Welder QUestions

OK, so I got lucky finally and scored a free welder. From what I'm told it works (or it worked when it was used last which is at least a year to two years). It's a Sears Craftsman Stick welder 30 to 230 Amp adjustable...

Now... here comes the tech stuff... what it needs done is
a. the AC plug needs to put on (it got cut off for other projects by the previous owner).... so the three wires, one green and two black... the black are hot (no difference betwen which one goes where, right?) and green is ground?

b. the cable that plugs in to the other terminal is torn out from the handle... I am thinking about opening the handle (It's got a nice small phillips screw in it that justs asks to be opened) and the other end looks kind of flimsy too so I'm thinking about doing something to it as well.... or where can I buy that one cable? and how much do they run????

Thanks
Remi aka Kejtar

Last time I looked, I was able to find some online manuals for a Sears washing machine on their site. Check it out, they may have a manual and seem to have a pretty good reputation for repair parts availability.

I looked and I can't find anything that would give me any product information on their older items

Anyone got a link that they came across maybe?

Kejtar

ok, found it on sears site... man... is that diagram image bad or what....
ANyways if anyone else has this model... 113.201372 what can you tell me about it ?

Well, in case the bad diagrams weren't informative, you are correct that the two black wires are "hot" and green is ground, and that the two blacks are interchangeable. Make sure you use an adequate plug and socket. An electric range plug is good.

An electric range plug is good.

Click to expand...

Yes, electric range plugs are simply 240v. 2 feeds of 120.
add them up and you get 240. You can try a regular plug, but you will just keep blowing fuses.

-V-

plug/electrical

Not trying to be a smart azz,but if you are not sure which wire is which,I would consult an eletrican just to be on the safe side.The plugs are rated by amperage,not sure what the amperage would be but I'm sure you wouldn't wanna burn ANYTHING up.Running the welder on lower amps than it is rated can mess up the transformer.As I said,not tryin to be a SA,just addin my .02.

churky89.... thanks for your concernt, but if I was trying to run the welder on wrong amperage or actually try to draw more then the line can give me, all that'd happen is that I'd trip a circuit breaker The limitation on the plug though is a valid concern, that's why I got from Home Depot the biggest, beefiest one that I could find!

Kejtar

Kejtar said:

churky89.... thanks for your concernt, but if I was trying to run the welder on wrong amperage or actually try to draw more then the line can give me, all that'd happen is that I'd trip a circuit breaker The limitation on the plug though is a valid concern, that's why I got from Home Depot the biggest, beefiest one that I could find!

Kejtar

Click to expand...

Not really. If your circuit breaker is 20 amps (per leg) and your transformer is rated for less you can smoke it if something isn't correct in the welder. Find the original specs and you can find out everything you need to know to wire it up the right way.

Burley

If I may spin this thread slightly, so you're saying for instance I have a 50 amp breaker and socket so what would I look at as far as the welder amperage so I know whether or not this could damage the welder. Is the recommended amperage what they show on the specs of a welder regarding input amperage? What would a good ratio be?

I know this may be a bit late in coming for the person who originally posted this question but for anyone coming across this post in the future you can get just about any Sears owner's manual by going to sears.com and hitting the parts link. Type in the model # and go to the parts list and the owner's manual is usually on the bottom of the parts list. Cheers.