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Re: Another Millermatic 200

I was looking at the millermatic the other day and thought something is missing.

So I had a look around on eBay and found the Amphenol connector cap.


There now it's complete and along side the Lincoln AC-225-S I finished.

Re: Another Millermatic 200

Originally Posted by 7A749

There's lots of good old machines out there Doug. The Miller Dialarc HF, the A/BP 330, Lincoln TIG 300/300

Any are good for just about any general welding purposes you could imagine. If you have at least 50-100 amps available to run one on 230 volts, they do pretty well in a garage. They operate best around 100 amps input power tho. I've owned and sold more A/BPs and Lincoln 300s than I can remember. My very first TIG machine was an early 80's A/BP 330. I owned it for awhile before getting a Syncrowave 250. You can pick them up for under $500 complete if you shop around. The Lincoln 300 TIGs seem to bring a little more, and personally I think they have a better AC arc than the Miller does.

The Dialarcs are nice because they're small. I have one I'll get to tearing apart one day soon. They still need 100 amps to run at full power, but they're half the size of the bigger machines and take up less space. All these style machine are analog and have no balance control like the later models did. Syncrowave machines are solid state controlled and offer those features. If you're willing to take a road trip HGR in Cleveland OH often has cheap TIG machines. They do freight shipping but royally hose you with palleting fees.

When you start looking around for something, give me a shout. I'll PM you my phone number. If you need a hand, maybe I can help you find something when you're ready.

It's funny, I was looking at the pics of your old Chevy truck. I was just a little kid in the 70s, but I vividly remember the Ford F 150 Econoline van my dad had, followed by a sweet Beige with brown trim Chevy Big 10 pickup. Cloth plaid brown and beige bench seat. I wanna say he bought it new in 1977-78ish. Your pics took me back, even tho I was just five or so years old.

Things were indeed different then. Some Seals and Croft- Summer Breeze. How about some Al Stewart? Year of the Cat.. Time Passages... Perhaps some Rainbow with Ritchie Blackmore smoking wicked scales on his Olympic White Stratocaster with rosewood neck... Yeah. Good times

That's one reason I love that old literature. It's like peeling back a slice of that time and holding it in your hands. I can spend hours looking at old Monkey Wards/Sears catalogs, the old Powr Kraft and Craftsman tools, riding lawnmowers and snowblowers, all made of metal. Real camping gear, canvas tents, metal pots and pans. Metal Coleman stoves and lanterns.. All made by proud men and women in American factories. All the goofy outfits and suits. Hot 70s models with their Farrah Faucett blowouts and huge shoulder pads!

Yeah, I know. I'm hopeless.

I'll stop talking about the 70s now

Seriously, if you want some help finding and old welder, let me know

Thanks Steve,
It's going to be a while seeing that I have other projects that need to get finished and I'm just about out of room.

Now that you mention them I recall some of the models you listed. I took a welding course at the local tech school back in 1990 trying to get ready for a promotion at work. We used the Dialarc's and they had 1 Lincoln 300/300 tig.

The A/BP 330 come up every once in a while and are reasonably priced.

The shop that I worked in has a Syncrowave 350 which is a pretty nice machine, A little big for the home and I think the neighbors would complain that their lights dimmed every time I struck an arc.

There is one machine that was given to me years ago that I wish I had kept. A friend gave me a Hobart GW-222 that was on a trailer. I couldn't get it running and it had very low compression. I pulled the head and the wrist pin had walked over and gouged the cylinder wall of one cylinder. I think it was a government owned welder cause it was painted school bus yellow. I ended giving it to a neighbor before I moved. If I had to guess he probably didn't do anything with it either and he's long gone.

Re: Another Millermatic 200

Originally Posted by Doug_

Steve,

While we're dreaming of 1970's store front I can also envision a guy coming in to purchase a welder for his home shop, he'd have his 12 year old son with him and the kid would be hanging on every word that the salesman and his father were saying. not have his face buried in a game-boy or some other electronic device.

I just went the Air Hollywood site. that is a cool concept. I can remember flying back then, when. everyone that got on the plane was dressed well and us kids all got a set of wings, coloring books and a look in the cockpit.

I like your idea of the store front with period correct machines, literature sales staff, popcorn and co-op for used machines.

I can also imagine what it's gong to be like in 50 years. There will be posts of guys finding Chicago Electric flux core machines in a barn that they will refurb.hahaha.

