I don't think so, Frosty.    I've already got a buyer for the knife at $250.  Don't think I'd trade it for $125 worth of wiring.

I'm glad to hear THAT.  The thought still applies though, you'll just get more per knife if you get to keep the money that is. Deb tends to have plans when I bring in a couple bucks. 

Frosty The Lucky.

Found a 125' coil of 6-3 on Craig's List today for $160.  My electrician told me where/how to install it and he'd come and hook up the connections.  My Run is 63 1/2 feet, so I'll have 61 1/2' of 6-3 left over to put on Craig's List to recoup some of my money.

Oh, and Frosty, one rule I made when I started this steel bangin' hobby was that "Any money I make goes to buying materials and equipment toward that end!"  The money spent today came out of the stash I was saving for my 2x72 grinder.  When I sell the knife, that money goes into the stash.  No debate!

Glad to hear you could negotiate to do some of he work and the electrician to connect. That is the way to go for larger jobs. 

I did that when we installed 3 phase. 

I got my 6-3 Romex run from the breaker box, up to the attic, stapled to the rafter all the way over to the other side of my forging room for my welder.  About 65 1/2 feet of Romex.  Now to figure out how to hook 6-3 with a ground to an outlet that only has three connectors!  Oh, and the 50 amp breaker only has two!  So I'm fumbuzzled.    Looks as if I'm going to have to pay my electrician $200 to hook it up! 

ground and common hook together. Your box has two hots bars which feed  the breakers . Each bar feeds 110 volts when you have a feed from each bar you have 220. The ground and the common hook to the same bar in the box. Having a ground and a common is a  redundant safety feature. 

I am not an electrician!    I have wired many things including 3 phase successfully . This is my limited understanding

Thanks for the info.  Only I don't have the slightest idea what you are talking about. That's why I'm probably going to have to pay my electrician to hook it up.  I've got 3 wires: White, Black and Red, along with a copper ground.  I don't even know which is the "common" and which are the Hots.  I'm okay with 110V.  (well, I haven't electrocuted myself yet!)   But 220V might as well be Greek to me.  On the back of my wall outlet there are 3 connection points.  One of them is marked Green, the other two unmarked as to color.  On the breaker, there are only two points of connection.  (3 wires and a ground and only two connections) With #6 wire, there's no way I'm going to be able to hook two wires into one of those connection points.

I must contradict  Old Crew, the neutral carries in  imbalance of the load, and the ground bonds the frame to earth to prevent electrocution, they are not redundant connections and they should not connect together at the recep, if they are connected there then the imbalance can go through you if you contact the frame.

and I am an electrician and have been for over 35 years

So Steve, if I hook the Neutral (White) and bare copper wires together in the Green (ground) terminal of my outlet, and the Red and Black wires in the other two holes, is the outlet hooked up correctly?  And if that is correct should I hook the Red and Black wires into the two terminals on the 50 amp breaker and the White and copper to the bundle of ground wires in the box?

no

"No" on which question?  Both?

This is where you ask what your safety or the safety of others is worth.  

11 hours ago, Old Crew said:

ground and common hook together.

Please do not do this. The only place that you should bond the neutral and the ground is at the main service entrance. As Steve explained, these are separate circuits and need to be maintained as such.

Chris, if your not confident and comfortable with what you are doing (and it doesn't sound like you are) I would have your electrician come out and do it for you. Your welder has a 3 wire plug and will only use 3 wires, 2 hots and the ground. You don't need a neutral for a welder. Since you already ran the wire I would just put in a sub panel as Steve suggested earlier. 

PLEASE be safe. If you're not 100% confident in what you're doing and why, GET A PROFESSIONAL!!! 

Let me put it this way: I doubt very much that there's enough in your grinder fund to cover the medical expenses when you injure yourself or the cost of replacing your building because the insurance company won't cover damage resulting from improper wiring by an unlicensed amateur.

I bought my first house from the widow of a man who worked maintenance at a telephone central office and so worked with electrical stuff.  He electrocuted himself while working under the kitchen sink.  Left a widow and two small kids.  $200 is DIRT CHEAP compared to possible alternatives.   BTW do you have the lighting circuits on different breakers than the power tool circuits?  Never did like having a power tool barf and the lights going out while something deadly in the dark is hunting for me...

Okay, guys, I get it.  Will pay my electrician to do the work.

The Lighting and outlets are on the same circuits, so when I have an overload, I lose the lights..........................but I've a safety light that comes on and puts out enough light in the shop so I don't stumble over everything to get to the breaker box.

when your electrician put in the small sub panel have him separate the lights too

No sub panel, Steve.  I don't have the money for that luxury.  I basically live on a Social Security check.  The line runs from the breaker box in my wood working shop to the forge where the outlet will be.  When I win the lottery, I'll have an electrician out to wire everything all fancy like.  For right now, I need the 220v outlet working so I can run my welder.   I'm going to pay him to hook up the new outlet............and I can't even really afford that.

Just to be clear. Further in my post I did say that the ground and common hook together in the box. I don't hook them together prior to the connection in the box.

My electrician came by today to address a problem with our Heat and Air unit.  Asked him to show me how to hook up this 220 wiring "all legal and proper".  We discussed leaving a whole lot of extra wire on the outlet end so we could come back later (when I have the funds) to put in a sub panel as you suggested Steve.  But this will work fine until that time comes.  Checked it out and my Tombstone turns on, no problem.  Thanks for all the help, i.e. suggestions/comments/insults and kindly curmudgeon-ing. 

Leaving extra on the outlet end allows you to move the welder outside when needed. 

I don't intend to weld inside, Glen.  I made a 25' extension cord for moving the welder outside.  The "extra" I mentioned was only about 18" so we can go back and wire up a sub-panel.

I've been practicing running beads with my Tombstone.  I've got a bunch of 6013, both 3/32" and 1/8" and though I'd not be willing to show the results to anyone who can weld, I think my welds are reasonably decent and should hold up to anything I'd be putting my welded parts up against.  These are the old rods that came with my welder...........and my friend who owns the local welding supply told me to toss them in the trash.  I figured it wouldn't hurt to at least try'em.  But I want to try some 7018 and don't have any in this bucket.  I'll be buying just a small amount.  Home Depot carries Forney.  Is that a decent brand?

It depends upon where they are made. If they are made in China, I would pass on them due to my experience with the HF wire for the wire feed welders. If they are made in the U.S. I wouldn't have a problem using them because all welding rods are supposed to be made to certain specs. This thread from 2008 dealt with them.

 

Yup, I was wondering about the Forney Brand.  Is it imperative to store 7018 rods at 240 degrees or is that just a bunch of hype?