Frustration, disappointment, money blown off the scale

[speedyharry]

I wanted to learn welding at home so bought at auction an all singing and dancing hyper sophisticated TIG/stick welder. This is a brand new Lincoln Electric Aspect 375 amps K3945-1. It is an industrial type machine and I found that if I connected it up at home it would blow the whole street circuit. Easy answer - sell it, because I got it for a fraction of the catalogue price and I only wanted to recoup my losses so far. It now appears to me thus: The welder I bought was part A. It doesn't work without part B, which however is not available separately. Part B is sold only in combination with Part A, which I already have. Despite this, Lincoln Electric call it part number K3946-2, "Ready Pak". Naturally, it costs significantly more than K3945-1, which is already serious money. I could not sell Part A with a good conscience unless I point out in advance the vital absence of Part B (although Lincoln Electric are happy to omit this information).

The way to go therefore seems to be to purchase all or most of the items additionally included in the Ready Pak and offer them with the welder as one lot. If I bought these from Lincoln Electric their price would be prohibitive. I need help, therefore, as one completely clueless about welding, to know what tools and equipment will be needed to make welders of this high power work functionally to make fair the intended offer for sale. I am a complete beginner - be gentle! Thank you in advance

 

[noseall]

I wanted to learn welding at home so bought at auction an all singing and dancing hyper sophisticated TIG/stick welder. This is a brand new Lincoln Electric Aspect 375 amps K3945-1. It is an industrial type machine and I found that if I connected it up at home it would blow the whole street circuit. Easy answer - sell it, because I got it for a fraction of the catalogue price and I only wanted to recoup my losses so far. It now appears to me thus: The welder I bought was part A. It doesn't work without part B, which however is not available separately. Part B is sold only in combination with Part A, which I already have. Despite this, Lincoln Electric call it part number K3946-2, "Ready Pak". Naturally, it costs significantly more than K3945-1, which is already serious money. I could not sell Part A with a good conscience unless I point out in advance the vital absence of Part B (although Lincoln Electric are happy to omit this information).

The way to go therefore seems to be to purchase all or most of the items additionally included in the Ready Pak and offer them with the welder as one lot. If I bought these from Lincoln Electric their price would be prohibitive. I need help, therefore, as one completely clueless about welding, to know what tools and equipment will be needed to make welders of this high power work functionally to make fair the intended offer for sale. I am a complete beginner - be gentle! Thank you in advance

Your best bet is to look up say a mobile welder, and have a conversation with them. The people they know may already be in possession of part B but are looking for a part A. Either that or trawl Stockholder/fabby outlets and seek out the grubby looking welder fellow in a boiler suit, and collar him on his lunch break, armed with a pork pie and a six pack.

 

[stevie888]

Stick it on Ebay as is: don't be throwing good money after bad

 

[Old Salt]

Return it and get a refund

 

[ericmark]

375 amps, in the main we need 20 volts, plus 1 volt per 25 amps, so around 35 volts output, = 13+ KW so at 400 volts 32 amps miniums, and at 230 volts 60 amps, so clearly not something one could ever use at home. And I have not considered in rush and losses.

What the second part is I don't know, TIG would need a striking unit, and gas valve, MIG would need a feed unit, air arc would need a compressor although likely not big enough for that, but stick welding could be uses as it is I would have thought, in the main we don't need over 150 amps for most welding methods, so one does wonder what it would be used for?

I see here, it can be stacked, I assume this is the item you are talking about and it would depend on what type of welding you were going to do, what would be required with it.

I would never buy a second hand welding set, seen too many damaged by dropping, showing no external signs, but had a short circuit internal as a result. But my working with welding sets goes back some years, the Perkins and Ford powered Lincoln bullet was the main stay of stove welding on pipelines, DC of course, but things have moved on.

I have seen many caught out buying cheap second hand welding sets, often oil cooled, and cost a fortune to dispose of the cancer genic fluid. One you show is clearly air cooled. But it is let the buyer beware, and anyone buying one of those will clearly be an industrial user, so should know exactly what they are buying.

 

[stevie888]

Return it and get a refund

From an auction? This is a time to accept a rash decision and make the best of it.

My opinion is that a simple stick welder with very few variables is the best way to learn to weld. Get the feel of the process and
go from there.

 

[Old Salt]

From an auction? This is a time to accept a rash decision and make the best of it.

My opinion is that a simple stick welder with very few variables is the best way to learn to weld. Get the feel of the process and
go from there.

Didnt read the bit about an auction, my bad.

 

[Mottie]

My opinion is that a simple stick welder with very few variables is the best way to learn to weld. Get the feel of the process and
go from there.

Get a MIG welder.

 

[morqthana]

It is an industrial type machine and I found that if I connected it up at home it would blow the whole street circuit.

What does "the whole street circuit" mean? It takes less power than many electric showers (although inrush is a consideration).

Your photo shows a 4-core cable - how did you connect it up?

Easy answer - sell it, because I got it for a fraction of the catalogue price and I only wanted to recoup my losses so far.

Sounds the simplest solution.

It now appears to me thus: The welder I bought was part A. It doesn't work without part B, which however is not available separately. Part B is sold only in combination with Part A, which I already have.

"Part B" as you call it is a collection of other accessories.

Despite this, Lincoln Electric call it part number K3946-2, "Ready Pak".

Despite what?

They call the K3945-1, which you bought, the base model, and the K3945-1 plus a bundle of accessories they call the K3946-2 Ready-Pak.

