Refurbishing an old Miller Thunderbolt 225AC

[5030]

As I recall, there are warnings in the welder product manuals that they can throw sparks 35 feet. There's been some discussion here about fires starting after someone has closed up shop for the day. So when you fire it up, be careful where you weld and keep an eye out.

Good looking welder, too.

...and a hood on.......

 

[tnmike]

I picked up one of these at the junkyard about a year ago for 30 bucks. Sold it to a friend. He cleaned it up inside ( I believe there is a fan) and it worked like new. I wouldnt worry one bit about powering it up. There is nothing much to go wrong on these welders.

 

[deereman75]

I would pick up 5 lbs of 6011 rods, these are my go-to rods, and I find them easier to use then 6013.

 

[Alan L.]

Looks just like mine. My father in law bought it at auction years ago and gave it to me. Never thought about oiling it, just use it.

 

[stravis]

It worked perfectly fine. I had an issue last night with the breaker tripping and before I could figure it out, the gnats ran me out of my shop. Tonight I found that I had the uncoated ground touching one of the hot lugs in a plug. Fixed that and all was well.

I appreciate the tips and look forward to learning more from y'all.

 

[deereman75]

I would recomend picking up 5lbs of 1/8 inch 6013, and 5 lbs of 1/8 inch 6011. These are both easy rods for beginners, and one is a drag rod, and one is not, so you will learn how to use both styles.

 

[V1Rotate]

I've got the exact same machine, bought it used over 25 years ago. The thing must have a huge number of hours on it and it still works perfect.