Century Welder

[Tim McCoy]

Questions from a non-welder. I found a Century 220 volt 295 amp arc welder at a yard sale sans the leads for $50.00, I bought it. I have seen many arc welders on sale lately and it seems that everyone is still very proud of their equipment and asking "too much". I did a quick search on the net and can't seem to find much info about this particular unit... one guy says that Lincoln bought Century. The box is in very good shape externally, almost new, few scrapes and no dents and the places where the din plugs on the cables plug in are clean and straight. Works AC/DC and has a cutting/hole burning feature - yippie!

I think I got this at a good price - yes/no? I will start a search for some cables, but wanted to know if those can be home made and if it is okay to make'm longer than normal? And what is normal - 10' or 25'?? Any help will be appreciated - photos below. Oh yeah, gotta get to a class to learn how to use this thing ;)

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Hey Tim,
keep searching CL I have seen some leads for sale for around $1-$2 a foot used. Yes, leads can be made long, and that is preferred to adding an extension cord to the welder. I have seen leads up to 100'. As a matter of fact I may have some kicking around. I will have to dig through the pile,might even have the stinger, and ground clamp. I have plenty of helmets, so don't buy one.

I've called the last couple of times I was in Vegas, but got your voice mail. We are going to have to set up a weekend where I can swing by, and give ya some schoolin' on that thingamajig. I think I brought down my copy of the Lincoln Welding text book from when I went through the junior college program, if so I can let you borrow it.

[Tim McCoy]

Walt - check for a PM ... and thanks!

[pkrankow]

I think http://www.weldingdepot.com has leads for a fair price, I was on there ordering PPE for my brother in law and myself last week. As always shop around.

Phil

[eric sprado]

It's better to have longer extension chord (of right size of course) than longer leads. Longer leads have drop in power....
I've had a Century machine for a zillion years. More basic machine than the nice one you bought. Has been bullet proof...

[Dragons lair]

I have always found the oppsite. Welding leads are far better conductors than extension cords. Another factor is
can ya drag the welder a 100+ feet? Much easier to drag the leads.
Ken.

[Tim McCoy]

Thanks for the input this far ... another question - won't the cable for the plug in have to be heavier guage than the cables to the work?? won't they carry less amps/power or is it the other way around? Are the transformers in the box step-up or step-down? There is so much to learn !! Seen many units on the net that come with 50 or 100' cables.

Tim

[Dragons lair]

Standard input cables are fine. Really long leads to be bigger. My 460 amp miller stick/tig runs on 100 amp input.
The 250 amp esab mig runs on 50 amps. That is wide open.
Ken

[BM454]

I use quick connects on my leads. You can add to or take away as much as you like with them. I have to say they are money well spent.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=tweco+cable+connectors&hl=en&cid=6751589776988525812&ei=DZQZTLbfMITa2QTQqbSSBQ&sa=title&ved=0CBsQ8wIwBTgA#p

[Tim McCoy]

Thanks BM454

Found a source for Century Welder parts, etc. at http://www.Welder-Pros.com I have an e-mail out to them to find out if I can get a manual or parts list. More later ;)

[Tim McCoy]

I have to add 220 outlet for my new welder ... have had a difficult time finding info about how it is done ... searching the net only. Came across a site the has a welding section http://www.TractorByNet.com

Had really good info about welding problems and how to hook up 220 service ... that site had 363 members and 2582 visitors on it today ... gotta love the net!! :rolleyes:

[BM454]

Here's a rather good page for what you are looking for. Just remember if you are going to have a long cord on your welder you may need bigger wire from the breaker box to the outlet. What you should do is contact an electrician in your area to find out how the wire size you need for the distance you are going to run your wire to. If you are going to need say 50 feet you will need bigger wire to hold the current. I'm no electrician but, I do know some about it. I know enough to wire 220. Odds are if you go to a store that sells mostly electrical supplies they will be able to tell you just what you need.

You can also look at the way your range is wired if you have an electric range that is and or a clothes dryer too. It's all the same. 220 is 220


http://weldingweb.com/archive/index.php/t-9681.html

[Dragons lair]

Have to disagree with 220 is 220. My tig/stick miller Will Not run on a dryer service. It takes a 100 amp line. My
mig takes a 50 amp line. Also is it single or 3 phase power. Best to talk to a sparky. Had a big box guy tell me I could run the miller on 16ga wire. If ya don't know what you are doing get help. Working with 1 in sq buss lines 460
volt will make a beliver of you.
Ken.

