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Old Westinghouse ac/dc arc welder for general use?

19K views 26 replies 10 participants last post by  Silicon-based  
If you can't run it I wouldn't pay more than $50.00 for it. If it doesn't work hopefully it will have a copper wound transformer you can strip out for the copper scrap to recoup some of your money.

with that said those old transformer welders usually don't break very often, not much in them to go wrong. If it works it will probably last the rest of your life and then you can pass it down to your kids. I have an old lincoln transformer(copper wound) welder from 1959 that works great.
 
It doesn't look like any Century welder I've seen.
Century made a welder for monkey wards way back that looked very similar to the westinghouse, but I'm not sure they ever made one in DC.

I have heard that westinghouse had a welder division that had two manufacturing plants somewhere on the east coast. When it was sold they shut down the plants and sold everything for scrap.

This is hearsay I have no proof of this, take it for what it is.
 
I have #4 leads on all my stick welders, they are much lighter I get less fatigue using them and I weld better.
If my memory is correct #4 leads are rated for 250 amps out to 30 feet. If I need to go farther with the leads I hook up #1 leads to the welder and connect the #4 leads to them.

Lighter is better.
 
Since seeing the auction listing I've searched high and low for information on this welder and Westinghouse welders in general. Detailed info is scarce but what I have found would indicate they manufactured their own products. One location in particular that keeps popping up is Skyesville, MD. I've seen little to indicate they ever sold re-branded Centurys other than a few other forums where people also suggest they look similar.

Like you say though it's all just hearsay with no real evidence to support or dismiss either claim.
I was reading somewhere, and I can't remember where it was, about a very old guy that worked in the westinghouse welder manufacturing plant on the east coast. He claimed that the welder division was sold or shut down and sold for scrap. I have been looking and I can't find where it was that I read that.
It was a long time ago so I might have it wrong.
 
I found something, I read this some time back on another forum. I got some of it right, the memory isn't as good as it used to be.

It was made by Westinghouse welder division in Buffalo NY. They had a 2nd plant in Va i think but can't remember. I have been digging up Westinghouse welder info for years with no luck. Even wrote them with worse luck. Seems like in the Westinghouse/CBS merger the welder division was "lost". I did get a phone call one night from an old Westinghouse plant manager who said the welder division was just parted out and scrapped, gone overnight. I have a Westinghouse Mig from June of '66 and a matching spool gun. Your welder looks like early-mid 70's being squared off. The Linde's had about the same look...Bob