Simple Device Converts AC Welder To DC
"A friend asked me to do some DC welding on rather thin steel. He thought I could arc weld the material. I knew I could do it but I wanted to do the neatest job possible so I wanted a way to TIG weld the material rather than arc weld," says Stan McDonald, Foxboro, Ontario.
"The problem was that I only had an AC arc welder at the time and therefore needed to modify my current welder to allow me to do DC welding. I couldn't justify buying a new machine for a one-time job.
"So I made a converter that allows me to do DC tig work in my shop. Total cost of the converter was $165. It worked so well I now sell the converter for $230 Canadian (about $150 U.S.).
"DC welding gives you better penetration, better out-of-position welding (vertical and overhead welds), and it's better for hard-surface cladding. It also gives you a more stable arc and, once established, the arc won't extinguish as easily as an AC arc. You'll get better looking and more consistent weld beads. It will also let you weld thinner metals and you can stick weld automotive sheet metal with a little practice. You can also weld stainless steel and aluminum, and use a greater selection of electrodes.
"My DC converter was designed for small shops or hobbyists who already have an AC welder. It's an economical way to add DC capability to your shop. It has a 200 amp rating and is rugged and simple. It rectifies the output of your AC welding machine to provide full wave DC output unlike manufactured units, which use single diodes and only produce a 1/2-wave rectifier which give you 1/2 the rated output of the AC.
"It's easy to connect to your welder. Just cut the cables and add cable lugs to each of the cut ends. Depending on how you hook the cables to the converter, you can switch easily from AC to DC, and back again.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Stan McDonald, 402 Rosedale Ave., Foxboro, Ontario, Canada K0K 2B0 (ph 613 968-9516; E-mail: smcdonal@kos.net).
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Simple Device Converts AC Welder To DC WELDERS/TORCHES Welders/Torches 25-5-39 "A friend asked me to do some DC welding on rather thin steel. He thought I could arc weld the material. I knew I could do it but I wanted to do the neatest job possible so I wanted a way to TIG weld the material rather than arc weld," says Stan McDonald, Foxboro, Ontario.
"The problem was that I only had an AC arc welder at the time and therefore needed to modify my current welder to allow me to do DC welding. I couldn't justify buying a new machine for a one-time job.
"So I made a converter that allows me to do DC tig work in my shop. Total cost of the converter was $165. It worked so well I now sell the converter for $230 Canadian (about $150 U.S.).
"DC welding gives you better penetration, better out-of-position welding (vertical and overhead welds), and it's better for hard-surface cladding. It also gives you a more stable arc and, once established, the arc won't extinguish as easily as an AC arc. You'll get better looking and more consistent weld beads. It will also let you weld thinner metals and you can stick weld automotive sheet metal with a little practice. You can also weld stainless steel and aluminum, and use a greater selection of electrodes.
"My DC converter was designed for small shops or hobbyists who already have an AC welder. It's an economical way to add DC capability to your shop. It has a 200 amp rating and is rugged and simple. It rectifies the output of your AC welding machine to provide full wave DC output unlike manufactured units, which use single diodes and only produce a 1/2-wave rectifier which give you 1/2 the rated output of the AC.
"It's easy to connect to your welder. Just cut the cables and add cable lugs to each of the cut ends. Depending on how you hook the cables to the converter, you can switch easily from AC to DC, and back again.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Stan McDonald, 402 Rosedale Ave., Foxboro, Ontario, Canada K0K 2B0 (ph 613 968-9516; E-mail: smcdonal@kos.net).
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