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Absolutely new to Mega-welding , need help with Miller WD-5
Hi Guys.
Name is Wayne. My only experience with welding has been with being raised on a hobby-farm, by a construction worker father who did lots of welding both professionally and as-needed at home... He used everything from a Lincoln buzz-box to huge truck-hauled welders.
My personal experience was getting an "A" in industrial arts in high-school (in welding), and getting to do some welding under my Dad's watchful eye when I was young... I am now 54. I have not welded in many, many years.
Fast forward to today. This past weekend I inherited from my late Dad's estate a "working" Miller WD-5 welder. I use quotation marks because it has "issues".... Dad was a hoarder of equipment late in life, and didnt' keep things up when they broke... he would cobble if he could, and do without if he couldn't. He was a huge miser. Kinda sad actually.
But, This welder has come to me needing the following:
[a] new throttle cable (for some reason, this one was smashed flat in one of the hanging clamps)... won't budge.
[b] new muffler (there isn't one on it at all, but instead only a plastic jug covering the vertical exhaust pipe from the rain.)
[c] New "work" (positive side) welding lead connecting cable, coming from the Stabilizer coil to the POSITIVE bulkhead connector under the front dash panel.
[d] the brass bolt used in the above listed bulkhead connector, which was broken at some point. I have the square panel but no bolt... (items 145-149 on the parts inventory)
[e] the two battery cables, one negative, one to the battery for postive. (Some low-life stole the "work cable" (while it was disconnected to find the parts listed in [d]), they also stole the two battery cables hooking the battery to the starter and to ground, while robbing my brother of lots of copper in the previous year... Not all neighbors are friendly in Arkansas it seems.....
So.
[a] My first quandry. Getting the thing to start. Jumper cables are not good enough it seems. So, new battery cables are in order. Working on it. Am I going to actually NEED a throttle cable? My brother (also hugely experienced at welding on pipelines as a mechanic) says that the throttle on a welder like this is not even really needed, as the governor monitors engine speed when an arc is struck. Comments? Where to get a new one?
[b] Now, about a muffler ~ I would love to hear where to get one, or something that will work, but that is not urgent. What do you all recommend for a muffler? Prefer something vertical with a raincap on it but honestly, anything that fits would be better than nothing.
[c] I need a good, detailed photo or two of the connection point for the "work"/POSITIVE welding lead hookup, starting from the stabilizer coil output (wherever that is!) to the bulkhead connector under the swing-up cover.... Where I think it hooks up to the coil is not clear to me, and the owner's manual has NO real photos in it at all... and there is no detail on any cabling that is used on this welder at all in the manual. I have one pic from an ebay auction right now, but it is not detailed enough for me to see where it hooks to on the stabilizer coil. Strangely, i can't even find the battery cables or the cable to the bulkhead shown in the manual at all...
[d] I need to find a source for almost ALL of the bulkhead bolt and washer stuff... this bolt was evidently broken during transit a couple of years ago, and I'm not sure if an exact brass bolt (with square head) is vital or not. But, I assume commercial welding leads (which I have none of) hook up on a certain thread/size, so I need what is correct.
[e] I am going to come up with some battery cables from a parts store to get it hooked up, and hopefully it will then START. I am told that Jumper cables alone from starter to battery are not good enough to get the 600 CCA to the engine to get it to start... they are limited to about 100 Amps or so, and the motor solenoid only clicks at the start of any rotation....
[f] I also could use some info on where the connections go from the alternator... there is a single wire with a fuze holder on it that is dangling in the breeze... my guess is that it goes to the keyswitch or other switched voltage source. Anyone have a way to confirm that for me?
Once all this mechanical and electrical fixup is done, and the thing RUNS and WELDs, then I'm going to paint it back up and make it look decent. My brother swears to me he used this welder a little over a year ago... so, what has been broken or stolen should surely get it going again.....
Anyone have any insights or help for me? The cable hookup pictures of your existing WD-5s (especially the right side where the positive lead hooks to the stabilizer coil (would be hugely helpful.
Thanks.
Wayne (Pilotguy1050)
Favorite quote: We're in a pickle when "We don't know what we don't know...."
P.S. I can try to figure out how to post pictures of everything I'm talking about if that helps at all.... i just didnt have any pictures here to send up right away.
P.P.S - After many years of living in the city, I have finally moved to a small place outside of town... I never had room to even buy a buzzbox from Farm-and-Fleet, so now I am getting into welding/air tools/manly-man fixup stuff... I figured why buy something new if Dad's old welder would work? Well, maybe one shouldn't buy a Lear 25 as a 'first airplane'... but, well, it was FREE. Older is better in my view. Maybe we'll find out I'm wrong.
