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.