I might have started welding in the mid to late 70's but I only with in the last 20 years have I tried tig welding. So the machines I tig welded with are the miller CP200's or the Hobarts with the big wheel on the front. I do remember the Lincoln squarewave, it was gray with a black face. I'll say that those machines were some of the basic tig welders. They had some options like pre and post flow and AC balance but nothing like the inverter machines have today. I'd love to find one of the older syncrowave 250 but they are few and far between. Plus they get a pretty good price for them. A lot of times I see the 330 miller welders for sale and they're usually cheap. Would they be worth picking up or are they too old?

There's lots of good old machines out there Doug. The Miller Dialarc HF, the A/BP 330, Lincoln TIG 300/300

Any are good for just about any general welding purposes you could imagine. If you have at least 50-100 amps available to run one on 230 volts, they do pretty well in a garage. They operate best around 100 amps input power tho. I've owned and sold more A/BPs and Lincoln 300s than I can remember. My very first TIG machine was an early 80's A/BP 330. I owned it for awhile before getting a Syncrowave 250. You can pick them up for under $500 complete if you shop around. The Lincoln 300 TIGs seem to bring a little more, and personally I think they have a better AC arc than the Miller does.

The Dialarcs are nice because they're small. I have one I'll get to tearing apart one day soon. They still need 100 amps to run at full power, but they're half the size of the bigger machines and take up less space. All these style machine are analog and have no balance control like the later models did. Syncrowave machines are solid state controlled and offer those features. If you're willing to take a road trip HGR in Cleveland OH often has cheap TIG machines. They do freight shipping but royally hose you with palleting fees.

When you start looking around for something, give me a shout. I'll PM you my phone number. If you need a hand, maybe I can help you find something when you're ready.

It's funny, I was looking at the pics of your old Chevy truck. I was just a little kid in the 70s, but I vividly remember the Ford F 150 Econoline van my dad had, followed by a sweet Beige with brown trim Chevy Big 10 pickup. Cloth plaid brown and beige bench seat. I wanna say he bought it new in 1977-78ish. Your pics took me back, even tho I was just five or so years old.

Things were indeed different then. Some Seals and Croft- Summer Breeze. How about some Al Stewart? Year of the Cat.. Time Passages... Perhaps some Rainbow with Ritchie Blackmore smoking wicked scales on his Olympic White Stratocaster with rosewood neck... Yeah. Good times

That's one reason I love that old literature. It's like peeling back a slice of that time and holding it in your hands. I can spend hours looking at old Monkey Wards/Sears catalogs, the old Powr Kraft and Craftsman tools, riding lawnmowers and snowblowers, all made of metal. Real camping gear, canvas tents, metal pots and pans. Metal Coleman stoves and lanterns.. All made by proud men and women in American factories. All the goofy outfits and suits. Hot 70s models with their Farrah Faucett blowouts and huge shoulder pads!

Yeah, I know. I'm hopeless.

I'll stop talking about the 70s now

Seriously, if you want some help finding and old welder, let me know

Re: Another Millermatic 200

Originally Posted by 7A749

I know what you mean. We have one local independent (Purity Cylinder Gasees) and they carry a very large stock of supplies, consumables and also have many machines on the floor, or can get them fast. My Dynasty 350 arrived in a week.

There's never a shipping charge for parts. Most stuff they can get within a week, unless it's back ordered from the manufacturer.

If I ever had another storefront, I would really like to outfit it as close as possible to an early 70's Miller Dealership, with refurbished machinery sitting on the showroom floor, and a fully outfitted weld booth in the back where machinery could be demoed and small basic classes given on entry level welding and cutting.

There's an outfit in LA called Air Hollywood, where they have a section of a real Pam Am 747 cabin set up, and hot women dressed as stewardesses that serve you booze and high quality food in real Pam Am vintage uniforms, the food on real vintage Pan Am dish ware. From the reviews, it's as close to an early 70's flight experience as you can get short of getting on a real 747-200. Everything is vintage and authentic.

Yeah, if I had money to burn, I would go all out, just like that. Have refurbished Miller and Lincoln period machines in the front area, with signage and period looking literature, but with new products. Have a kick a$$, knowledgable sales staff and a popcorn machine along with a period correct Coke machine with cheap soda. I would put on demos, get local pros to come in and show off their skills. It would be cool as hell to have a couple period correct SA 200s sitting on the showroom floor that we could start up and show off. There would be a mini consortium for used machinery and parts. Kind of a Co-Op for our customers. Used machinery would be a big part of the business. Showcase machines, looking all hot and sexy would be the norm. Cranking Dio and some Rainbow once in awhile would be a regularity as well

Don't forget a regular BBQ food day, with cotton candy for the kids and good food for our loyal customers.

