My second welder (already)- an old Lincoln Idealarc DC 600

[RickD]

Does anyone have any experience with older versions of Lincoln's Idealarc DC 600? What are they like to work with?

I couldn't resist this old beast for sale via an online auction. This was one of dozens of welders for sale, and I saw that some of them went for fairly high prices. I guess I was lucky with this one, and my opening bid of $50.00 "won" me this prize.

Now I have to hope I don't hurt myself, or my pickup, when I try to move this thing.

Based on the serial number, I think this machine is from the late 1980's. One current version of this welder has a Duty Cycle of 100% @ 600 amps, and weighs 250 kg (550 lbs).
There is a TOK tag on it, from Jan 3, 2019, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it still works.

It will be fun to take it to my son's shop and check it out. I've been told that the design of these old welders is very simple and that they are usually fairly easy and inexpensive to repair.

 

[Dabbler]

really nice find. my miller is about the same age, and it works well. Those Idealarc machines are workhorses. You were ver lucky to get it at all, let alone for nearly free!

 

[RickD]

really nice find. my miller is about the same age, and it works well. Those Idealarc machines are workhorses. You were ver lucky to get it at all, let alone for nearly free!

After doing some more research, I think I did very well. The machine has a fairly simple design and excellent repair manuals are available online.
These have complete circuit diagrams, part numbers for all of the components, and troubleshooting guides.
I used to do component-level repairs on radio equipment and I have to say that the repair manual I found for the DC-600 is one of the most comprehensive manuals I've ever read. It even tells you what voltage levels and oscilloscope waveforms to expect at many test points throughout the machine.
I'm hoping I won't need this info, but it's there if required.