Scored a few goodies today!

[Big Barn]

The only real difference is, the Short hoods have a 4-gear main amp selector. The Long hoods have a 5-gear main amp selector. In mid 1973 Lincoln started using aluminum in the generator, and to have enough room the generator was made into an octagon shape. I've had both models, and it's very obvious in the arc. Nothing beats 100% copper!:cool2:

So. Just to clarify...Is it safe to say original shorthoods were 100% copper?

Terry

 

[Shield Arc]

So. Just to clarify...Is it safe to say original shorthoods were 100% copper?

Terry

Yes!
Member here Arc Weld, who lives in Alberta. Is a regional manager for a huge welding supply. He told me that Lincoln took so much heat from welders for using aluminum in the generators from mid 1973. Lincoln contacted Local Union 798 Pipeliners, Lincoln set up a blind welding test. They placed a 100% copper SA-200, and a SA-200 with aluminum outside the shop. Ran the welding leads inside the shop. Every Pipeline welder there could tell which welder had the aluminum in the generator.

 

[Big Barn]

Very interesting. Thanks!

Terry

 

[muddstopper]

I still am not convinced that the octagon barrels started in 1973. I also am not convinced that all octagon barrels had aluminum in the winding. My sa200 is a 1972 model, according to numbers, it has a octagon barrel, again matching numbers, and it is copper wound. I cant be 100% sure that at some point the winding where not changed since the owner before me died and left the welder to his daughter, but I am pretty sure it still has the original windings. Since I havent gotten around to putting it back together, I cant say how well it will weld.

 

[Shield Arc]

muddstopper it's very possible your octagon generator is 100% copper. According to Arc Weld when Lincoln was getting ready to make the switch to aluminum, a lot of welders left the factory with an octagon barrel, but with 100% copper in the generator. I have also read this same information on the AWS forum, Kaye Sellon, Bill's daughter fields a lot of questions about SA-200s there.

 

[Arc weld]

Yes!
Member here Arc Weld, who lives in Alberta. Is a regional manager for a huge welding supply. He told me that Lincoln took so much heat from welders for using aluminum in the generators from mid 1973. Lincoln contacted Local Union 798 Pipeliners, Lincoln set up a blind welding test. They placed a 100% copper SA-200, and a SA-200 with aluminum outside the shop. Ran the welding leads inside the shop. Every Pipeline welder there could tell which welder had the aluminum in the generator.

Thanks for the promotion Shield Arc! When do I get the raise? LOL I'm not a manager but am the technical product support specialist for welding. I help branches all across Canada. Late short hoods had a 5 gear course range. The blind test wasn't when the first aluminum machines came out in 73. I think I read about it on Weldingweb. I think it had a lot to do with Lincoln going back to all copper when the Classic series was introduced in the late 80's/90's? The way I understood it, pipeliners had complained for years and Lincoln kept saying there's no difference between the copper and aluminum machines. Then Lincoln finally agreed to send some of their people out and participate in the blind test where I think 80%+ of the welders could tell a difference and preferred the copper machines. Not that the aluminum machines were bad machines but another issue is they wouldn't keep consistent heat after they warmed up. The welders would have to keep turning their machines up and then after a break for lunch or something, they'd come back and have to turn them back down. The copper machines kept the same heat all day long.

 

[Shield Arc]

Thanks for the promotion Shield Arc! When do I get the raise? LOL I'm not a manager but am the technical product support specialist for welding. I help branches all across Canada.

With your knowledge base on welding you should be the manager of all things welding in Canada!:thumbsup:

See guys, Arc Weld has a full time job keeping me on the straight and narrow.

 

[Arc weld]

I've only been at it a few weeks! ROFL I think someone on Weldingweb said Lincoln made some pre-production aluminum machines to test the market. It would be interesting to see an original brochure from when they did officially switch to aluminum. I highly doubt they advertised about the change to aluminum shunt coils. :anyone:

 

[dntfxr]

That is quite interesting! I don't have any experience using aluminum wound welders but way back when I worked in electrical a lot of the repair jobs were from old aluminum wiring. The old wire was always very brittle and deteriorated and connections were corroded or oxidized looking. Not sure when the aluminum was used, must have been early 70's to maybe early 80's. But at some point it was no longer allowed by code for all the issues with it. I can see how it would conduct differently than copper in a welder also.

 

[Shield Arc]

March of my senior year in high school I went to work in a welding fab shop full time. In June when I officially graduated from high school I went into construction. All you seen on construction sites was Lincoln Short hoods, and Red face welders. Years latter all you seen on the jobs were Miller engine drives. Until I went into management I never under stood why. Miller engine drives are cheaper, thats why! After retiring I wanted an engine drive welder. I made the mistake of buying the 1974 SA-200 in the picture above. When I went to pick it up, I tried it out. It welded so I bought it. When I got it home, and the more I used it, it hit me! This isn't the same arc I remember! Then I learned Lincoln put aluminum in the generator! The aluminum SA-200s weld just like Millers Big 40 welders! All you can say for them is they weld, but that's about it.:thumbdown:
After buying several SA-200s, and parts for SA-200s. I took the engine out of that 1974, connected a 1970 generator to the engine, and placed them in the frame and sheet metal of a 1948 Short hood, and came up with this. I'm not so sure it doesn't weld better than my 1966 SA-200 Red face!