I know it sounds corny, but in a perfect world I would be all over something like that. It would be a blast.

Steve,

While we're dreaming of 1970's store front I can also envision a guy coming in to purchase a welder for his home shop, he'd have his 12 year old son with him and the kid would be hanging on every word that the salesman and his father were saying. not have his face buried in a game-boy or some other electronic device.

I just went the Air Hollywood site. that is a cool concept. I can remember flying back then, when. everyone that got on the plane was dressed well and us kids all got a set of wings, coloring books and a look in the cockpit.

I like your idea of the store front with period correct machines, literature sales staff, popcorn and co-op for used machines.

I can also imagine what it's gong to be like in 50 years. There will be posts of guys finding Chicago Electric flux core machines in a barn that they will refurb.hahaha.

I might have started welding in the mid to late 70's but I only with in the last 20 years have I tried tig welding. So the machines I tig welded with are the miller CP200's or the Hobarts with the big wheel on the front. I do remember the Lincoln squarewave, it was gray with a black face. I'll say that those machines were some of the basic tig welders. They had some options like pre and post flow and AC balance but nothing like the inverter machines have today. I'd love to find one of the older syncrowave 250 but they are few and far between. Plus they get a pretty good price for them. A lot of times I see the 330 miller welders for sale and they're usually cheap. Would they be worth picking up or are they too old?

Re: Another Millermatic 200

I know what you mean. We have one local independent (Purity Cylinder Gasees) and they carry a very large stock of supplies, consumables and also have many machines on the floor, or can get them fast. My Dynasty 350 arrived in a week.

There's never a shipping charge for parts. Most stuff they can get within a week, unless it's back ordered from the manufacturer.

If I ever had another storefront, I would really like to outfit it as close as possible to an early 70's Miller Dealership, with refurbished machinery sitting on the showroom floor, and a fully outfitted weld booth in the back where machinery could be demoed and small basic classes given on entry level welding and cutting.

There's an outfit in LA called Air Hollywood, where they have a section of a real Pam Am 747 cabin set up, and hot women dressed as stewardesses that serve you booze and high quality food in real Pam Am vintage uniforms, the food on real vintage Pan Am dish ware. From the reviews, it's as close to an early 70's flight experience as you can get short of getting on a real 747-200. Everything is vintage and authentic.

Yeah, if I had money to burn, I would go all out, just like that. Have refurbished Miller and Lincoln period machines in the front area, with signage and period looking literature, but with new products. Have a kick a$$, knowledgable sales staff and a popcorn machine along with a period correct Coke machine with cheap soda. I would put on demos, get local pros to come in and show off their skills. It would be cool as hell to have a couple period correct SA 200s sitting on the showroom floor that we could start up and show off. There would be a mini consortium for used machinery and parts. Kind of a Co-Op for our customers. Used machinery would be a big part of the business. Showcase machines, looking all hot and sexy would be the norm. Cranking Dio and some Rainbow once in awhile would be a regularity as well

Don't forget a regular BBQ food day, with cotton candy for the kids and good food for our loyal customers.

I know it sounds corny, but in a perfect world I would be all over something like that. It would be a blast.

Re: Another Millermatic 200

Originally Posted by 7A749

Yeah, we love refurb threads

I really like to see guys take the time to do it right. You did.

Even tho it's not a reality, it would have been really cool to walk into a Miller distributor back in 1973 (I was one year old then, so I would have had to have been carried ) and see the finest Miller had to offer back in the day. Everything was so well built then. Trucks had sharply painted metal dashes and inner doors. Toy tractors were made of metal too. Quality meant something, and most ppl took great pride in their work.

Clad in early Miller Blue, which was rich, deep and metallic, this machines would have been a sight to behold. The second SCP I bought looked almost identical to the one in the photo, only it had seen better days. It still looked really nice when I got it put back together. I didn't know half of what I know about rebuilding machines now tho.

If the powder coater has a deep metallic blue, that's the color the Airco will be. I have some sheet metal samples of it that came off an old Miller TIG I had come thru here a good ten years ago. I going to have my decal guy do period correct decals too. I have back to mid 70's but I will do them in the earlier style with the rounded Miller logo.

Look forward to seeing the buzz box all done too.

