New life to an older war horse

[Frank Surber]

Stihlman I am pretty sure that drawing /photo came from the rig welder's forum
I have thought a few times about modeling it up with solidworks a 3d cad program
But I would do something about lowering it down maybe by placeing the OXy cylinders out board and relocating the ACT
to me at the current design the welder would have a very high center of gravity.
A rig welder friend of mine who has passed on now, had a unit that he made back in the late 70s for his Chevy duely it was a much nicer design IMO

 

[Arc weld]

I think I read about the odd SA 200 from before 1973 that used aluminum windings, so maybe Lincoln did make a few prototypes.

The picture of the welding skid is a Reel Rig, made in Manitoba. The same place that makes Alumareels. They have a new model out as well but I didn't get a chance to talk to the rep when he was in. I think the new model is bigger for the liquid cooled diesel machines. The standard base model costs about $3800-$4000 and the reels are extra. The bigger one is about $1000 more. They're well built and you can adjust the supports and stuff where you want them. The oxygen cylinders lay flat but they are spring loaded in the holder so they can't move at all once they're in place. Alumareels are about the best reels available and cost about $550 each for cable reels and around $800 to $1100 for O/A reels or remote control reels depending. The nice thing about Alumareels compared to Shell-Rynn or a lot of other reels is that you don't have to turn a lock to make good electrical contact after un-reeling your cable. They have a lock so the reel won't free wheel but the electrical contacts are spring loaded so there's no chance of forgetting to lock them together. There was a guy up here (Cruzier on the Miler site) that brought some knock off Alumareels in from China but they had some problems.

 

[Frank Surber]

Arc weld; back in the 60s possibly all through out the mechanical age, a lot of companies would put a few of their newer models or prototype models into the consumer market often selling them way below the target price inviting the consumers to participate in a feed back program. I don't know if this were the case with William, it could very well have been, since the Blacksmith shop bought lots of supplies from the Big 3 Welding supply then resold to just about everyone in 2 counties, later under the name of Ward's welding supply.

Off topic but, my grandpa bought an 8010 John Deere tractor at an estate auction in 9161 with a bad transmission.
I think he paid something like $5000.00 for it I'm pretty sure that was what he paid for it because that was all anyone heard about from my Grandma complaining that he had thrown away all the money we had on a tractor that didn't even run. And no telling how much it was going to cost to get it fixed, maybe we would have to use next years seed money to pay for the repairs, on and on she harped about it.
The tractor had been hauled to the dealer who had sent in to John Deere. Where it was completely rebuilt and re badged as an 8020
Gramp's wasn't out a single copper penny since the tractor had a factory recall notice on the model
This has me thinking that any PRE 1973 SA 200's with alum winding may have been done to see how they were going to work out.
I think there was something about Hobart Bros doing this when they converted from a commutator generator to a slip ring alternator, but I haven't located where I read that

 

[muddstopper]

I am in the process of restoreing a 1971 SA200. According to the research I have done, 1972 is the year of the Aluminum clad winding. My Machine has the octagon Barrel which suggests Aluminum Clad, But I have been told that the first octagon barrels actually had all copper. With my welder apart, I did an ohm check on the windings and while I dont remember the actuall readings at this time, they where within specs of a all copper wound machine and above specs for the Aluminum clad wound machines. Whether my machine is all Copper or Aluminum clad, I dont know for sure and dont know of any way to tell for sure. I am pretty sure my machine is all original.

 

[Shield Arc]

muddstopper if you could weld with an aluminum, and all copper machine side by side, you could tell. My 1974 welds the same way as a Miller engine drive:thumbdown:. My 100% copper SA-200s put me on:cloud9:

 

[stihlman]

I thought the all copper deal was a myth from old welders who inhaled to many bad fumes. But I can tell you, I don't consider myself a welder by any means, I can stack dimes with this using 5/32" 7018 like crazy. I don't think it's a myth anymore

 

[Shield Arc]

I don't think it's a myth anymore

Everybody does until they run one.
I paid $200.00 for my 1966. Turned down a $4,000.00 offer from a pipe liner. Made him made as a wet hen that I wouldn't take his 4-grand.:laughing:

 

[muddstopper]

Well, I know where a 73 green lite machine is, pruty sure is Aluminum. When i get mine put back together I might juswt have to do a side by side test. I got my machine on a trade, dont really need it and will probably put it up for sale once completed. hope to at least break even. LOL

 

[Arc weld]

Lots of things could have changed on a machine over the years. The octagon barrel is bigger to fit the aluminum shunt coils but some people have rebuilt the octagons using the copper shunt coils. Stacking dimes refers to downhand 6010 that is used on pipelines. 7018 should be a really smooth bead not a stack of dimes look.

For years Lincoln claimed there was no difference between the copper and aluminum shunt coils. The pipe welders Union in Oklahoma complained for years and Lincoln finally agreed to a blind taste test. Cables were run into the booth's but the weldors weren't told what machine they were hooked to. I think it was something like 90% of the pipe welders could tell the difference and that is the reason Lincoln went to the classic machines and back to all copper windings. Apparently they found all the old tooling from the red face machines but the old red faces are still better than the new ones. My former neighbor had a new diesel but much preferred his 57 short hood.

If I win the lottery, I'm bringing my 61 Canadian red face to Shield Arc to make it look perty like his. (little does he know, he won't be able to get rid of me.)

 

[stihlman]

I said in my post I didn't consider myself a welder so I stand corrected on my dime stacking comment.