This welder worth anything?

[G_P]

Old Craftsman stick machine. Its taking up room in my shed and needs to go. Its heavy as hell! I don't use it anymore since picking up an AC/DC machine. It worked great when I stopped using it a few years ago and should still work great. So...sell it? Or tear it aprart and haul it to the scrapyard?

Sent via carrier pigeon

 

[beatcad]

worth? hard to say. to a collector maybe.
but in the real world i haven seen anyone use one in years.
maybe heavy equip? the last time i used one was on a frame of a '55 chevy.
not good for thin stuff like sheet metal.
i had a lincoln arc welder simmilar to that and i ended up giving it away.

 

[offroadsteve]

It appears to be AC only, 30-180 amps, so similar to a lincoln "tombstone" except it says craftsman on it.

I'm sure it perfectly servicible (there is nothing to break), but since its fairly limited capacity and only AC output, its fairly limited in what it can do, and that limits the market. I think bearcad is correct, I bet you'd get the higest price from a Craftsman collector.

I think for someone just looking at it as a welder, its probably only worth $75-$100.

 

[RedneckWelder]

I'd say $75-100 for an AC stick welder of that class. At least it looks clean compared to a lot of rusted up **** of similar vintage.

but in the real world i haven seen anyone use one in years.

Are you referring to that particular machine, stick welders, or AC only stick welders?

 

[offroadsteve]

Ha, that's awesome... two posts at the same time with the same price estimate.

 

[RCStocker]

$50 to $75 in my world. Good for welding but not good for any sheet metal or light work. Besides I shake to much to use one. A wire feed is the only way to go. I have 2 Lincoln ac/dc stick welders and have not used them in 30 years. I grab the torch first then the wire welders. If you were close I would give you one of the stick welders. They are only taking up space. They used the to weld all the ships in WWII They do have a use in many businesses but not in a home or the garage.

 

[G_P]

It does have a bit of surface rust on it in a few spots but nothing major. Guess I will try selling it. If it does not go then its off to the scrappers with it. Thanks for the estimates.

 

[PugetDude]

Stick it on CL for the entertainment value. You'll get an Nigerian Prince who collects these and will issue you a letter of credit on the Bank of Lagos; his personal representative will come by and pick it up...

 

[91bronc300]

I don't know if that is actually as old as the 1968 copyright date on it but I would open it up and see if the windings are copper or aluminum. If it is late 60s then a lot of the windings might be copper.

If they appear to be aluminum then I would put it on craigslist for $75 and accept $50 (or even less). If the windings are copper then if you're bored you might want to cut all the windings off. Then scrap the core and sheet metal separate from the windings and leads.

An old copper wound welder is pretty much worth more as scrap (if you separate it) than it is as a welder. An aluminum one not so much.

 

[G_P]

I've had it open to clean out the dust when I got it. Its a huge copper wound tranformer.

I'm not putting it on CL. Don't want to deal with the idiots/scammers/thieves.

 

[zkling]

Its the rainbow welder.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3359726&postcount=4

Please don't take a working machine to the scrap yard. With good leads and a power cord. $100 is more than fair for both parties IMHO.

Or find a local neighbor kid looking to weld, but can't afford a new machine. Those are nice, quality machines, just very basic. Upside is you would really have to work hard to kill one.

 

[royesses]

Its the rainbow welder.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3359726&postcount=4

Please don't take a working machine to the scrap yard. With good leads and a power cord. $100 is more than fair for both parties IMHO.

Or find a local neighbor kid looking to weld, but can't afford a new machine. Those are nice, quality machines, just very basic. Upside is you would really have to work hard to kill one.

+1 many weekender's would love to get that welder. Could be the machine that a great weldor learns on.

 

[RPH]

Got the same unit here on the homestead. Got a pair bridge rectifiers and added the dc capability. Good machine out here in the field with the generator pushing it. But I do agree with Zkling, give it to a local kid looking to learn. Don't scrap it.
Pay it forward.

