OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Engines Questions On Briggs & Stratton Engines Hole in Sump Repairable?

Hi NormK, if you bought it in 1964 what brand is it, Peerless or something ? If its a arc welder how many amps does it go to ?

Hi Ted,
It is a Monarc, made in Albury, it has ended up half under water twice, and it sat on the back of my truck for years out in the open. Not sure how many amps it runs, I have always run it full amps with 12 gauge rods and half with 14 gauge. Cost me 52 pounds when I bought it which was a few weeks wages at the time. Once I carried it up 3 flights of stairs, these days I can pick it up but I can't walk with it

Wow, made in Albury, there you go. Pretty interesting. Must have had a good case to work after being in the rain. Very interesting, I bet it makes a fair old hum when it runs

G'day all,
Most of the AC transformer welders in those days were rated at ~130-140A max current, @50V open circuit.

I have a 1970s vintage Melbourne built copper-wound Powamac Minor, that's rated at 130A output, 15A 240V input, 100% duty cycle.
'Punches above its weight' a bit, as it'll quite happily run a 4.0mm rod, on its max setting.

Lately I'm having a play with one of these FleaBay Chinese inverter units, that cost me $100 delivered last year.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ARC-220...ine-IGBT-Portable-10A-Plug-/272834881672

I have used inverter welders in the past, of the ESAB Caddy type - good jiggers. And this cheapie is shaping quite well.

I'm not really interested in a MIG welder, as it wouldn't be well suited to the type of small jobs I do. And for sheetmetal stuff, I have Oxy/LPG torch brazing/silver soldering.

Hi Gadge
My mate bought an ESAB one about 30 years ago, ( about $1600 from memory) and we were using it on site welding up 1.6mm handrail stuff, was an amazing machine, and was nice and light so you could carry it up a ladder if you were working up high. Never asked him what happened with it because there is another little 240 welder I use often when I am up there repairing/building something. Around the same time he bought 2 ESAB shields and they were $500 each. I still use my flipfront as I have done for years, but in the factorys over the years we used self darkening because they were faster. Always gets a laugh when I go to the factory with my flipfront, the apprentices can't believe I still use one

I use a flip front as well Norm

Not for everyone though. A mate was using a mig and was doing a bead weld on 2 different thickness bits of metal together. He was having issues getting feed speed and volt right and was doing a test weld - 2cm, stop, lift front check put back down do a bit more

He got annoyed and started going quicker, got a bit arm tied and half lifted the visor and hit the trigger, sparks bounced straight up

Lucky he had safety glasses on as well, but still bloodshot and 'sunburnt'

Then worked out the eye wash station had a 3-6 month drowned rat it in, but thats another story

Interesting story, I ended up getting a cheapie stick welder - https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/cigweld-cigweld-arc-welder---120-amp-240v-turbo/130112.html on sale for $120 - Cigweld Weldskill 120 turbo. I bought on sale. I got a pretty good Cigweld Weldskill auto darkening helmet and I reckon it's really good.

I found the Bunnings electrodes not good, like those sparklers I had as a child.

I found the cigweld weldskill 6013 rods pretty good and I bought from Total Tools. I've used both 2mm and 2.5mm and I wouldn't say I can weld well but I can run a bead and join together two bits of metal. It's a little hard to strike the arc but I've found having a good ground with the clamp is important (using a C clamp close on to the metal close to the welding point) is important and having the amps turned up a bit higher than they recommend. I tried mitring together some square tube with 1.5mm wall but I found even with 2mm electrode easy to blow a hole through. That said I reckon the joins that this welder creates are pretty decent & very strong.

I'm going to try and make a basic stool out of concrete rebar as a first proper project.

Norm, The mig starts welding as soon as the wire has connection to the earthed article to be welded. As soon as you break the arc it stops welding. It is not dependent on the trigger. As long as there is wire exposed from the handpiece and it touches the earth it starts the arc. That's different to the old one where the trigger would first start feeding the wire and then a further depression of the trigger would start the arc.