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Posted by Vernon on May 16, 2007, 9:31 pm
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Greetings,
I'm looking at a Lincoln "Idealarc 300/300 TIG welder. I don't have
the code number available. But based on the Lincoln site, it appears
that most - or even all - of this range of welders is "obsolete".
Provide I pay an "obsolete" price does this matter?
I don't really need the thing but I might be able to buy it "cheap".
What are your collective opinions on what "cheap" is?
Vernon
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Posted by Steve B on May 16, 2007, 10:13 pm
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> Greetings,
>
> I'm looking at a Lincoln "Idealarc 300/300 TIG welder. I don't have
> the code number available. But based on the Lincoln site, it appears
> that most - or even all - of this range of welders is "obsolete".
>
> Provide I pay an "obsolete" price does this matter?
>
> I don't really need the thing but I might be able to buy it "cheap".
>
> What are your collective opinions on what "cheap" is?
>
> Vernon
>
Cheap to me means low cost and low quality OR low cost, decent to high
quality, and the kind of thing that if it takes s shit you just shoot it or
use it as a boat anchor, and not feel like you've spent a lot. Sometimes
those oldies have a lot of work left in them, and can be fixed if they have
minor problems. Not so trying to get parts for an old Sukiyakidomo welding
machine.
Cheap also means one that you've bought and fixed up for a small amount of
money and you're afraid will outlive you.
Others will have to give you opinions on worth and caveats about that
particular machine.
Steve
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Posted by Ignoramus14860 on May 16, 2007, 11:39 pm
Please log in for more thread options > Greetings,
>
> I'm looking at a Lincoln "Idealarc 300/300 TIG welder. I don't have
> the code number available. But based on the Lincoln site, it appears
> that most - or even all - of this range of welders is "obsolete".
>
> Provide I pay an "obsolete" price does this matter?
>
> I don't really need the thing but I might be able to buy it "cheap".
>
> What are your collective opinions on what "cheap" is?
I bought my 200 amp CyberTIG for $10, that's cheap. But even $100 is
cheap. I would not hesitate to own stuff like that, it is like "old
iron", made very well, with margin of safety and easy to
understand. If/when a circuit board dies on it, it may have to go to
the trash pile, however that is unlikely to happen.
i
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Posted by Ernie Leimkuhler on May 17, 2007, 2:02 am
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> Greetings,
>
> I'm looking at a Lincoln "Idealarc 300/300 TIG welder. I don't have
> the code number available. But based on the Lincoln site, it appears
> that most - or even all - of this range of welders is "obsolete".
>
> Provide I pay an "obsolete" price does this matter?
>
> I don't really need the thing but I might be able to buy it "cheap".
>
> What are your collective opinions on what "cheap" is?
>
> Vernon
The plus side is a big machine with lots of power for cheap.
The down side...
Large amperage draw, around 120 amps on 220 v Single phase.
Immense weight, 600 - 900 lbs.
Poor high frequency output due to old power caps and dirty spark gap.
Poor AC performance on aluminum due to lack of Square Wave output.
Old dried out wire insulation on the transformer wires.
I was standing right next to a Lincoln Idealarc 300/300 of late '70's
vintage (grey domed top) when it blew it's reactance coil.
Went off like a 12 gauge shotgun, the machine jumped an inch in the air,
I jumped about 6 inches.
Sprayed copper all over the inside of the machine.
These machines are reaching an age point where basic components are
failing simply due to old wiring.
Avoid any machine with Selenium rectifiers.
They look like a stack of square plates stung onto a threaded rod with
spacers between the plates.
If one of those blows it emits a HUGE cloud of Hydrogen Disulphide gas
(rotten eggs).
They are getting harder to find parts for.
If I were you I would go for a Miller Syncrowave, any Syncrowave from
the 80's on.
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Posted by Randy Zimmerman on May 17, 2007, 8:03 am
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>snip<
> What are your collective opinions on what "cheap" is?
>
> Vernon
>
Price should be determined by the value of copper minus the cost of labour
to tear the thing apart to sell the copper core.
We tore apart several older machines and scrapped them. When you
consider the labour I don't think the company recovered anything other than
floor space.
Randy
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>
> I'm looking at a Lincoln "Idealarc 300/300 TIG welder. I don't have
> the code number available. But based on the Lincoln site, it appears
> that most - or even all - of this range of welders is "obsolete".
>
> Provide I pay an "obsolete" price does this matter?
>
> I don't really need the thing but I might be able to buy it "cheap".
>
> What are your collective opinions on what "cheap" is?
>
> Vernon
>