WILL IT WELD? The Oldest Welder You’ve EVER SEEN 

I have that exact welder passed down from my great grandfather and I was told it fell off a truck once and there wasn’t even a dent in it and I learned to stick weld on it . Very great welder .

I have one of these and it is my daily use welder. Mine was purchased by my Great-Grandfather brand new in 1933. I call it R2D2.

Welder is made by A O Smith. Company later developed the Harvstore silo. Friend has a bigger version of your welder. It still welds fine. You have a fine relic and keep using it. AL B a retired welder in Ohio.

Cool old welder. John is a hell of a good tech, he'll also take the time to explain what the problem might be. He's helped me out a few times.

So you made a welder into end table but can you make an end table into a welder? Might be a cool project for you Anthony. Thanks for the content, I always look forward to your videos

I really love how old manufactures used to make their stuff good looking as well as tough. Everything now looks like it was designed by the same guy who designs shitty running shoes.

wow this is by far one of the coolest welding videos I have ever seen. You could totally turn this into a series just trying out all sorts of old welders

my grandfather "aquired" a lincoln tombstone from his time in the air force during korea. it sat in his shop till i was a kid and it taught me how to stack dimes and throw roll cages together on race cars.

Prime example of "they just dont make em like that anymore" Awesome to see stuff like that around and still working

The oldest I had was a 1948 Lincoln P 180 with a hand crank start, I put a starter on it with a fly wheel that used the start handle off a couple bearing blocks, just a hobbyist welder. It was fun while I had it. Never seen one like that one tho. Cool piece of History - looks like it belongs to the darlects from Dr Who lol The wife model.

Hey man, unbelievably refreshing to see someone on youtube unedited, love to fucken hear you swear

Who can say they can weld with their end table. Definitely pretty cool man.

What I really learned from all this is that lightly sanded rusty metal with clear coat applied is my new FAVORITE FINISH! I am so impressed by that lovely SHINY Rust finish, That I'm going to see if I can duplicate it on one of my AKM-47's. If that turns out looking half as good as that Old welder I'm doing the same to my old Super-Glide! A glossy rust covered rifle stuck into the saddle bag of a Glossy Rust covered Harley! Hell if I can manage it somehow I might just RUST cover myself to matchl! Great Video Bro!

Those old smith welders are fun. As you weld with them they lose amperage due to heat build up/resistance, so you have to up the amps a bit. Cool stuff 👍👍

My grandfather welded with one of those for years and now myself and my dad both like to mess with it. It’s just something really special to have to look at.

Anthony, John must have enjoyed the experience of working on such a old welder! I was expecting the windings to be shorted out just from the shear age of the machine and long term deterioration of the electrical insulation. Really impressed! Pretty cool for your wife to make project using it! Another great video!

I've got a 1942 AC only buzz box in my garage at home. It's my go to machine when I need to weld something heavy, or when I just fee like using it for the fun of it. Yours is much prettier than mine.

I second what the guy said about talking to Miller Electric. I'm in Appleton and I got to tour their facilities here and it's seriously awesome. They walked us through basically every step of the process, and they make every part of their machines. And they do have a display area with a bunch of antique welders, it's pretty cool but I doubt they work like yours! They would probably be thrilled to see it in action. Great company, good people, and a hell of a tour.

My grandfather used to have one of those. Well he had made his own tin case for it because the original was probably rusted away. He built it into a box and hung it on the wall but the place where you plug the leads in was the same. He had made a power supply(maybe to convert it to DC) of some sort to make it usable..

That thing is a beast accurate machine, I can't even use 6013 rods at 90amps on newer ac welding machines!!

My dad had one of those, my brother has it now, still welds good. With no fine adjustments, it’s hard to find that happy medium. I have a Hobart on a trailer from the fifties with a Chrysler flathead six cylinder. It has rusted brushes, one day I’ll restore it.

Your wife welds?! You are a lucky man. Great video! I'm not too big into welding but love seeing old machinery come back to life.