[Alphonse]

On 6/13/2010 at 5:47 PM, Tim McCoy said:

Questions from a non-welder. I found a Century 220 volt 295 amp arc welder at a yard sale sans the leads for $50.00, 

Tim: I have the same welder, tho mine is the Cetury 250 Amp AC-DC output. Yours is a 295 amp AC only output.
you have 2 AC ranges- LOW & HIGH The LOW range has more arc volts for small rods, and hard to run AC rods like Low hydrogen 7018, stainless and hard surfacing. High range is for all dia 6011,6013/7014/7024 rods.
They were made in the 1980's, and yours looks to be in beautiful shape, used very little. They are very tough welders that give long touble free service. Base on how expensive new welders are today, YOU GOT A GREAT DEAL!. You will need a to wire it for 240Volt-60 amp [min] input. Mine will trip off a 50 amp breaker, if I weld over 145 amps. I had to install a 60 amp breaker to weld up to 225-250 amp. It will pop that if you weld more than the duty cycle of the welder[2mins, out of 10mins] Also, you need to use a #6 input wire size. Do not go over 30ft [both welding cables] use #2 welding cable[too long will cause voltage drop = hard arc staring.
Always lengthen the input power cable, not the output welding cables on Transformer type welders.

 

 

[Tim McCoy]

Thanks to all of you for your input! I have learned to throw out the questions and wait for the answers.

Alfonso: I have a model 110-081 Century stick welder220 volt 295 amp AC only unit. Found out mine was made prior to 1982. I appreciate your comments about this unit. Gotta buy some cable now and stinger and connectors ... located a wiring diagram and a parts list ... let me know if you would like copies. Got my infor from:

http://www.Welder-Pros.com

... can hardly wait to get the 220 installed and get to welding

Yippie!
Tim

[TotinTools]

I have been selling Century machines since 1982. I have sold a few of the AC/DC version of yours, but not the straight AC one like it looks like yours is. We have the cable ends so you can buy your own cable or sometimes you can get the Miller 3/8" cable ends to fit in the connectors. Of course all of the older Century welders like yours were a shunt design welder, making constant arc voltage no matter where you put the amperage setting. That puts them in a category with the more expensive machines that the competitors made. If I can help you with any parts or e-mail you parts books or wiring diagrams, let me know.
Thanks,
Mont Howard
www.Welder-Pros.com
E-mail: Mont@Welder-Pros.com

[eric sprado]

Any of you going through or near Shelley Idaho might want to stop in a meet Mont.. He has been VERY kind to respond to my offline emails and supply me with practical technical information for my Century buzz box!! They are a feed store,but sell AND repair welders as I understand it...

[maddog]

You got a great deal! But you are going to have to drop some money on cables. Fact is you probably would have had to even if the original cables were still attached. These units typically come with 12' #4 gauge leads, which are too short and too small a gauge.

The lower the voltage, the larger the conductor has to be to push the same amount of power through a line. Which is why power transmission lines run at extremely high voltages. And, of course, the longer the run, the thicker the conductor has to be to supply the same current. Welding cables run low voltages and huge currents. They are heavy thick and expensive. It's much cheaper to put a long power cord on a welder than it is to buy long leads. But welders are heavy and clumsy, even small ones like yours. Even on a cart, do you want to be pulling it around the shop every time you need to weld?

The best is probably a compromise. 25' Welding leads, #1 gauge will probably reach every where in your shop. On the day that you need to weld under a trailer out in the street or set up a swing set in the back yard, you can make up a 220v extension cord and drag the welder out to the job. And like someone says, the gauge will depend on the length of the run.

I have 25' #1 cables on my Idealarc 300, with quick connects on the end so that I can snap in another 25' extension if I need. (the Idealarc weighs 800lbs so rolling out into the driveway is not an option). When I bought the cable, #1 is about $2/ft, I got red and black leads. I would like to make the first 25' out of 1/0 gauge. That will have to wait till I have made my fortune in blacksmithing.

The stinger lead is 3ft of #4 which snaps into the quick connect on the end of the heavy red cable. This makes it easier to manipulate the rod and a few ft of small gauge doesnt have much effect at regular rod sizes. I have a variety of different ground clamps which I can snap onto the quick connect on the end of the black cable. I also have a quick connect lead attached to my welding table.

[Tim McCoy]

Maddog
Thanks for the input ... Meancoyote was kind enough to front me 62' of 1/0 cable for the Century welder along with a bag of other goodies for work I will help him with once the Vegas weather stays below 100. Thanks Meancoyote!!! I made a 25' stinger lead and a 20' work lead ... had to buy 2 Lenco hp-10 connectors, a stinger, and now the unit sets under a welding table that I have cobbled together. I will seldom need to move the welder as most of any work that I will do will be small projects. Just waiting for my next allowance issue from the spousal unit to get the 220 installed in the garage. Yes the welder is heavy ... like everything else I have gathered together to learn to be a blacksmith.

