First off I am an apprentice instructor for a local Technical school. I recently purchased an old Birdsell 4.6 Kva spot welder off of E-Bay. Because of our limited budget we cannot afford anything expensive, so I took a chance with this one. Boy did I mess up.We need some thing that will spot weld 24 ga galv sheetmetal. Can I get another Transformer( this one needs to be replaced) to up the capabilities? The arms and internal workings seem to operate ok, allthough the square D contactors need to be replaced also. Sometimes they don`t spring all the way up into position. The unit is 230 volts single phase and has water capabilities to the coils as well as the arms. Please help us with this problem. I can send pictures if you`d like. Pleease, please help me!....sincerly, Ralph Lowe

-- Ralph Lowe (Panhd65@aol.com), March 18, 2001

Answers

Response to Old Birdsell spot welder

Ralph, I Would be happy to assist you with your problem.A 30 KVA transformer should be sufficient,however,it isn"t as simple as just replacing the transformer.You must ensure that the contactor is rated to handle the additional current draw.Also, when welding galvanized material it is advisable to have a control with an upslope option. If you would like to discuss this in further detail,please feel free to give me a call at 423-308-3249 thanks Randy Darby T.J.Snow Co.

-- randy darby (randydarby@tjsnow.com), March 20, 2001.

Have a look at the following link. If you just need to do 24ga sheet metal (it sounds like you need something smaller than 4.6KVA), this could do the trick. http://www.5bears.com/welder.htm

Also you might be interested in www.lindsaybks.com, see their LeJay's Manual which includes (benchtop) spot welder plans. Good luck!

-- Scott Willis (twill@blarg.net), November 20, 2001.