Thanks Steve,

In the area I live in there were many welding shops mostly mom and pop shops but they're all but gone now. The big corporate shops are scattered around but walk in one and there aren't many machines to be seen. I imagine they can order one for you but it doesn't matter if you don't really know what you want or what's available. They can send you home with a piece of literature to look over but it's not the same as hands on viewing. I liked to going and see the machines or just walking the isles looking for some cool new tool. Miller use to put on a road show but I haven't heard of one in our area in a long time.

Don't even get me started on the subject of parts. They don't stock them and they want you to pay for shipping if they order a part for you. Even if you say just order it with a stock order, they will tell you they have to have a minimum of $400-$500 before they can place an order.

I would think that the powder coater can mix the powder like an autobody shop can mix paint. The manufactures of the powder should use a pantone color guide and you might be able to special order the correct color.

I've got to get back on that buzz box, it's been apart so long now I might not know how it goes back together.

Re: Another Millermatic 200

Yeah, we love refurb threads

I really like to see guys take the time to do it right. You did.

Even tho it's not a reality, it would have been really cool to walk into a Miller distributor back in 1973 (I was one year old then, so I would have had to have been carried ) and see the finest Miller had to offer back in the day. Everything was so well built then. Trucks had sharply painted metal dashes and inner doors. Toy tractors were made of metal too. Quality meant something, and most ppl took great pride in their work.

Clad in early Miller Blue, which was rich, deep and metallic, this machines would have been a sight to behold. The second SCP I bought looked almost identical to the one in the photo, only it had seen better days. It still looked really nice when I got it put back together. I didn't know half of what I know about rebuilding machines now tho.

If the powder coater has a deep metallic blue, that's the color the Airco will be. I have some sheet metal samples of it that came off an old Miller TIG I had come thru here a good ten years ago. I going to have my decal guy do period correct decals too. I have back to mid 70's but I will do them in the earlier style with the rounded Miller logo.

Look forward to seeing the buzz box all done too.

Re: Another Millermatic 200

Thanks guy,

It was a project that I really enjoyed doing.

I first saw and used a mm200 back in 1988 and told myself I'd own one. Well 28 years later I've got one.

Steve that SCP 200 looks like it came out of a time capsule. I'll be watching for a thread on the rebuild.

I've still got the Lincoln 225 to finish up which shouldn't take too long (I say that and this thread is 2 years old).

I have a two car garage that has two cars and a motorcycle in it. Space is at a premium so I need to plan the projects.

After I finish the Lincoln I want to make a bracket to hang it on the wall. With two arms to hold the cables.

I just purchased an old Kalamazoo P-48 (816) horizontal band saw that I want to redo and there's the Lockdown Securities compact metal bender that I just got, which is going to need a refurb when it arrives.

Re: Another Millermatic 200

Hahaha..

For sure.

It's like a bunch of junkies huddling around a large stash of drugs

It's all Doug's fault, for exposing us to such a nice refurbished machine

Re: Another Millermatic 200

Dang it stop! I'm getting all itchy palmed and misty eyed!

Doug, sorry for the slight derailment here, excellent work! You need to do a new project machine now.

Re: Another Millermatic 200

Yes indeed!!!

That old Airco I just bought came with a few pieces of immaculate early '70's literature from Miller.

This is what one looked like back in 1973. What I wouldn't give to have seen (and purchased) machinery like this off the showroom floor then

The Airco will be refurbished to those specs. I plan on adding a few extras of my own tho

Of course, if we were dreaming about being rich and traveling thru time, I could add several other things to that list

Re: Another Millermatic 200

Originally Posted by 7A749

No doubt. What a mistake those were.

An MM 200 is on the bucket list. Even if I didn't keep it, just want the chance to have one come thru here

Yep, same here. I wish I was rich and had a huge warehouse. And I dream I could go back in time to buy new stuff that is highly prized today (in my little pea brain anyway) SA200's, MM200's, Roundtop 250's, International Scouts........

Re: Another Millermatic 200

Originally Posted by Pipeliner

Yep still very very nice. Just think of how they probably discounted the remaining 200's trying to move in the new 250 boat anchors.

No doubt. What a mistake those were.

An MM 200 is on the bucket list. Even if I didn't keep it, just want the chance to have one come thru here

Re: Another Millermatic 200

Yep still very very nice. Just think of how they probably discounted the remaining 200's trying to move in the new 250 boat anchors.

Re: Another Millermatic 200

Doug, you did a fabulous job on that machine.

