Check out this antique arc welder

[Gar]

My dad was cleaning out his garage and look what we found. 100% American made 110v arc welder. I don't know whats more scary, the cardboard welding shield, or the welder itself. Anyone know what this might be worth to a collector?

Gar

[hatzie]

My dad was cleaning out his garage and look what we found. 100% American made 110v arc welder. I don't know whats more scary, the cardboard welding shield, or the welder itself. Anyone know what this might be worth to a collector?

Gar

I've seen welders like this being used in Brazil.

My Droid from orbit

[Sandy]

Looks like one of the old combo carbon arc/stick welders. Not good for much besides entertainment value, or scrap.

[yesindeed]

DONT USE IT, IT WAS LIKELY RECALLED IN 1974

http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/1974/...ic-Arc-Welder/

CPSC Alerts Consumers To Potential Hazard In Electric Arc Welder

WASHINGTON, D.C.(Feb. 22)--The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission today warned that approximately 200,000 "Wel-Dex" arc welders purchased by consumers over the past four to six years may contain defects capable of causing fatal electric shock.

Consumers should immediately cease use of the product and take extreme care when disconnecting it from an electrical outlet.

The terminals on the welder are exposed, creating a potential hazard of electric shock, and, in addition, poor connection of the line cord to the welder could render the entire outer frame electrically alive.

The welders were manufactured by Wel-Dex Manufacturing Company, a subsidiary of Relco Industries, 2210 West 34th Street, Houston, Texas.

Both the names of the welder and the manufacturer appear on a nameplate on the welder.

The product was advertised through various media including organic gardening and farming magazines. All sales were made by mail order.

The Commission learned about the potential hazard as a result of a consumer complaint from an electrical engineer.

The Commission is investigating alternatives open to it to insure that the product is corrected or removed from the market. Further information will be released to consumers as soon as it is available.



People can get electrocuted. Cheap mail order crap.

[bent]

Products like that one show where the Chinese learned to make crap.

[Oldendum]

They didn't actually recall them until 1976. Only took 2 1/2 years to get it in gear. http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/1976/...us-ARC-Welder/

As for value: "About 124,000 of the welders were manufactured and sold nationally between 1968 and 1975 at a retail price of $18.95"

[gxbxc]

Hey guys don't be hard on the welder , It was the first one I had ,or one like it. Card board hood with like a # 3 plastic lens .I was in like 5 grade when I got it Had it about 3 hours before my mother dragged me back to the store to return it. When I plugged it in to weld on a Tonka truck, it blew the fuse. I didn't have it long enough to be electrocuted or start a fire but I did get a sore A$$ . I then needed a note from my mother to buy stuff there . All through grade school I was restricted from buying knives ,cap guns and power tools in most of the stores

[Gar]

My dad said he purchased that welder via mail order but never used it. Probably a good thing!

Gar

[tadawson]

Sounds like simply checking the power cord attachment would be all it needs . . .

- Tim

[Oldendum]

Those old wonder welders ran directly off the AC supply. Some resistor elements or light bulbs inside to limit current. No AC isolation transformer in case of a surge on the main line. Cheap and dangerous design. Only exceeded by how crappy they could assemble them. Back than, real welding companies like Lincoln were selling little 90 Amp welders for maybe $50. street price in 1964.

[Iain P]

Sounds like simply checking the power cord attachment would be all it needs . . .

- Tim

I second that. A simple continuity test with a multimeter would tell you if you have an issue or not. That thing is just too interesting not to try out.

[BrianC]

Products like that one show where the Chinese learned to make crap.

You mean to say the Chinese learned how to make welders by copying from a machine made in North America? Well, as some say on here, guess they're not all that bad!

P/S. I had one of those ,they look better then they work, mail order from Popular Science, or Mechanic's Illustrated, $19.95

[drujinin]

We had one of those when I was a kid. Worked fine as long as you used a 30 amp fuse on the 14 gauge wire feeding the garage outlet! My brother welded the tubes of the kitchen chairs and they held together for years! We carbon arc brazed with it mostly. I finally through it away a few years ago. On a side note ours had heavier wires for cord. It went through the asbestos bottom and had resistors in it.

[TomA]

I had one when I was a kid. Just resisters inside, no transformer.
Carbon arc torch. I could only keep an arc going for 10-15 seconds and it would blow a 30 amp fuse.
I blew a lot of fuses in the garage.
I got a 180 amp tombstone in '59, it served me well for 20+ years.
Toss that thing, POS.

[Bob E.]

You might be able to sucker somebody who doesn't know any better into paying transformer or inverter money for one, but I don't really think they are worth much beyond a "hey, remember these".
Are small 110-v.a.c. arc welders really any good?
How good are those $14.95 welders?

[yesindeed]

I had one when I was a kid. Just resisters inside, no transformer.
Carbon arc torch. I could only keep an arc going for 10-15 seconds and it would blow a 30 amp fuse.
I blew a lot of fuses in the garage.
I got a 180 amp tombstone in '59, it served me well for 20+ years.
Toss that thing, POS.

real talk.

[yesindeed]

Sounds like simply checking the power cord attachment would be all it needs . . .

- Tim

the wires definitely needed checking

[MinnesotaDave]

the wires definitely needed checking

Ah heck, everyone knows that plugging it in will quickly find any weak points.

It's the quickest testing method I have

Then I break out the replacement smoke

[Sandy]

Ah heck, everyone knows that plugging it in will quickly find any weak points.

It's the quickest testing method I have

Then I break out the replacement smoke

That jug looks like it only has 5 or 6 amps of smoke left in it. Ya probably should get some more on order.

[MinnesotaDave]

That jug looks like it only has 5 or 6 amps of smoke left in it. Ya probably should get some more on order.

Good call - thanks

This is only harbor freight welder size

[yesindeed]

Ah heck, everyone knows that plugging it in will quickly find any weak points.

It's the quickest testing method I have

Then I break out the replacement smoke

Yes, I went through a lot of that every time I worked on my old MGB Lucas electrical system. The wiring smoked badly so many times I would have to quickly pop open the convertible top to clear the smoke so I could see out the windshield (or as they say, wind screen).

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[MinnesotaDave]

Yes, I went through a lot of that every time I worked on my old MGB Lucas electrical system. The wiring smoked badly so many times I would have to quickly pop open the convertible top to clear the smoke so I could see out the windshield (or as they say, wind screen).

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Probably positive ground too...

[yesindeed]

Probably positive ground too...

No, I missed that by a few years, I had a '77. Most unreliable piece of crap I ever rode in.

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