A Lincoln Tombstone Question

It should have a Two Pole switch in it. Something like this:

The Fan might have been replaced or wired incorrectly too.

I looked through several Lincoln 225 manuals I'd saved (pdf's) through the years but none of them have a wiring diagram. They have a parts list but neither the switch or the fan are described. The Ebay link does match the part number in one of my 225 manuals (S7670)...

Original switch , and one pole not disconnecting does not explain the continuity between the plug and the stinger . There should be NO continuity between the power plug hots and the stinger - since it's mechanically isolated by the transformer .

Original fan motor . And it's noisy but it works .

I have also been unsuccessful in finding a schematic of the wiring . Tomorrow I'll plug it in and turn it on and check voltage between the stinger and the case and between the ground clamp and the case . I suspect I'll get the same voltage reading between the ground clamp and the stinger as between the stinger and the case .

I would be STRONGLY suspecting a "leaky" transformer (bad insulation) wiring diagram below

Thanks for posting that ! Downloaded and saved and printed a copy . And you're absolutely right , there's no way I should have continuity from either lead to the power cord . I'm thinking like you suggested that insulation has broken down and allowed one or more windings to ground out . I've had this thing for like 25 years , never plugged it in until we moved here and I had a place to keep it accessible . It was old when I bought it from a friend for 75 bucks . I very seldom use it , and since my TIG also does stick I may just retire the tombstone . I suspect the cost of repairs are more than I'm willing to pay for a tool that's seldom used . I'm a lousy stick welder anyway ... I ended up dragging the machine I was welding on close enough to the shop door that my MIG leads would reach .

I would be STRONGLY suspecting a "leaky" transformer (bad insulation) wiring diagram below

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Using a hand cranked Megger I sometimes find electrical leakage that appear only as the voltage is increased, but a DVM on Ohms won't detect with its battery voltage output.

If a DVM shows the short circuit I'd label and disconnect all the H and X transformer connections and check between any H and X, or either to the chassis. If they pass then check any reactor terminal to chassis. Also check the disconnected wiring.

If a DVM doesn't show the short circuit the cost of the test equipment to look further likely exceeds the value of the welder. The essentials are a high power metered Variac, a DVM with a current clamp and a megger, which is a high voltage insulation tester.

If you have a good AC/DC TIG power sourced with a rod holder, you no longer have any need for the cracker box except maybe as a backup. I gave my cracker box away a couple years ago.

If you feel yours may be borderline unsafe I suggest making sure the transformer is copper wound, and add it to your scrap metal/recycle pile. You can always use it to make brass or aluminum bronze if you feel you have the time to play.

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I had heard they had gone to aluminum windings at some point. That's why I said to check. Mine was 10-15 years old when I bought it 30 plus years ago so who knows. I was going to scrap it until a local welder / retired boiler maker said he wanted it. No clue why exactly. He has better machines.

I still use my 180A Pickhill oil cooled welder for MMA as it'll likely outlast me and still works great, being oil cooled I think it's effectively continuous duty, if I need DC I can get my rectifier back from a mate. I have a Hitachi GP2 AC/DC inverter TIG bought new in 1998 and it has performed faultlessly until recently when the AC balance is playing up in a bad way, DC still works which is mainly what I use. Not much to go wrong with the Pickhill, the opposite is true with the Hitachi.

The AHP TIG201 is my first choice for burning DC rod these days, and I have always liked the way DC burns better than AC with compatible rod.

There is an old Hobart DC generator welder in my dad's old shop that he retired 25-30 years ago. He said the battery charging circuit was bad on it, because it melted its cranking battery, but there are a number of things that can cause that besides a bad regulator. Heck, that can happen with a bad battery. It was the first electric welder I ever used that just felt "easy" to get decent if not pretty welds. On one of my trips out to clear out the house and shop for sale I plan to bring it back and see if I can figure it out. I'm sure the first thing I'll do is flush the gas tank and clean the carburetor.

There is an old Hobart DC generator welder in my dad's old shop that he retired 25-30 years ago. He said the battery charging circuit was bad on it, because it melted its cranking battery, but there are a number of things that can cause that besides a bad regulator. Heck, that can happen with a bad battery. It was the first electric welder I ever used that just felt "easy" to get decent if not pretty welds. On one of my trips out to clear out the house and shop for sale I plan to bring it back and see if I can figure it out. I'm sure the first thing I'll do is flush the gas tank and clean the carburetor. Bob La Londe

------------------------------------ Without starting it you could check for a voltage regulator relay contact that is welded closed.

That's a good tip. I figured if it was bad I'd try to figure out the total power, and buy a generic universal regulator. Hobart/Miller may not have specs anymore, but specs on a lot of those old engines are available.

I just did a search, and this with the first part of the AI summary.

"Old Hobart welder generators (often referred to as engine drives) are legendary in the welding community for their smooth arc quality and heavy-duty, cast-iron reliability."

I then switched to images (which was what I wanted) to see if there was one I would recognize. No luck there.

That's a good tip. I figured if it was bad I'd try to figure out the total power, and buy a generic universal regulator. Hobart/Miller may not have specs anymore, but specs on a lot of those old engines are available.

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If it only recharges the engine starting battery you don't even need it. As long as you are welding near civilization you can use a separate charger.

I was thinking if I could get good enough to stick some thinner gage tube I might use it to help out buddies with things like gate and fence repair where there isn't a dryer outlet handy. I never tried thin wall stuff with stick, so I don't know. I used to repair really thin wall with a clothes hanger and a torch. Now I have some R45 for that, but It won't be as pretty... maybe.

I've been shopping for 35-70 connectors ... the plan is to cut the leads off the tombstone (leaving a few inches just in case) and putting connectors on the cables that I can plug into the Everlast EX250 Powertig machine . They're a lot longer than the ones that came with that machine . I just need to figure out what size those leads are . Ain't got enough light out there right now to read the printing on the cables .

I've been shopping for 35-70 connectors ... the plan is to cut the leads off the tombstone (leaving a few inches just in case) and putting connectors on the cables that I can plug into the Everlast EX250 Powertig machine . They're a lot longer than the ones that came with that machine . I just need to figure out what size those leads are . Ain't got enough light out there right now to read the printing on the cables . Snag

------------------------------ Here's a suggestion on what they should be:

Actually I was measuring the crimp resistance with a micro-Ohm meter until it stabilized well below 1 milliOhm, the sound change appeared to follow the measurement. The cable is feeding a 2500W inverter that runs A/C from solar charged batteries.

My results with hex crimpers on copper lugs have been less satisfactory due to how much they distort or tear the crimp sleeve outside the jaws.

I went by the pictures, the table is wrong