I would be curious to know the open circuit voltage on that bad boy. Sometime you should meter the stinger to ground while it’s turned on and see what it is. I have heard some old welders like that have close to 100volt open circuit lol. My old ideal arc from the 50s is 80. Makes striking a arc a lot easier. Definitely don’t want to weld in the rain lol.

That is the cutest skid steer ive ever seen.

Cool video loved the fact you used it as a table so cool and even better it still welds and great your wife got in on the action fair play to her 👍👍

All of the old welders I've seen in the logging industry worked very well! The abuse they take & keep welding is impressive!

Dude that welder is a beast with 6013

Way sexier than contemporary welders.

John knows his shit. He’s been working on our stuff since he was a teen.

That thing will outlast any other welder many times over - its basically just a huge transformer thats designed to run short-circuit indefinately. Bulletproof.

That’s cool that you got the machine to run. Good content brother!!

and i quote "put some fucking wheels on it homie" laughed my ass off at that

"I hope it does not catch on fire" Well the fabric on the internal wiring in there is almost certainly 100% asbestos, so That part is not going to burn. Don't blow it out with an air hose though

What a cool machine. It makes it even cooler as a piece of furniture knowing that it actually works.

This welder was made for when guys said “ I pick things up and I put them down “ . I did a gas station clean out upstate NY back in the early ‘90’s and we found a rusted out GE or Westinghouse welder that had the crank handle , no extension cord . Those were supposed to be the first welders , they called them “ compact “ . It was the size of a water heater . I was in a hunting club then and one of the members said to me “ you ain’t bringing that f**kin’ thing back to the club ! “ . Good thing the handle was seized , I was thinking about it . Yeah , I think the first welders were AC , according to internet research I saw once . I think Hobart or Lincoln made the first DC machines ? Don’t matter now , everybody and their mother makes welders now that you can fit in your glove box so welders come a long way . But damn ! That is a serious find ! Please ensure that it will stay safe , at any expense , we really don’t want anything to happen to your pretty little girl . I’m sure she has a top class welding rig so no fears there 👍 . But I guess that “ portable “ welder won’t make it back into your living room anytime soon . As heavy as it is , I’m sure a lot of guys would have grabbed it , just for the cool factor . Laughing to myself thinking it probably beats the sh*t out of anything inexpensive today . Not saying to tell harbor freight , amazon , lowes or Home Depot to GFY but if that machine , in its simplicity , lasted until today and works , can new Lincoln or miller machines live that long ? This smith machine has NO circuit boards or touch pad BS and probably little to no circuit protection and it’s still hanging tough . Tell you what , the fact that it’s quiet as f**k makes it really nice because after like 15 minutes of a HF 90 amp buzzing in your ear , this machine would be pure pleasure . Just set it and forget it . I wonder does this machine even have a duty cycle . You kicked a$$ on that deal . Too bad it’s heavier than my ex mother in law but I know you’ll put casters or a dolly under it . Totally bitchin’ machine though . Nice ! ✌🏻 P.S. - my apologies to the misses for the distasteful ex mother in law comment , sorry ma’am 🌸

I am 57 and when I was a kid my neighbor had one of these and used it all the time , it was old when I was young lol 😂

The RU-vid algorithm just sorta brought me here. I'm not entirely sure what's happening in this video but your wife seems like a bad-ass and I think I'm going to subscribe just cause I like your energy.

Wow thanks for the language, had grand daughter in the lap just looking at old cool stuff...

Smith's - the most iconic welder of all time IMO...! Your welding supply guy was right on with the Smith Welding Equipment parentage. I have a pdf version of the 1941 catalog with this machine in it. Hoping I come across one some day, would like it in my collection. BTW...NOT A.O. Smith, that is a different company altogether but a lot of people confuse that company with the parent of the Smith's AC Welder.

my grandpa refurbished one of these it's great and still welds today

What a wholesome shop visit. :)

I had a GE 400 amp welder with a 6 cylinder flat head. Thing fired up at the touch of the starter. Added a gallon of oil and a quart of gas and it was all good.

