My new toy(Lenco spot welder)

[Stanger]

I just picked this up off of Craigslist. The retail is a little over $1k. I got this one for $50. The guy said or best offer, and I usually take advantage of that, but I just couldn't this time. I'm getting soft. The leads are there as is the power cord. Everything appears to be in good shape, just a little dusty. I'll probably clean it all up and repaint. But for now, I'd like some more info on it. If anyone has any experience with them, I'd like to hear it. It seems like a nice piece of equipment, but it may be junk, I really don't know. It is a "LENCOSPOT DUO-SPOT" Mark II L-4000. It is 230V, and I assume 30A input, by the cord. The power cord, which appears original, is 10/3. Is my assumption right? Does this welder take 30A?

[gatkeper1]

It requires a 50 amp feed. I found mine on Ebay for $65.00. These things are so heavy they can hardly give them away. For 50 bucks you stole yours. For Auto restoration they cannot be beat. You can get into areas that are totally inaccesable to the tong type spot welders. Just clean it up get some new tips and a tip shaper and start a spot'n.

[Stanger]

Thanks for the response. I guess I'll need to run another line then. I currently only have 30A feed for my 187.

[Stanger]

What is the maximum amperage draw of this machine? I can't find any info on Lenco's website.

I cleaned it up some today...

Before:






Afer:

[Stanger]

Well I hooked it up to the 30A feed in my garage, just to see if it works. The machine powers up and the power light comes on, but I can't get it to actually weld. I've never used one before, so maybe it is operator error. I lined up the tips on either side of the panel and pulled the trigger. You can hear the switch when the trigger is pulled, and you can hear a short hum from the welder, but nothing significant happens. The most I could get was a few sparks. Maybe I don't understand correctly, but this shouldn't have to do with the 30A feed should it? If it tried to draw more amperage, would it not just kick the breaker? The welder doesn't look like it has been messed with at all. What's wrong?

[gatkeper1]

First clean the tips by removing them from the handles. They are a press fit so just twist them out. Clean out the well in the electrode holder and polish up the back end of the tip removing any corrosion as it inhibits the current. The contact area on the end of the tip is tappered to an 1/8" flat contact area. Both handles are used on the same side of the panel so you get 2 spot welds at a time. The timer controls the weld dwell time. The longer the dwell the more heat you have. Takes some practice to get used to it. Hold both electrodes on the same side of the work. lay some body weight into it. hit the trigger. weld stops based on dwell time. You will know if your dwell is too long as you will melt the tips. they melt anyway, they're consumables, just you will see it quicker. Do some practice welds with scrap.
To examine your weld: From Millers site
Place one end of the resistance spot weld sample in
vice jaws. Use mechanical means to force the weld
apart. One side of the weld should pull loose from the
parent metal with a metal extension from the weld.
Check for proper weld diameter.
Download Millers Handbook for Resistance Spot Welding

[Stanger]

Thanks for the quick response. I'll go try that now...

[Stanger]

It works! One tip had steel melted to it. After filing that off, it works great.
Thanks,
Grant

[mwoh419]

Congrats! You stole it. Steal me one too. ---Mike---

[obewan]

Where is the weld gun? To be worth anything, as a minimum it should have replaceable tips. If the tips are worn, you won't weld. I was an automotive welding engineer for 8 years, and tip wear was the bulk of my work. Knowing when to replace is key. Of course, for home use, you won't be making millions of spot welds I suppose, so it will be less of an issue. Typically, you can go between 500 and 3000 welds on a set of tips - depending on the process. Good weld guns sell for $3000-$5000 for automotive work. I suppose you could get a small one for around $1200. The robotic guns have a lot of copper though to cheapen the electric bills.