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Lincoln 225 Tombstone repair

Wheelin66bronco

Wheelin66bronco

Pure Blood
Joined
May 20, 2020
Member Number
447
Messages
776
Loc
Star Valley, Wyoming
Anyone familiar with these welders as far as repair?
I've been hauling it around for close to 20 years, and just tried to use it for the first time. Turns on, hear fan, won't strike an arc.
Only reason it's worth fixing to me is it was my grandfather's welder, and it's in good shape besides not striking an arc.
Suggestions on where to start diagnosis much appreciated.
 
www.instructables.com

Refreshing Your Lincoln AC-225 220V Tombstone Welder

Refreshing Your Lincoln AC-225 220V Tombstone Welder: Good day, I recently purchased a Lincoln AC-225 welder for $40 (Minus leads of course). Before I plugged it in I decided to take it apart and clean it. I will show you how you can take your old welder and make it work like a new one. These...
www.instructables.com www.instructables.com
 
Agree w 486, if the range switch is too easy it might not be still moving connecty bits or you’re between ranges/corroded.
We have three of them here, I need to give two of them away
 
Blacksheep10 said:
Agree w 486, if the range switch is too easy it might not be still moving connecty bits or you’re between ranges/corroded.
We have three of them here, I need to give two of them away
Click to expand...
The range switch actually seemed stuck, and was hard to switch. May have broke the contact when I got it to go, but it's not "too easy" to change now:confused:.
I'll just have to tear into it and see.
 
Tore it apart today, definitely some cleanup needed. Of course there was a mouse next built on the transformer.
Built 8-18-1970. 9 years before I was born.
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PXL_20230712_002633977.jpg
 
contacts on the range switch shouldn't be burnt like that, someone was ignoring the "do not switch under load" admonishment that is on the front

power switch looks like it was pretty scuzzy too
don't clean the transformer, just blow it off with air, any more touching than necessary is likely to do more harm than good, the windings are only insulated with a layer of shellac after all
 
[486] said:
contacts on the range switch shouldn't be burnt like that, someone was ignoring the "do not switch under load" admonishment that is on the front

power switch looks like it was pretty scuzzy too
don't clean the transformer, just blow it off with air, any more touching than necessary is likely to do more harm than good, the windings are only insulated with a layer of shellac after all
Click to expand...
Agreed. Part of it is the detents notches are off. The range switch lands on an edge of each tab, not the center.
Looking for a new range selector and power switch.
 
[486] said:
cost exceeds value of machine
clean up what you've got
Click to expand...
Agree on the range selector but the power switch is a four pole toggle switch like you'd put in a box in a wall to turn your lights on. Or at least it is in my AC/DC machine.

Screen Shot 2023-07-12 at 9.49.38 AM.png
 
they're a real heavy 30 amp rated one on all I've had apart, easy to find 20a ones, 30a ones are not cheap
 
Bumping as I'm finishing (hopefully) this project.
I got the thing all put together last winter, it wouldn't strike an arc (or VERY weak), and blows the 50amp breaker after 30 sec-to a minute (I thought from trying to strike an arc).
Fast forward to today, need this thing to work. I've got 115v on the in and out of the switch, both polls. I've got 11vAC on both AC and DC + ports, and on DC- port. 8vAC on AC- port. Goes from 11vac on the 90 Amp setting, to 12.5vac on the 180 Amp setting, so it seems the dial works.
It kicks the breaker just running it, had nothing to do with striking an arc.
What I'm unsure of is the reading.
Switch arcs pretty good on shutoff.
There's a crackling sound after shutoff down in the windings below the switch, but nothing is melted.

Anyone got any idea on the voltage readings bring correct or not, and what else to check?
 
rereading it and you aren't really clear on what you're probing,
you've gotta check voltage on the output across the two leads, not to ground, as the transformer isolates the secondary from ground

reason this appears to me is you should have 220(or whatever)v across the primary windings, not 115v, unless you're checking them against ground or neutral or whatever
 
is that rectifier someone added onto there hooked up wrong so that it is shorting out the secondary?
 
Oo, good call. In the Pic, AC is top, DC bottom, correct? I read it as bottom was the inputs from AC, and didn't pay attention to the AC symbol on the too. I have it opposite that.

Yes, I added the rectifier for running DC rod.
 
it isn't going to make smooth DC anyways without the bigass reactor coil in series, just unhook it all together and run it as god intended for now
 
Just bought one of the two pole 30 amp switches for my buddies welder from Home Depot with shipping was right at 70 dollars
 
bigun said:
Just bought one of the two pole 30 amp switches for my buddies welder from Home Depot with shipping was right at 70 dollars
Click to expand...
I think at that point I'd rely on the power cord plug as the switch
 
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