Name is Wayne. My only experience with welding has been with being raised on a hobby-farm, by a construction worker father who did lots of welding both professionally and as-needed at home... He used everything from a Lincoln buzz-box to huge truck-hauled welders.
My personal experience was getting an "A" in industrial arts in high-school (in welding), and getting to do some welding under my Dad's watchful eye when I was young... I am now 54. I have not welded in many, many years.
Fast forward to today. This past weekend I inherited from my late Dad's estate a "working" Miller WD-5 welder. I use quotation marks because it has "issues".... Dad was a hoarder of equipment late in life, and didnt' keep things up when they broke... he would cobble if he could, and do without if he couldn't. He was a huge miser. Kinda sad actually.
But, This welder has come to me needing the following:
[a] new throttle cable (for some reason, this one was smashed flat in one of the hanging clamps)... won't budge.
[b] new muffler (there isn't one on it at all, but instead only a plastic jug covering the vertical exhaust pipe from the rain.)
[c] New "work" (positive side) welding lead connecting cable, coming from the Stabilizer coil to the POSITIVE bulkhead connector under the front dash panel.
[d] the brass bolt used in the above listed bulkhead connector, which was broken at some point. I have the square panel but no bolt... (items 145-149 on the parts inventory)
[e] the two battery cables, one negative, one to the battery for postive. (Some low-life stole the "work cable" (while it was disconnected to find the parts listed in [d]), they also stole the two battery cables hooking the battery to the starter and to ground, while robbing my brother of lots of copper in the previous year... Not all neighbors are friendly in Arkansas it seems.....
So.
[a] My first quandry. Getting the thing to start. Jumper cables are not good enough it seems. So, new battery cables are in order. Working on it. Am I going to actually NEED a throttle cable? My brother (also hugely experienced at welding on pipelines as a mechanic) says that the throttle on a welder like this is not even really needed, as the governor monitors engine speed when an arc is struck. Comments? Where to get a new one?
[b] Now, about a muffler ~ I would love to hear where to get one, or something that will work, but that is not urgent. What do you all recommend for a muffler? Prefer something vertical with a raincap on it but honestly, anything that fits would be better than nothing.
[c] I need a good, detailed photo or two of the connection point for the "work"/POSITIVE welding lead hookup, starting from the stabilizer coil output (wherever that is!) to the bulkhead connector under the swing-up cover.... Where I think it hooks up to the coil is not clear to me, and the owner's manual has NO real photos in it at all... and there is no detail on any cabling that is used on this welder at all in the manual. I have one pic from an ebay auction right now, but it is not detailed enough for me to see where it hooks to on the stabilizer coil. Strangely, i can't even find the battery cables or the cable to the bulkhead shown in the manual at all...
[d] I need to find a source for almost ALL of the bulkhead bolt and washer stuff... this bolt was evidently broken during transit a couple of years ago, and I'm not sure if an exact brass bolt (with square head) is vital or not. But, I assume commercial welding leads (which I have none of) hook up on a certain thread/size, so I need what is correct.
[e] I am going to come up with some battery cables from a parts store to get it hooked up, and hopefully it will then START. I am told that Jumper cables alone from starter to battery are not good enough to get the 600 CCA to the engine to get it to start... they are limited to about 100 Amps or so, and the motor solenoid only clicks at the start of any rotation....
[f] I also could use some info on where the connections go from the alternator... there is a single wire with a fuze holder on it that is dangling in the breeze... my guess is that it goes to the keyswitch or other switched voltage source. Anyone have a way to confirm that for me?
Once all this mechanical and electrical fixup is done, and the thing RUNS and WELDs, then I'm going to paint it back up and make it look decent. My brother swears to me he used this welder a little over a year ago... so, what has been broken or stolen should surely get it going again.....
Anyone have any insights or help for me? The cable hookup pictures of your existing WD-5s (especially the right side where the positive lead hooks to the stabilizer coil (would be hugely helpful.
Thanks.
Wayne (Pilotguy1050)
Favorite quote: We're in a pickle when "We don't know what we don't know...."
P.S. I can try to figure out how to post pictures of everything I'm talking about if that helps at all.... i just didnt have any pictures here to send up right away.
P.P.S - After many years of living in the city, I have finally moved to a small place outside of town... I never had room to even buy a buzzbox from Farm-and-Fleet, so now I am getting into welding/air tools/manly-man fixup stuff... I figured why buy something new if Dad's old welder would work? Well, maybe one shouldn't buy a Lear 25 as a 'first airplane'... but, well, it was FREE. Older is better in my view. Maybe we'll find out I'm wrong.
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