Ah, the venerable Lincoln tombstone buzzbox - one of the most reliable welders ever built. It iwll do fine for most of what you want to do.
The burning on the stinger (rod holder) is nothing to worry about, just happens when you run the rod too short. Should last another twenty years or more. The tape one the ground clamp is something I'd pull off and make sure the cable isn't frayed. If it is, just cut it off and re-connect to the clamp.
The tape on the leads should be pulled off and the cables checked for fraying or breaks. If you find any, get some splice ferrules from your welding supplier and splice the frayed spots. If the fraying is very minor, I'd just re-tape it and not worry too much - it would only have an effect at the highest current settings which you'll probably never use anyway.
You'll need a minimum of 30 amps service to run that welder. 50 would give you room for more extension cord length, but you can definitely get by on 30 if you don't try to run a long extension cord. If you do use an extension cord, make sure you use at least 8 gauge for a run under 50 feet and 6 gauge if you go over 50 feet but under a hundred feet.
You'll want to get some rod that is suitable for the work you're going to do and for AC use. I'd suggest 6011 rod for a good all-around rod that will allow you work out of position if you need and cut through rust and scale, too. Don't get anything bigger than 1/8" rod to start with. The box will burn 3/16" rod, but you only need that for really heavy work and it will give you problems on medium sized work. If you're going to be only doing mostly flat welds, you can get 6013 AC rod that will give you a very smooth weld bead and is easy to run. It is no good for out of position work, however, as it is a slow-freeze rod. The 6011 is a fast-freeze rod and doesn't make as pretty of welds, but is better penetrating and works in all positions.
Enjoy your new welder - it will do yeoman duty for you, believe me. The Lincoln buzzbox has been around for fifty years and run a million miles of welds just perfectly. In fact, I found a Lincoln AC/DC tombstone (named for the shape of the box) in the dumpster three days ago. It looked like it had literally fallen off the back of a truck going down the highway! The case was in three pieces, the innards were flopping around loose, the leads had been cut off and one knob was missing.
I brought it home, banged out the dents, welded the case together, JB-welded the broken rotary amp switch base, installed new leads, re-assembled it and it works like a new unit. Total cost, $75.00 for 26 feet of new leads and four hours time. I had a ground clamp and stinger in the spare parts stash and I'll make a new knob for the AC/DC rotary switch. That welder new sells for almost $700 here on the island. I don't really need another stick welder, so I'll probably give it away to someone who can use it. I just hate to see something that can be fixed get tossed in the landfill.
Jamie, Ah, the venerable
Jamie,
Ah, the venerable Lincoln tombstone buzzbox - one of the most reliable welders ever built. It iwll do fine for most of what you want to do.
The burning on the stinger (rod holder) is nothing to worry about, just happens when you run the rod too short. Should last another twenty years or more. The tape one the ground clamp is something I'd pull off and make sure the cable isn't frayed. If it is, just cut it off and re-connect to the clamp.
The tape on the leads should be pulled off and the cables checked for fraying or breaks. If you find any, get some splice ferrules from your welding supplier and splice the frayed spots. If the fraying is very minor, I'd just re-tape it and not worry too much - it would only have an effect at the highest current settings which you'll probably never use anyway.
You'll need a minimum of 30 amps service to run that welder. 50 would give you room for more extension cord length, but you can definitely get by on 30 if you don't try to run a long extension cord. If you do use an extension cord, make sure you use at least 8 gauge for a run under 50 feet and 6 gauge if you go over 50 feet but under a hundred feet.
You'll want to get some rod that is suitable for the work you're going to do and for AC use. I'd suggest 6011 rod for a good all-around rod that will allow you work out of position if you need and cut through rust and scale, too. Don't get anything bigger than 1/8" rod to start with. The box will burn 3/16" rod, but you only need that for really heavy work and it will give you problems on medium sized work. If you're going to be only doing mostly flat welds, you can get 6013 AC rod that will give you a very smooth weld bead and is easy to run. It is no good for out of position work, however, as it is a slow-freeze rod. The 6011 is a fast-freeze rod and doesn't make as pretty of welds, but is better penetrating and works in all positions.
Enjoy your new welder - it will do yeoman duty for you, believe me. The Lincoln buzzbox has been around for fifty years and run a million miles of welds just perfectly. In fact, I found a Lincoln AC/DC tombstone (named for the shape of the box) in the dumpster three days ago. It looked like it had literally fallen off the back of a truck going down the highway! The case was in three pieces, the innards were flopping around loose, the leads had been cut off and one knob was missing.
I brought it home, banged out the dents, welded the case together, JB-welded the broken rotary amp switch base, installed new leads, re-assembled it and it works like a new unit. Total cost, $75.00 for 26 feet of new leads and four hours time. I had a ground clamp and stinger in the spare parts stash and I'll make a new knob for the AC/DC rotary switch. That welder new sells for almost $700 here on the island. I don't really need another stick welder, so I'll probably give it away to someone who can use it. I just hate to see something that can be fixed get tossed in the landfill.
Rich