Naturally, it costs significantly more than K3945-1, which is already serious money. I could not sell Part A with a good conscience unless I point out in advance the vital absence of Part B

You can quite honestly and transparently sell the K3945-1 which you have. It must be a viable product on its own or the maker would never sell any.

(although Lincoln Electric are happy to omit this information).

They omit nothing - they tell you what the K3945-1 is, and what the K3946-2 Ready-Pak is - they even list what the bundled accessories are.

The way to go therefore seems to be to purchase all or most of the items additionally included in the Ready Pak and offer them with the welder as one lot. If I bought these from Lincoln Electric their price would be prohibitive.

That's often the way.

I need help, therefore, as one completely clueless about welding, to know what tools and equipment will be needed to make welders of this high power work functionally to make fair the intended offer for sale. I am a complete beginner - be gentle! Thank you in advance

Just sell it. You bought it, so hopefully somebody else will.

 

[morqthana]

so one does wonder what it would be used for?

 

[speedyharry]

Your best bet is to look up say a mobile welder, and have a conversation with them. The people they know may already be in possession of part B but are looking for a part A. Either that or trawl Stockholder/fabby outlets and seek out the grubby looking welder fellow in a boiler suit, and collar him on his lunch break, armed with a pork pie and a six pack.

Your best bet is to look up say a mobile welder, and have a conversation with them. The people they know may already be in possession of part B but are looking for a part A. Either that or trawl Stockholder/fabby outlets and seek out the grubby looking welder fellow in a boiler suit, and collar him on his lunch break, armed with a pork pie and a six pack.

The TIG welder I got requires to be connected to a dedicated supply, to have a dedicated ground, and to have electromagnetic suppression. In these respects, it qualifies as an industrial piece. However, if you meet the bloke with the pie, tell him I want some!

 

[speedyharry]

Stick it on Ebay as is: don't be throwing good money after bad

Thanks stevie888. My TIG Welder didn't sell on eBay auction. To break even, I had had to set a reserve price. Just doing that (setting a reserve price) subjected my listing to eBay listing fees that I had to pay even though the welder did not sell. Unfortunately, that was throwing money away. Meanwhile, I am having a hard time believing I bought this TIG Welder as bad spending, but the prognosis is fraught. Thanks for your input.

 

[speedyharry]

Return it and get a refund

It is a known drawback of auction buying that the usual consumer rights do not apply. In any case, my grounds for a refund would be that the welder is too powerful to be installed in a residential street. That does not amount to a defect. However, I have asked the manufacturer (as distinct from the auctioneer) to buy it. Predictably, they refused my offer. Thanks for your interest.

 

[speedyharry]

375 amps, in the main we need 20 volts, plus 1 volt per 25 amps, so around 35 volts output, = 13+ KW so at 400 volts 32 amps miniums, and at 230 volts 60 amps, so clearly not something one could ever use at home. And I have not considered in rush and losses.

What the second part is I don't know, TIG would need a striking unit, and gas valve, MIG would need a feed unit, air arc would need a compressor although likely not big enough for that, but stick welding could be uses as it is I would have thought, in the main we don't need over 150 amps for most welding methods, so one does wonder what it would be used for?

I see here, View attachment 406421it can be stacked, I assume this is the item you are talking about and it would depend on what type of welding you were going to do, what would be required with it.

I would never buy a second hand welding set, seen too many damaged by dropping, showing no external signs, but had a short circuit internal as a result. But my working with welding sets goes back some years, the Perkins and Ford powered Lincoln bullet was the main stay of stove welding on pipelines, DC of course, but things have moved on.

I have seen many caught out buying cheap second hand welding sets, often oil cooled, and cost a fortune to dispose of the cancer genic fluid. One you show is clearly air cooled. But it is let the buyer beware, and anyone buying one of those will clearly be an industrial user, so should know exactly what they are buying.

I am finding it difficult to agree with you. The cost of the items comprising what I call Part B runs to some £5,000. This is a brand new welder that has never been connected to an electric supply. The brochure price is some £12,000. I paid a mere £2,000. Surely you will understand why, as a complete beginner I jumped at the opportunity to acquire it? I have since found I cannot use it at home - for the reasons you give. However, it pains my conscience to attempt to sell it as a consumer item. It needs to be completed with tools and equipment as necessary. What I would like is for knowledgeable welders to advise me what to buy in substitute for the additional parts included in K3946-2 Ready-Pak, since those parts are prohibitively expensive.

 

[speedyharry]

What does "the whole street circuit" mean? It takes less power than many electric showers (although inrush is a consideration).

Your photo shows a 4-core cable - how did you connect it up?




Sounds the simplest solution.




"Part B" as you call it is a collection of other accessories.




Despite what?

They call the K3945-1, which you bought, the base model, and the K3945-1 plus a bundle of accessories they call the K3946-2 Ready-Pak.




You can quite honestly and transparently sell the K3945-1 which you have. It must be a viable product on its own or the maker would never sell any.




They omit nothing - they tell you what the K3945-1 is, and what the K3946-2 Ready-Pak is - they even list what the bundled accessories are.




That's often the way.




Just sell it. You bought it, so hopefully somebody else will.

Thanks, morqthana. The whole street circuit does not need any explanation. I am number 5 in a terrace of 13. On the opposite side are numbers 107 to 118. Please indicate a domestic shower drawing 375 amps.

The welder is shown as I received it from the auctioneer, i.e. never been kissed.

You might wish to assist in identifying the accessories I have called "Part B". That is, after all, the advice I seek.

Imagine you bought K3945-1 and sought to buy the complimentary item K3946-2. You find that this latter item K3946-2 comprises and includes K3945-1 that you have already bought. Are you going to buy K3946-2?