Arc welder maintanence

[jayco]

I've got a rotary selector in my Lincoln 225 AC that is so stiff to turn that I'm almost afraid of breaking it when selecting amperages.

The welder works fine otherwise, even though it's 30 years old. The rotary shaft is nylon and there are traces of what was once a lubricant.

That's the question, what would be the appropriate lubricant for this application?

James Flannery

[Rich Hale]

Give lincoln dealer a call and see if they recommend something....Or put in a new switch,,,you knew it would wear out someday,,,,,just not this soon I bet....lol

[markb]

A lot of the vintage stereo guys use this.
DeoxIT - CAIG Laboratories, Inc.

Radio shack has it.

[alabamablacksmith]

In any mechanical electric, I always use dielectric grease, like the kind you put in spark plug caps, great water and dirt resistance as well as lubrication, I would use some contact cleaner(available at Radio Shack or Walmart) then apply the dielectric grease to lube.

Matt Jackson

[arftist]

Jayco, try this, grab onto the selecter nob with your hand, pull it toward you, hard, then swicth positions. I had one and this procedure worked.

[HWooldridge]

I have the same welder and simply use WD40 once a year. Spray all the contacts and run the dial thru the ranges a few times. The difference will be like night and day after you are done.

[jayco]

For now, I took the easy way out and used the WD40 on the selector switch.
It worked! The switch has loosened up nicely and I can change amp settings without problems.

Another thing I did while I had the machine apart was to use some sandpaper to clean the contact points at the pivot of the selector switch. The two copper bars (visable in my second welder picture) must be clean to carry current properly.
The bars in my welder were pitted and burned.

After cleaning and reassembly, I noticed that the old welder was easier to strike an arc with! A definate improvement!

Whether this is a 'permanent' repair or not, I cannot tell at this time.....but I'll see.

The hardest part in working on these machines is the tiny screws that hold the sheetmetal housing together. Ridiculously hard to get all the holes lined up for reassembly.

If you decide to clean or work on one of these things, be sure to disconnect the power first!

James Flannery