 

[bonacker]

I have that exact unit and got it 1968, when I was 12!! I put wheels on it to make it easier to move and cut down the box it came in to keep it clean when not in use. It still works great and I use it only on thick metal like frames. Don't scrap it! Someone will want it, I hope!!

 

[Zeke]

With used tombstones all over the place at $250 I'd be all over that at 100. The continuous amp range is desirable. Good rod designed for AC and you can do some nice work.

 

[turbowoodworker]

My dad taught me to stick weld on the next newer model than the one the OP has posted. Circa 1974. I still use it on occasion. Not real pretty welds but quite functional and not scrap IMO.

 

[G_P]

Didnt realize they were so popular. Too bad it weighs 37 tons otherwise I would ship it as a secret santa gift!

If any GJ member can use it (not just take it for scrap) come and get it. I'll trade it for a nice ratchet or something. I still have the little guide book that came with it and maybe can still find the original mask. I'm not going to deal with CL or newspaper classifieds tire kickers wanting to come look at it. I need the thing gone as it is in my way.

 

[rtole]

Man if I were closer I would give you pick of the litter on my ratchets for that! ***** that the gas would cost way more than I could buy one for.

 

[John in OH]

worth? hard to say. to a collector maybe.
but in the real world i haven seen anyone use one in years.
maybe heavy equip? the last time i used one was on a frame of a '55 chevy.
not good for thin stuff like sheet metal.
i had a lincoln arc welder simmilar to that and i ended up giving it away.

$50 to $75 in my world. Good for welding but not good for any sheet metal or light work. Besides I shake to much to use one. A wire feed is the only way to go. I have 2 Lincoln ac/dc stick welders and have not used them in 30 years. I grab the torch first then the wire welders. If you were close I would give you one of the stick welders. They are only taking up space. They used the to weld all the ships in WWII They do have a use in many businesses but not in a home or the garage.

Stick it on CL for the entertainment value. You'll get an Nigerian Prince who collects these and will issue you a letter of credit on the Bank of Lagos; his personal representative will come by and pick it up...

I don't know if that is actually as old as the 1968 copyright date on it but I would open it up and see if the windings are copper or aluminum. If it is late 60s then a lot of the windings might be copper.

If they appear to be aluminum then I would put it on craigslist for $75 and accept $50 (or even less). If the windings are copper then if you're bored you might want to cut all the windings off. Then scrap the core and sheet metal separate from the windings and leads.

An old copper wound welder is pretty much worth more as scrap (if you separate it) than it is as a welder. An aluminum one not so much.

Man! Tough crowd here!! You guys don't have much imagination!!

Its the rainbow welder.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3359726&postcount=4

Please don't take a working machine to the scrap yard. With good leads and a power cord. $100 is more than fair for both parties IMHO.

Or find a local neighbor kid looking to weld, but can't afford a new machine. Those are nice, quality machines, just very basic. Upside is you would really have to work hard to kill one.

If I were a teenager, this welder would be an awesome gift!!

Got the same unit here on the homestead. Got a pair bridge rectifiers and added the dc capability. Good machine out here in the field with the generator pushing it. But I do agree with Zkling, give it to a local kid looking to learn. Don't scrap it.
Pay it forward.

++ 1 !!

I have that exact unit and got it 1968, when I was 12!! I put wheels on it to make it easier to move and cut down the box it came in to keep it clean when not in use. It still works great and I use it only on thick metal like frames. Don't scrap it! Someone will want it, I hope!!

My Dad got me a similar 180amp AC Cman welder when I was 16 (1966). I used it for YEARS and still keep it as a standby.