Ever seen an Essay welder? I inherited one from my grandad - it was made in the 30s(?) for welding bicycle frames. Small metal box that you fill with water and it has a plug with one wire that you plug into a 120 outlet and you ground to anything convenient. Dangerous af but I have gotten it to run a bead before the breaker tripped 😂😂😂

Cool many yrs ago while working for a rollup door company in L.A. we went to place to install 2 doors inside a metal place they had an old welder think it was a Lincoln it had a square box with a cylindrical part on top to which cables were attached it worked pretty good first time I've seen anything like it always wonder how old it was

I’ve seen a very similar machine in person. I believe it was a Lincoln with the same cylinder construction, painted red(looked original) with all of the taps on the front. The modern line voltage is around 40VAC higher than when these things were new. You’ll likely have to drop a good 10 to 20 amps lower than what you’d use with modern machines because of it.

Just discovered your channel. I in the middle of a binge. I have to comment, welder in your livingroom? You can't be married. If you are she is a saint. So far I'm enjoying your stuff. Lastly I'm an old man and a regret I have is. I never learned to weld. I really want to now, it's on the bucket list. Good luck with your channel .ps just watched until the end. All I can say is, oops you are married and she is a saint. Good on you.

I got to weld with my end table. 😂

I have the identical welder sitting in my shed. We used to use it all the time, but hasn't been used in over 20 years now.

Great video...... those old welding units have mostly copper windings. Fun to try out old gear..... Thanks for video

My dad still has one, Works great still

Im learning on a 80's ac craftsman .. tight arc is a understatement.. that machine probably needs 60amp powerplug .. your very lucky on the 120v to case you didnt get electrocuted. Thats nothing more than a giant transformer.. great video

Awesome machine. Coolest end table around.

My dad used to borrow a welder from a mate, just a big block with a handle on top you adjusted the amperage by moving a plate in and out of the machine. The bloke we borrowed it from remembers his grandfather bought it new. Would have made a great boat anchor

amaizing very old weld machine, best regards, thanks for share

That is nothing but badass brother !!

that thing is pretty cool

I have an old Lincoln buzz box 225 from the mid 70’s… I’m learning mig and tig but I still make my best welds with the old buzz box and 6013

This brings back memories of me welding plates into the floor of a severely rotted ‘64 Volkswagen bug.

Coolest welder I have ever come across. So cool to see one in action - nice work!

You and your wife are like then perfect couple hard working have your own business and young and making tons of money

I nearly cried when she started welding right next to it😳

I have a smithy in the shop. We call it R2/D2. Mine is orange. Still welds, ain’t in as good of shape as yours, though. Westinghouse made a similar welder, it’s a box, instead of a cylinder. Both are pretty good welders for AC crackerboxes.

I saw a welding rig some old timers made involving a bucket of water and a forklift battery, not sure how exactly it was built but it worked I saw it. Crazy

You got big balls to plug that thing in especially into 220V

I love how ridiculously heavy it is

Anthony sporting the welding flip flops😆😆😆

Cool ole' Shovel Chop in the background ....

Looks like Marquette brand a little. I've seen a few AC welders like that, and the general idea is that they will run for a generation. Some have many taps like yours, and there were compact ones that just had a few. I think this kind of thing is associated with Farm Welding and 6013 rods and limited output. Maybe not this specific machine. I want one!

Man, they don't make things that last like they used to. Great arc welder.

Sweet video man thats a hell of a machine to have in your collection

So cool. My first two welders was a powr kraft from the 70s and a thunderbolt from maybe the 70-80s (those of you who see what I had on my channel correct me if I’m wrong on dates). My Current Lincoln idealarc 250/250 has instructions pasted on the inside from 1966

That is bad ass. You need to roll up to a job rocking that thing.

