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New to me antique welder

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2023 9:50 am
by Eugen
Look what the cat dragged in, a General Electric Farm and Home Welder from the '40s or'50s. Do I need it? Was it necessary? My throbbing thumb ordered me to get it. :blush: plus it was only $50.

8A5A2BC3-19E3-4082-B9E9-C82415A15C66.jpeg

Re: New to me antique welder

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2023 10:08 am
by JSinMO
Wow. An oldie but hopefully a goodie! Does it function, or is this a project?

Im curious to see what your thumb has you bring home next! :D

Seriously though I hope it’s starting to heal a little and the pain isn’t as bad.

Re: New to me antique welder

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2023 10:12 am
by Timj
:rofl: nice excuse :rofl: fire it up, see how it welds. A little practice will help get your thumb out of your head. :107:

Re: New to me antique welder

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2023 10:26 am
by Harry
Eugen, very cool. :thumbsup: Is it AC or AC DC? Some electrodes run better on AC but most can run on DC, so I keep my stick welder on DC all the time. In the classification code the third number signifies which current to use. A 1 is for DC and a 2 is for AC, but most AC rods run well on DC. It’s probably powered by 240 volt inline correct? This is much better than 120 volt. Good luck with your practice and hope your healing process is quick. :peace: Harry

Re: New to me antique welder

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2023 10:30 am
by Eugen
Ahm, no idea if it works. :D probably does. Even if it doesn't, there's enough copper in it to justify getting it.

Jeff, thanks for asking, the thumb hurts less than I thought, still bleeding and twisted looking but it is what it is. 🤷‍♂️

These old welders there's little usually that can go wrong with them. Needs some fixing on the cables, when the hand gets better I'll give it some attention. I can't help it, I like these old tools. :109:

@Harry being that old and with farm in its name I'm pretty sure it's AC and 240V.

Re: New to me antique welder

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2023 12:13 pm
by Eugen
Even my wife agrees that $50 is worth the many hours of therapy I'm getting.


Some wire brush action reveals details hidden by a coat of paint previously applied by someone.

I would venture to say that the 180 amps of this little welder are the honest version of 180 amps.

The middle dial is marked with electrode size. Very nice.
The middle dial is marked with electrode size. Very nice.
38FB3D2F-1E8B-4BE7-9E8A-E2CFA1BF637B.jpeg
How neat is this? A visual depiction of the thickness and electrode to use with it. Unfortunately the electrode size markings are off.
How neat is this? A visual depiction of the thickness and electrode to use with it. Unfortunately the electrode size markings are off.

Re: New to me antique welder

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2023 12:20 pm
by RoamingGnome
That's a cool vintage welder - Good job on the wire brushing :worship: you left a really nice patina too!

Re: New to me antique welder

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2023 12:37 pm
by Timj
:thumbsup: I really like it, I sure hope it works. :please: all these things from the by gone era when companies wanted their products to last and for you to be successful and satisfied with them. Not just that they got your money once and don't care about anything else. :12: :112:

Re: New to me antique welder

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2023 4:33 pm
by propane1
That’s neat Eugen. It sure will help to keep your mind off the thumb pain. My Sears welder has that high/low range setting. I don’t know what it’s for thou. You can set it to 100 amps on either scale. :106:

Noel

Re: New to me antique welder

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2023 4:55 pm
by DavidBarkey
propane1 wrote: Sat Mar 18, 2023 4:33 pm That’s neat Eugen. It sure will help to keep your mind off the thumb pain. My Sears welder has that high/low range setting. I don’t know what it’s for thou. You can set it to 100 amps on either scale. :106:

Noel
High is for standing on a ladder and low is for lying under .

Re: New to me antique welder

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2023 4:58 pm
by DavidBarkey
RoamingGnome wrote: Sat Mar 18, 2023 12:20 pm That's a cool vintage welder - Good job on the wire brushing :worship: you left a really nice patina too!
Once you get it all cleaned up like that . Put some clear tremclad on it to keep that look .

Re: New to me antique welder

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2023 5:37 pm
by Eugen
DavidBarkey wrote: Sat Mar 18, 2023 4:58 pm
RoamingGnome wrote: Sat Mar 18, 2023 12:20 pm That's a cool vintage welder - Good job on the wire brushing :worship: you left a really nice patina too!
Once you get it all cleaned up like that . Put some clear tremclad on it to keep that look .
Great idea guys, illustrated get some clear rust paint just for this. :thumbsup:

Re: New to me antique welder

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2023 5:39 pm
by Eugen
propane1 wrote: Sat Mar 18, 2023 4:33 pm That’s neat Eugen. It sure will help to keep your mind off the thumb pain. My Sears welder has that high/low range setting. I don’t know what it’s for thou. You can set it to 100 amps on either scale. :106:

Noel
This one you don't even know the amps :geek:

Re: New to me antique welder

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2023 6:07 pm
by propane1
Eugen wrote: Sat Mar 18, 2023 5:39 pm
propane1 wrote: Sat Mar 18, 2023 4:33 pm That’s neat Eugen. It sure will help to keep your mind off the thumb pain. My Sears welder has that high/low range setting. I don’t know what it’s for thou. You can set it to 100 amps on either scale. :106:

Noel
This one you don't even know the amps :geek:

Oh. I see. Hehe.


Noel

Re: New to me antique welder

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2023 6:10 pm
by propane1
DavidBarkey wrote: Sat Mar 18, 2023 4:55 pm
propane1 wrote: Sat Mar 18, 2023 4:33 pm That’s neat Eugen. It sure will help to keep your mind off the thumb pain. My Sears welder has that high/low range setting. I don’t know what it’s for thou. You can set it to 100 amps on either scale. :106:

Noel
High is for standing on a ladder and low is for lying under .
I’m not good on ladders. So I’ll keep it on the “ low “ setting. Thanks Dave


Noel :D :worship:

Re: New to me antique welder

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2023 7:15 pm
by JSinMO
@Eugen even if you end up scraping the internals, the case would be really cool to display!

Re: New to me antique welder

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2023 10:44 pm
by thebuildist
Nice welder!

Two thumbs, way up! Or as far up as possible, considering the injury....

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Re: New to me antique welder

Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:08 am
by Harry
There are two connections for the stinger plug. One for high and one for low. The amps on the scale on the front of the machine may read the same but the voltage will be different. Higher voltage on the high scale. :peace: Harry