 

[JimDon]

thank you John,
You've said much of what I've been thinking as I read and re-read this thread.
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, I know all the stuff about DC welders with the smoother arc (absolute truth), and AC is hard to learn, yadda, yadda, yadda. (Sorry Cary, where the hell you been on this anyway?? Jeez!!!). But if all ya got is an AC welder, (remember, dance with the one ya brung) crank that sucker up, get the correct rods (you know there are rods specified for AC, and others specified for DC, and some for both) and have at it. While AC is harder to master, it can be done, and with patience, practice, and some
7018AC, you too can get those hard to put together projects done with a bare minimum of effort.
But please don't scrap this old workhorse.
Cheers,
JimDon

 

[countryroad82]

There is something I don't understand about today's society of 'I don't have a use for _______ so instead of put it out there on the market for exactly what I would get in scrap, I'm going to price it for more and if it don't sell in a week it's getting cut up.' So in the end one prices like said welder for $100 then he scraps it (OP I have read through here and see that you are willing to try to trade it off and that is great, I'm just ranting a little this morning lol). I'm not the best in the world on scrap values but let's break this down a little bit, let's say it takes 1.5 hrs to completely tear that machine back to its primal guts. Time is money so let's say at minimum wage at $8.50ish per hour (tear down is monkey work) so it costs 12.75ish to do so. Now we have to clean and strip all the wire to get #1 copper pricing so we're not burning it, that's going to take another 2.5-3 hours due to it being a pita to strip wire COMPLETELY! So now you have another $21.25ish in labor.
Now I'm sure this isn't going to be the only thing that gets hauled off but for the sake of it all let's say that it is.
Now it will cost around $4.00 in fuel to go to the scrap yard and it takes .5hr to make the drive (time is money) so now we have another $8.25 in this poor defenseless welder that was a good, decent, running machine that once upon a time got the job done just not as pretty.
So you wait another .5-1 hr getting everything weighed and you getting paid another $4.25-$8.50 I'm going to say they are fast today and it's .5hr you wait. The grand total you are going to make from this load, we will say $50 which is half of what you initially asked for the welder and you now have 5 hrs or so in this machine tearing it down to its guts and hauling it off so you have $42.50 in labor and $4.00 in fuel at a grand total of $46.50....... Congratulations, you just made $3.50 after all that time and work.
Like I said I'm not directing anger towards anyone, I just don't understand it. I have seen way too many awesome things scrapped for pennies. If I could have I would have saved everything I could and helped find someone that would have put good junk to use, but with the scrapper mentality it is already destroyed by the time I have found ou about it. Ok rant over back to the show!!

 

[G_P]

^^Thats exactly why I would rather give it away dirt cheap than scrap it. I know there has to be someone out there who could use it, the problem is finding that person while not having to deal with all the tire kickers. I'm not having a ton of random people coming to my house and getting a look at what I have so they can possibly come back later and take it.

Its too bad the schools here ditched all the auto shop/wood shop/etc hands on type classes. If they were still around I would have just donated the welder to them long ago.

 

[Zeke]

If you wanted to donate if to a school, they would turn it down because learning to weld on that machine won't apply to using what is provided at the work place.

Why not contact Goodwill or similar? Some member of a church?

 

[ShadowRuleZ]

Local restore had one for sale for $75.

 

[G_P]

No way the local goodwill would touch a welder. Too heavy. Either that or it would go straight from my car into an employees car as do most all tools donated there.

I'm going to talk to a family friend that is a plumber in town. He will probably know someone that could make use of it.

 

[brownbagg]

its amazing how so many people don't want anything to do with stick welding, they rather do the stupid way and pick up a mig welding. I would donate it to somebody. My first welder was a montgomery wards welder. I think my brother has it.

 

[byoungblood]

I'd take it off your hands if you were closer. I see them pop up every once in a while around here, but they're always asking as much as what I could get a much newer welder for.

 

[beatcad]

rainbow? :supergay:


sorry, I had to do that.

 

[HaroRider]

Pretty nice looking welder. Gas and tolls would kill me though..

 

[taumac]

Nice welder. Its always nice to have a stick around when you run out of wire or gas. I learned to weld on a ac tombstone. If don't keep it I'm sure youll find a deserving home for it. I would not scrap it. I see so much good stuff being scrapped for pennies on the dollar.

Have a good one, Gerard

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