Next project is to install a $2 amp selector switch rod, a new power cord and stinger on a Lincoln AC/DC 225 that I picked up for $20 I love CL and yard sales!!! Photos once we're done.

[Steve Sells]

For your sake I hope you hire a real electrician. There are many reasons for a 4 to 5 year apprenticeships before being allowed to take the licensee exam.

220V is the name plate minimum voltage for the welder, not what is available from the home service. Also since voltage drop is always a factor, no one can tell you what size wire to run with out knowing the distance or other factors effecting this voltage drop to your service receptacle.

If you want to trust the guy making $8 a hour at the box store, rather than a electrician, fine. Don't forget the building permit for a new install. Home owner Insurance companies dont normally pay for damages from a home owner doing un-licensed installs. Be careful

[Tim McCoy]

Steve,
Appreciate your input ... real electrician lined up. I rewire lamps, kids toys and some of the stuff in my car - nothin' else And I used to be an insurance agent so I know the rules about home insurance and coverage ... soon we have sparks!

[maddog]

Tim,

It seems you've put together a nice setup with those cables. 1/0 is great! I'm a bit jealous I do recommend a short whip on the end for the stinger. 1/0 is pretty heavy to manipulate. I use Lenco 10 connectors. They are nice. You can get the males and females seperately. I do recommend a variety of ground clamps. Its nice to be able to just ground the table. A big solid ground clamp is good when contact with the table is not enough and a really light ground clip for small stuff when the weight of the big clamp and the heavy cable is too much. Oh yeah, and its nice to have a magnet ground when it wont distort the arc and also... well you get the idea...

A word of warning. Welding cables are a popular target for thieves. They are worth some money, easily cut and easily resold.

Now I am a bit concerned. When I wired my shop for 220, and this was for my welder, I tried to get an electrician but no one would touch it for less than $1000. Before doing it myself, and its not hard to figure out the wire sizes you need, I called my insurane company and they told me that any work I did on my house would have no effect on the coverage. I pressed for more detail and he said that if the house burned down because of wiring that I installed the damage would be covered, even if the wiring failed to meet code. He went on to say that only if it was clear that my actions were malicious and that I was trying to create an accident or if I saw the house burning and failed to call the fire dept. would there be any issue with coverage.

At the time, his made sense to me because the Bank has an interest too. If they stood the risk of losing coverage on a house they had mortgaged just because the homeowner wired an outlet they would have required extra insurance or at least made me promise to use a licensed electrician.

I know a lot of people who work on their homes. I've never actually heard of a case where the ins. co. refused to cover damages because of this.

I am not trying to start an argument. This is a serious matter and you say you have some experience with the ins industry. I would like to clear on where I stand.

[Steve Sells]

I am currently a IBEW master electrician, I used to own my own contracting company for 16 years. Got my first license in 1984.

I hear so many people talk about how easy it is to run their own wiring, But if its so easy for anyone... why are there so many screwed up things I have to fix? My area has serious code enforcement, I know of many area where no one cares. Here locally there was a fire from a self installed non-permitted work, and their company did not pay, as he violated the rules. They didn't have to put exclusions in their paperwork, as its a local law already. In many cases here there are exclusions for a person to be able pull a permit for them to do their own work, after showing they have the correct knowledge to do it. the inspectors are there to make sure it IS done correctly. After all the electrical grid is connected to everyone, and SOME problems can effect everyone else on your substation grid. ( think of a neighbor doing his own plumbing and crossing a line for drinking water with gray water...)

I personally wont warranty anything someone else messes with, if they screw it up they can pay to get it fixed. I don't have a problem with a INS company feeling the same way.

It isn't just about a building department collecting money.

[Tim McCoy]

All good thoughts - but maybe beyond this thread. Never-the-less, when I sold insurance one of the thoughts that I shared with potential buyers was, "this is one of the things in life you cannot get once you need it. It must be in place before hand. Once you need it, it is too late to get some." Every day people make decisions about self-insuring by figuring out what the odds are that they will lose something and then not getting the appropriate coverage. Their guess is always good as long as no fires, earthquakes, floods, car crashes, or accidents happen. Insurance companies, like people, are fickle sometimes. As a former insurance agent I would caution anyone that whatever your agent may tell you is suspect. He can only bind certain losses in the field and the "home office" always reserves the right to over ride anything the agent said. Read your policy and when in doubt get a written answer from the issuing company's underwriters, not the agent. Cuts down on the surprises after the fire Now, let's talk about welding.

[maddog]

I'd better talk to my ins. co.again and make sure. I've done a fair amount of work on the house and that includes wiring. It would be ***** expensive if I have to get an electrician to redo all that work.