. E. Ballentine, department manager of the Montevallo, Alabama facility, conducted the meeting....""Cumberland News 19 May, 1967: SYKESVILLE, Md. (AP) -- Westinghouse Electric Corp. has begun manufacturing arc- welding equipment at its new multi-million-dollar plant in Sykesville. About 250 persons will be em- ployed in the plant, built on a 35-acre site about 20 miles west qf Baltimore. The manufactur- ing facilities, warehouse area, offices and laboratories are to be formally dedicated in the fall. E. B. Wright, general manag- er of the Industrial Equipment Division of Westinghouse, said the plant would be turning out more than 100 different kinds of arc welders by August.""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:Just a quick update here.I got the welder on Sunday. I ended up paying $250. A little high but prices are inflated here in Canada, and it did come with cables, a helmet, a few accesories. I could not plug it in but the owner was there to answer questions and he claimed that it works. He was open and honest about the condition of all the other items in the auction so I have no reason not to believe him. It was wired direct to the building so it had no plug. Last night I took it apart to clean it up a bit and replace the old worn cord. The case is still off but I did temporarily wire in the new cord to see if it turns on. It does and the fan runs nicely, but I'm not going to try to strike it until I have the case back on. I have some pics and a few other questions but I'll make a new post for that. BTW nice info Oldendum. Like the Atlantis of welder manufacturers the way they disappeared like that and little is known as to what happened to them.Got the case off and took a few pictures of the internals.Not being overly familiar with welders I'm not sure if this internal configuration is common or not. Based on the simplicity of the design I can only assume this is not the first time some of you have seen something similar.It's covered in a thick layer of dusty residue that is hardly affected by a blast of compressed air. What's the best way to clean it out? Or is it better to leave it the way it is?Notice the large block that pivots in and out of the transformer. This is attached to the Amperage lever. It is VERY stiff to move. As far as I can tell it's not binding anywhere, just very stiff on it's pivot points. You can see a couple nuts there, top and bottom, but they're welded in place. Before I blast it with some WD-40 is there any better suggestions of how to loosen it up a bit?
Reply:The moving block is a simple electromagnetic shunt. Go ahead and shoot some WD-40 in there to free it up, but follow it with some heavy lubricating oil or grease. Also lubricate the linkages that connect the external lever to the shunt, and put some 20 weight oil on the fan bearings.I have seen a couple of older Craftsman welders that look nearly identical inside. I'm pretty sure now that it is not a Century; every century I've ever seen has a sliding shunt, not a rotating one.JohnA few weldersA lot of hammersA whole lot of C-clamps