I recently picked up its more industrialized cousin, a Miller SCP 200 C..... She is clad in late '60's Airco orange and awaiting refurbishment. Even the damn running gear looks like new. The wheels have almost no significant wear on the rubber, and the hubs are still silver over 60%. The voltage control dial moves with two fingers. It's that smooth! A maintenance garage for a large petroleum supplier had owned it since the very early '80's. It's pretty straight inside too.

I'm thinking I'm likely gonna go bonkers on it. I've owned two of them prior to this and they're great machines. I may not wanna part with it when I'm done.....

I'll be sure to post pics

Re: Another Millermatic 200

Originally Posted by vwguy3

Can anyone imagine in 1985 or so someone at Miller saying "These Millermatic 200s are such great machines that 30 yrs from now guys will be restoring them and posting pictures for the whole world to see?"
That is a pic for the mantle.
Nice work!

That's a good point, wonder if they know when they knock it out of the park, or pop fly to the pitcher?

Re: Another Millermatic 200

Can anyone imagine in 1985 or so someone at Miller saying "These Millermatic 200s are such great machines that 30 yrs from now guys will be restoring them and posting pictures for the whole world to see?"
That is a pic for the mantle.
Nice work!

Re: Another Millermatic 200

Looks great Doug

Re: Another Millermatic 200

Well it's been over a year since I last posted on this thread. I will say that the welder is working fine and I have no complaints.

I did however notice that when I painted the panels I forgot to paint the back side of the lower panel on the spool side of the welder.


Well today I got out the airbrush and fixed that mistake.


A few weeks ago I was helping a friend weld up some brackets for a project he was doing. Whenever I'd lay the mig gun down it would either 1. Get pulled off of the table and onto the ground from the weight of the cable. or 2. Turn the trigger switch on and let wire coil out onto the floor, (usually when my back was turned and by the time I saw it there would be 40-50 feet of wire on the ground).

Well I decided to do something about it.

So I cut up, bend and drilled and some scrap metal I had laying around the place


I welded it together and painted it with the left over paint from the above panel touch up and screwed it to a magnetic base


After the paint dried I added the final touch.


Well that finishes off this project.

Re: Another Millermatic 200

Originally Posted by Doug_

I hadn't thought of that but good idea. I don't know if I'd lift anything with the c clamp though or were you doing this so that the Vise-Grips don't grow legs and walk?

They have done lots of lifting and pulling. Just use your brain. They make plate clamps for a reason.

Re: Another Millermatic 200

Originally Posted by cd19

we use about 1 1/2 x 3/16 thick round rings welded on them. easier to get a chain hook into.......

I hadn't thought of that but good idea. I don't know if I'd lift anything with the c clamp though or were you doing this so that the Vise-Grips don't grow legs and walk?

Re: Another Millermatic 200

Originally Posted by Doug_

It really works great with heavy welding gloves on. I guess you could hang them up from the washer if you'd like.

I just tighten up the screw so that the handle clicks a little to keep the vise-grips closed and then weld the washer on so that everything is laying flat.

we use about 1 1/2 x 3/16 thick round rings welded on them. easier to get a chain hook into.......

Re: Another Millermatic 200

Originally Posted by danieltp

Clever idea - I'll have to add this to my list-to-do once my MM200 is working again

It really works great with heavy welding gloves on. I guess you could hang them up from the washer if you'd like.

I just tighten up the screw so that the handle clicks a little to keep the vise-grips closed and then weld the washer on so that everything is laying flat.

Re: Another Millermatic 200

Originally Posted by Doug_

Well it's been a while since I've updated this post, but here it goes. I finally got the electric hooked up to run this welder. I bought a 80cu.ft. tank of 72/25 hooked up the regulator and flipped the switch. first thing that happened is the regulator started popping the safety valve so I got a kit and rebuilt the regulator. Now with everything set and a small project needing to get done I flipped the switch and started welding. I must say the welder works great. I've got to find some more projects that need welding.

I welded a 1/2" washer to my vise grip c clamps to make it easier to turn with heavy welding gloves on.

Clever idea - I'll have to add this to my list-to-do once my MM200 is working again

Re: Another Millermatic 200

Originally Posted by GiddyWelder

Just went through the whole thread,pretty awesome redo you did there,Doug,been using it yet?

Thanks GiddyWelder, it was a lot of fun to redo.

Yes I've used it a little. I just welded some washers on my vise grip clamps but I'm looking forward to doing more. I've got some projects that I want to get started on.