Questions about an old TIG machine

A friend has offered me his old TIG welder - I forget who made it. It is a single phase machine that hasn't been used in years. When he was running it, he only stick welded with it - he never used the TIG. I want it for the TIG. He has a feeling that I will have to tear into the cooling system and clean up all the solenoid valves as he suspects they will all be dried out. What do you guys think? Anything else that I may have to be thinking about?

I think you think we think your're thinking second thoughts about the old welder...
I also think you buddys right about the valves, but maybe you'll get lucky.
The capacitors can fail or get weak in old tig machines also. If it doesn't weld aluminum very well, check the caps first, thats what I'm thinkin.

dk

Shielding gas is your #1 concern. Dont worry about cooling until your hand gets too hot to hold the handle. Depending on amount you weld, cooling may not even be a problem.

I bet it will be fine. Blow out the valve openings before you go to hook up the argon. Caps are no big deal. I have machines here 40 years old and still have the original caps in them and they work fine. The caps in the machines are mica based so its not like they are going to dry out like a electrolytic. And there are no output filter caps like a mig machine.

I still am not sure what cooling system you are talking about. Some old tig machines had two solenoid valves, one for shield gas and one for water. The water valves were hardly ever used. They were intended for when you are using city water to cool your water cooled torch, which I wouldnt recommend anyway. The mineral/ion content in most water makes it rather conductive to HF and can bleed some of your HF away. Use a water cooler with the recommended coolant. In my machine I use RO filtered water. A solenoid valve is cheap on ebay if all else fails. And depending on how heavy you want to work you can get air cooled tig torches as you can spend as much money on a new water cooler as on the machine. (~$600)

Some of the old tig machine are highly regarded like the Lincoln TIG 300/300 and the Miller 330b.

If it is good price go for it. I would say realistic price 500 to 600 max depending on the output.

Lincoln TIG 300

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These just down right look cool too!

I bought a 1982 Lincoln TIG 300/300 from my employer back in '95. I got a #9 and #20 torch, foot control, and hand control with it... for $450. The water cooler for the #20 torch cost me about the same.
Yeah, there's something cool about that big gray box.

[ 09-08-2006, 09:16 PM: Message edited by: Dave Haven ]

Those older machines are nice. Generally they just need a good blowing out with an air hose.

I have the baby brother to the 300/300 Lincoln that Dave Haven has. It's a 1985 model Idealarc AC/DC TIG/Stick 250/250. Like him I got it in 1995 from a friend. It's a lightweight at 475 pounds. the 300 model weighs in at 695 or so. Mine has a homemade stainless steel water tank with a carbonator pump to provide water for the torch. It works great. It's bright red however!

I would try to get a manual for your machine and clean it up and you may be pleasantly surprised.

I have the Tig 250 too. I always thought that 300 looked like a old 1900s safe. They show up from time to time at auctions still. I know a guy that opened and ran a welding shop for about 40yrs and a Lincoln Tig 300 was all I ever saw the man weld with.

I would try to get a manual for your machine and clean it up and you may be pleasantly surprised.

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If it's a Lincoln, you can download the manual from Lincoln's website.

I acquired my TIG 300/300 by a stroke of luck. The newly hired "welder guy" thought there was something wrong with the HF start circuit and wanted a new machine. They replaced it with a Miller Syncrowave 250, and I bought the old Lincoln.
Sometimes they get a lot of grinding dust in them which causes electrical "leaks". Proper application of compressed air (with eye protection) can usually repair the problem.

You wouldnt believe the amount of times I have had a machine come in and all is wrong is some crud in the spark gap. Run a feeler guage through the gap and blow it out and its good as new.

Worst thing is when people grind right next to their machine with the fan running. I have had machines come in leaving a trail of dust where ever I moved it!

Worst case is a Thermal Arc inverters and aluminum dust. SanRex makes these machines for Thermal arc and they dont seal the boards like all of the other companies do. I have had several come in from one particular customer send in machines that wont work right. When I open them there is alum. dust everywhere. Power it up and you see little sparkles on the main board where current is flowing through the dust. Luckily cleaning the machine out with solvent cures the problems.

I found out that the machine is an O.A. Smith which he says looks very similar to one of the ones he has at work (maybe he said it was a Lincloln) where he welds Nuke plant parts. Is it possible this welder is actually a Lincoln? If I get it, I'll have to get rid of my old stick only Linclon 250 - no room for both.

All I had to do when I acquired my Lincoln Tig 300/300 was blow out the dust and cobwebs, reset the gap with a feeler guage, and change the water in the cooler.

Dont pay much for it. Smith no longer exists so parts will be unobtainable if something goes wrng with the welder itself. That beig said, it may last a lfetime too.

Nope, Smith was their own company. They aso made pasma cutters too.