 

[Big Barn]

I think in my dying days when I fondly look back at TBN, three photos come to mind that I KNOW will bring a smile to my face..

Shield Arc's shorthood pictured above

James' KOua's bucket hooks And Steve's ( BuckitCase) Plasma Cart Plumbing Extravaganza

Lots of others too but thanks everyone. .

..back on topic Terry

 

[BukitCase]

"Steve's (Buckitcase) Plasma Cart Plumbing Extravaganza"

Wow, what an honor - first of all I'd like to thank my former pipeline welder Bob, both for getting me started in arc welding and for the loan of his SA-200 til I got permanent power to the home I was building back in 1975. Next, I'd like to thank my (then) local auto parts guy LeRoy for alerting me to a sweet deal on an ac/dc 250 amp welder in another branch of his organization. Then, there was this guy......

All seriousness aside, I still stand by my design - I don't think it's extravagant when every component serves a purpose (although they may not have needed to be stainless :laughing

In fact, there isn't even a refrigerated moisture separator involved (yet), but only for lack of room at the time

I've re-posted the pic Terry alluded to for my not-yet-indoctrinated fans

Gratefully, shiny (but denying any allegations of extravagance)... Steve

 

[dntfxr]

I got a chance to try out the plasma cutter and the ln25. The cutter is made to be run off another welder as a power source. It didn't seem to get along with my Dialarc. Not sure why but it would initiate pilot arc then just sort of stutter, and occasionally it sounded like the Dialarc would almost max out and kinda roar. I downloaded the Starcut manual and it lists different power sources that were compatible and sure enough the Dialarc isn't mentioned. But the SA200 is, so maybe once I get that going I can try again with it.
The LN-25 however works great, and it seems to be a great combo running on the Dialarc. Is that even kosher, running a blue and red machine together? Oh well, I really like it lol! I really expected it to be finicky running off a cc welder but it once dialed it it was very smooth. I don't have a lot of mig experience but it seemed to run similar to 7018, except you don't have to stop and reload . These are the first beads I ran with .045 and .035 flux core once dialed in. Nothing to write home about but I am really surprised at how smooth the arc is. It is very nice, in fact better than my little mig welder. I think I will go ahead and set it up with gas and try it like that too. I could do without the spatter.

 

[Shield Arc]

If your LN-25 is part number G1757-2 through G1757-5, there is an 1/8-AMP fuse under the cover inside the machine that can burn out. Good idea to get an extra one.

 

[dntfxr]

If your LN-25 is part number G1757-2 through G1757-5, there is an 1/8-AMP fuse under the cover inside the machine that can burn out. Good idea to get an extra one.

Good call it is popped! I'll pick some up this week. What does this control? Hopefully the contactor, my wire is hot all the time. In function though it's not bad at all being hot, just like stick welding really. Thanks for the heads up SA!

 

[Shield Arc]

Yeah when the LN-22s came out they were hot all the time. Kind of a PITA! And boy you can go through a lot of contact tips, with the wire being hot all the time.
Here is a picture of an LN-22.
And I scanned this right out of the LN-25s manual about the fuse.

 

[dntfxr]

I got the shorthood in the shop and snapped a couple more pics. Rats nest and dirt daubers under the cover. Besides weathering, doesn't seem to be too bad actual wear on the gen side. Probably less use on a farm vs a professional welder. The bearing was pretty dry but it took grease, quite a bit in fact. Guess I'll check compression then start with a carb kit and a look at what the mag needs. The oil looks good anyway, and the starter turns over. Looks like someone welded the exhaust pipe to the manifold..

 

[dntfxr]

Yeah when the LN-22s came out they were hot all the time. Kind of a PITA! And boy you can go through a lot of contact tips, with the wire being hot all the time.
Here is a picture of an LN-22.
And I scanned this right out of the LN-25s manual about the fuse.

Ok thanks, I had seen that page in the pdf manual but couldn't find the number anywhere until I checked the board under cover. Mine is a 1757-3 so the fuse "interrupts the 500a lead to the trigger switch". Does that mean it interrupts the contactor function or what exactly? I'm still not sure I even have a contactor or what it looks like. I'll see if I can locate a replacement fuse today.

 

[Shield Arc]

I think all that fuse does is protect the circuit board. It shouldn't have anything to do with the contactor. You can remove the metal cover inside, if there is a little black box between the welding lead, then most likely you have a contactor. If the welding wire will arc, with out you pulling the trigger, you don't have a contactor.

 

[Big Barn]

A while back when I initially hooked up my bench feeder I had my first experience with mig 'electrode hot'. Momentarily scared the crap outta me.

Wasn't until the next day that I realized I had my machine's process switch on the wrong setting.



Terry