Santa Claus brought me a 10 year old Century 220v 145 amp gas/no gas MIG welder. It's a used one and the instructions didn't make it here. I finally got an extension cord made so I can plug it in and practice. I hooked up the ground lead to one end of an exhaust pipe and tried to run a bead. I got a few small arcs but the wire was feeding too fast and jammed inside the machine. I fixed that several times before I think I finally got the tension on the wire set right now. In the process I pushed about a hundred feet of corroded wire off the spool so it all looks clean now. Trouble is I got no arc now.

Anybody have an idea?

Bill

 

anyway for you to post a pic of the welder? First I would try starting an arch on the ground clamp. This will tell you if there is a problem with the welder. If you can start an arch on the ground clamp than it may be as simple as a bad ground. I would also check the conection were the ground cable attaches to the ground clamp these will sometimes get very hot and cause a bad conection.

Neal

 

is there any way you can hook up the 230 volt recpt(outlet) right at the panel? we know it 230 volt but how many amps does this welder draw( a welder is a transformer w/ a iron core in the center of the windings that slides in and out of the windings center as you move the heat setting on the welder) the primary of this welder needs 230 volt but how many amps?? when you say you bought a 220 v 125 amp welder i take it as thats what the secondary is ---125 amp--but what does it need fed to it (so it can make 125 amps) when you said you used a extension cord to get it going ,first thing comes to my trained mind is your chocking it off what size wire is that cord and what amp breaker did you trin it to...i would guess that it needs 230 volt at 30 amps or maby 40a (primary) to produce the 125 amp(secondary) wire size is proportional to amp draw. i have seen a 15 amp worm drive saw start a ex-cord on fire without blowing the circut breaker,breaker blows at 20 amps the saw draws 15--but the cheap 18 guage cord burns before the circut blows.thats why i asked if you could take some #8 's and temp the recpt at the panel. then turn up the welder to the higest heat and weld while someone takes a reading on one of the hots with a amprobe then you'll know what size wire and breaker to feed it with and it should work...most all equiptment has a nameplate on it that tells you what the electrical requirements are if there gone just follow what i wrote and you'll know the draw

 

i bet you can get the instructions on line....tyr googleing century and your model number

 

Check the breaker first. When you turn on the welder do you hear it running? May not be loud but should make some humming noise at least. It will feed wire without striking an arc. Feeding wire also tells you you're getting electricity to the machine. If that's OK then try the arc striking on the ground clamp as suggested. A poor ground is an often overlooked problem. Grounding onto rusty metal is not dependable either.

 

Thanks for the ideas guys. I got a few inches of very nasty weld marks then I started having troubles. So I am pretty sure it worked when I got it home.


I tried to arc it against the ground clamp but nothing happened.
I built an extension cord from 10/3 flexible wire and used 50 amp ends then plugged it into my 30 amp dryer outlet.
That electrical info plate isn't on the outside of the box and I don't want to take it apart yet.
I tried to find a manual online but couldn't. Lincoln bought out Century and after getting transferred I spoke to a fella who is mailing me a copy of the owners manual.

Bill

 

I not sure how handy you are in wiring. Since the wire feeder if pushing wire, it obvious that it is getting power. However, it may only require 110v to operate. Take a voltmeter and make sure you have 220 volts. Check the end of the extention cord and also check to make sure 220 volts are getting inside the unit. If you have 220v, then hold the voltmeter leads on the terminals inside the welder and have someone strike an arc. If the voltage stays at 220v, then the problem is more than likely internal to the welder.
The higer the amperage the bigger the gauge the wire for the extention cable. My small 220v welder only need 10 gauge wire since I was only going 40'. The harbor freight welder was $199, the wire and connector cost almost $60.

 

Are you using gas or flux? Which wire is in the machine?

 

there's an easy way to set the proper wire feed tension on the rollers, back it off so that you can pull the wire out of the torch without noticable resistance from the rollers. Aim your torch at the ground and pull the trigger and then adjust the rollers to where the wire just starts to push the gun back.

 

The extension cord could very well be the problem, it's not carrying enough amperage, I had the same problem with my welder, if I plugged it directly into the plug in it worked.

 

You mentioned that about 100' for corroded MIG wire went through the machine, I'm wondering if that corrosion built up inside the torch and is now blocking the other side of the circuit.

 

Make sure the rollers are clean (not corroded or rusty). Your welder won't work if the rollers can't complete the circuit coming into them and also going out to your wire.

 

It's back to the store for a new tip and then I'll clean the rollers tonight. I'm using solid wire and there is gas in the bottle.
TT - thats how I ended up adjusting the tension.
Budman - Any chance you have a 220v welder outlet in your garage?

Bill

 

I only have plug mold for my MillerMatic135, it's on a 120v. My 220v is dedicated to the 65 gal compressor.

 

this is why i asked him to temp it into the panel 230 volt means he has to wire a 2 pole breaker to pick up a + b phases to get 230 v as soon as he said he hooked it up to a extension cord the light bulb in my head lit does he have #8 wire in that cord? i doubt it its 16 14 or 12 at best. and when he puts the amp probe to the 1 phase he'll know the current draw/ now he knows what size breaker to install(if theres no nameplate) my sons lincoln needed 40 amps at 240 volt when ever i figure welders in garage feeds i go (allow in my head) 50 amp 240 volt basically ill put 200 in the house and sub feed 100 in the garage if the owners a gearhead

 

If you have a multi meter check the Continuity of the ground cable. Welding leads can break down especially if they have been kinked or if water has gotten into the cable.

In my experiance, if the cables are undersized it will still strike an arc to the ground clamp. It just will not from a stable arc and maynot have enough power to strike and arc that has a higher resistance.

 

Check out this site: http://www.weldingweb.com
Somone might have more information there.

Chris B

 

I have a Miller XP 130. I made a 25' extension cord from stuff I bought at Home Depot. The instructions that came with the welder said not to go longer so that was as far as I went.

One thing I would be sure to check is the connections where you set the polarity. They have a tendancy to loosen up at times. Just see if the nuts are loose and keep them snug. Worth a look.

-Mark.

 

Remember the rule about being 10 percent smarter than your tools. Well I am apparantly funtioning around 9 percent. In my quest to loosen the drive wheel tension I also loosened the power connection for the handle. I noticed the handle was loose at the box so I tightened it and now my machine works just fine. I still suck at welding but the machine is ok. Thanks for the help guys.

Bill

 

Great to hear! I've been burning wire with my new Christmas welder and have gone through one 2 lb spool already. I found that the wire makes a huge difference - the junk that came in the box with mine gave nothing but horrible messes. With a new roll of Lincoln innershield I have four samples that I am ready to have evaluated by our department's welding expert. They actually look pretty nice and with good penetration. Have a great time with yours and don't forget to send pics of your projects.