My parents have /got with the business and later land of business they bought and run, a greenhouse and landscape the oldest versions of Lincoln AC-225 or AC-125 Series, 240 volt Arc welder that is from the late 1940's or early 1950's where it was made with the old WWII left over military contract of the light or mid color of OD green.Original owners of greenhouse got the welder used in 1950's for the business when they used an old greenhouse that is no longer there as a seasonal but up all year single greenhouse until 1960 and as a temporary house in part of the yard until mid/late 1960's or so. It was to repair the greenhouse since the takedown hoop greenhouse was a solid steel heavy thing that finally just fell apart with enough missing to not be able to keep repairing the greenhouse. The welder was also used by original owners of business to make a few heavy steel handled brooms that work nice with the wire bristles and an even heavier shovel that nobody can use as well as a few small wrongly done welding jobs on parts of the current greenhouse frames that are not an issue anymore as the plastic sheet roof is replaced with a more durable poly panel/clear fully translucent corrugated plastic one.

there's almost nothing to go bad in them, except the winding's varnishing. unless it's stored in a bad area or abused by letting it sit shorted, it will work just the same in another 50+ years. lets see where all the current machines are then. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Cool video that welder is a work of art they sure don't make them like that anymore

@ 7:15 Been on the receiving end of that before. Plugged in the plasma and grabbed the ground clamp and got the stiffy arm for a second. By far my favorite welder at work is 50 years old. Old miller machine and single roller feeder. The window on the crank handle is busted so you just have to guess the voltage. Just buttery smooth

I’ve never seen a welder this old. The oldest one I know is my pops Lincoln tombstone

Your friend John is awesome

I didn’t realize you were local until you mentioned clearwater fl, first time viewer, this video was recommended by yourube

If you restored that machine and gave it a good polish, it would be a work of art that might fetch a high price at auction.

A shop I used to work at had lincoln STT mig welding machines, super fancy state of the art. Virtually impossible to burn a bad weld. They cost over 20k CAD and we couldn't have the doors open because too much dust would get in the circuitry and fry them lol

Welder: "I will out live you and everyone you love."

Sweet!

That baby's sick! Great work on the video too! Earned a sub!

Love it! I think we share the same vernacular.

Super cool!!! I also love that shovel i layed my eyes on in the background.

Great idea turning it into a table. Good thing you didn't burn your shop down when the wiring was wrong

I've never seen one of your videos before, but this is awesome. I wish we had someone remotely close to John's caliber around here.

You call that a welder with plenty of taps...yo hold my beer...

We had one and that's what I learned to weld on, we called it R2D2

Holy shit dude. First video and "what the fuck are we doing in my house" made me subscribe instantly. Good rest of the video too

Looks like the little lady might be taking over for you lol strikes a mean arc. Anyway up here in Canada we see a fair amount of those come down the pike but never saw a round one before, all square, probably a little newer maybe. kewl video

I love the profanity from excitement! Fuckin excited bud!!

My dad had an old Hobart like the one John worked on its somewhere in Florida now . It had a hand crank Wisconsin engine

I have one!...Mine is all stainless cover, I got it out of an old corral barn way out in the desert of new Mexico...

When you use the word F*#k a lot it makes the welder work better!

That sounds wicked running AC on steel. Kind of like an old horror movie sound effect.

8:24 is when he actually starts to begin the welding part begins

I don’t know shit from shinola, but I did like this video. Very cool for even us non welders

That is a great antique welder. I had acquired a 1950's 415volt 3phase, English Electric oil cooled welder but sadly it was dead. I got about £50 for it when I weighed it in for scrap. I have a 1980 Oxford 180amp Bantam oil cooled welder. It's AC for welding but has a DC battery charger built in to the case. It weighs about 160lbs and has a small trolley/bogey to move it about. Ity can run on 32amp single or 32amp three phase supply. Great video and a great looking old welder too.