They sure are, thanks for watching!

They absolutely do the job. I repaired one like this and it worked like a charm. Sold it a couple of years ago and bought another one yesterday that I haven't opened up yet

You know what's crazy? I later learned that red was Millers color a long time ago. So this red was the original paint from the factory. I think it looks better blue though too. :)

That's what breakers are for, right? :) You're right though, better safe than sorry. Thanks for watching!

This welder is so old that I guess Miller used to paint them red but I didn't know that until after I painted it blue. :) Thanks for watching!

Before I got this Miller, all I had was an inverter stick welder from Northern Tool. It seemed to do fine but the Miller just seems more smooth. I don't weld much but I'm happy to have it. Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching!

These machines are really well made so you should be able to bring it back to life. Let me know how it goes!

I appreciate the comment! If yours was stored in the shop, I highly doubt it'll be as bad on the inside. How's the plug cable? If it's in good shape, remove the welding cables, plug it in and turn it on. If the fan runs and it doesn't smoke or make any scary noises, you might be good to go. Thanks for watching and let me know how it goes!

Thanks for the comment, I appreciate it!

I just figured mine was painted over with red at some point but I didn't find even a fleck of blue while wire wheeling the cover. Thanks for watching!

@@Mikeattempts Earlier models were red. Miller changed it's paint color and logo sometime around late 80's.

@@sportscarclinic Ah, that's good to know. I looked 'em up on Google Images but couldn't find any red Millers so I was confused why mine wasn't blue. Thanks for the info!

That's interesting. Mine doesn't even have a serial number, just a "style number" of JC-25. I called Miller and they said that meant it was manufactured the 25th week of 1982. However, I have yet to see a red one, prior to them adopting their trademark blue color, so I guess it could be older. That's awesome that your $100 Miller is still burning rods 39 years later! Thanks for the comment.

@@Mikeattempts Hi Mike, I know I am late on this reply, but I checked the Miller website and found the chart for dating your style welder. The JC-1 was made in January 1082 and the JC-26 was made in July of 1982. The JC-25 style was made between these two months, so the date would be late June to early July 1982 which makes the Miller rep correct.

Yeah, these machines were built to last. Did you have to fix much inside?

@@Mikeattempts I did every thing you did, including taking the cooling fan apart, clean and lube. Cleaned all of the connections and used Anti Seize. I used Chain lube on the slides and threads of the crank. Then I did clean and repaint the cover.

Hey, I meant to ask, was yours red too? When I was wire wheeling the cover, I didn't find any blue which makes me wonder if mine was originally red.

@@Mikeattempts Mine was Blue. I am not sure but as far as I know, Blue is the color of miller welders. Could there be exceptions? I suppose.

Mike attempts mine was built in 88 and is blue. I'd always thought all Millers were painted blue, but the cover on the one in the video sure looks like it was red from the factory. Maybe the red ones were sold through a chain store?

Nice! If you can, loosen the anti-noise blocks on the sides of the shunt, it'll make it easier to free up the shunt. Let me know how the repair goes!

@@Mikeattempts repair successful. will take pics of the finished product and send to you later

@@fong.justinm That's great, thanks for the update! How difficult was the repair?

@@Mikeattempts not rocket science, but time-consuming & needed some effort. April repairs 1. amp adjuster & cotter pin rusted STUCK. impossible to get off initially until i bathed it in WD-40 2. filled with mice poop. vacuumed out/scooped out everything 3. shunt block & amp adjuster needed a touch of grease/tool oil to get all things smooth again 4. original 10/3 power cord was all chewed up. got 25ft of 8/3 SOOW, ran it through a 1" clamp connector, rewired everything, and got a NEMA 10-50P that my house has for the welder i had before this 5. had to create new leads. used 12ft 1/0 AWG for the leads, bought ground & electrode holder from amazon 6. installed 4" rubber/PU casters for impact resistance, smooth ride, & durability 7. spray painted the outer case with some dark brown i had laying around May repairs 8. former owner installed some vertical handles, but not very ergonomic. welded new cross bar for ease of mobility. July repairs. 9. just today, the hi-output started to wiggle loose. had to tighten up the coils that connected to the hi-output; manufacturer or previous owner got careless and simply soldered the two coils together, but did not tighten the hex nut. the solder eventually rotted away, but it shouldn't matter as long as all connections are tight.

@@fong.justinm Dang, that's a lot! Thanks for the update.

Yeah, if not abused and left out in the weather, these welders should last a lifetime. Thanks for watching!

@@Mikeattempts I'M GOING TO RESTORE MY !! LIKE YOU DID . THANKS FOR LETTING PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT FIXING A WELDING MACHINE.

Thanks! :)

Yeah, it's very gratifying to save something from the trash and make it useful again.

Amen to that. Wife usually raises an eyebrow as to why I spend so much time and elbow grease rejuvenating old tools and motors, but it's therapeutic. Not even a question of old vs new, I just like the character and history of the old stuff, even if the new stuff is better in everyway.

Heck yeah, I haven't used my other welder since I fixed this one!

Thanks, I appreciate it! Let me know how it goes with your Craftsman welder.

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Yeah, it looks like the price jumped about a month ago. If you wait it out, it'll probably go back down. Thanks for watching!

Hey, the price is back down: amzn.to/2WWEeCp

Thanks for watching!

Thanks, I appreciate it!

I couldn't agree more, thanks for watching!

Thanks!

Yeah, I learn a lot while making these videos. I had never even seen the inside of a welder like this prior to attempting the repair. Thanks for watching!

Thanks, I appreciate it! :)

I appreciate it, thanks for watching!

Thanks, I appreciate it! :)

Thanks! It's the only welder I use now, definitely worth fixing.

Thanks, I appreciate it!

Mike, what is the advantage of using DC welding vs AC personally I only used AC

@@SophronisMantoles I'm no pro but DC is supposed to everything better, run smoother and start easier with less spatter. I think the only advantage of AC is that it can weld magnetized steel.

Yep! I don't weld a lot but this is now the only one I use. :)

This is the only welder I use now, and the repairs have held up fine after over 3 years.

Thanks! :)

Thanks, I appreciate the positive feedback!

Haha, I know, I'm almost not enough of a man to squeeze it open to add a new rod! ;)

No, I never did clean up all of the rust on the inside. The welder is always stored in my garage now and has been the only welder I've used since the repair. Hopefully, with all of the WD-40 I used, the rust won't get worse. :) Thanks for the comment!

Good to know for the future, just in case. The nice thing about these old welders is there aren't any circuit boards so they're easier to repair. Thanks for the comment.

@@Mikeattempts Old AC transformer welders are great, I’ve gone through thousands of rods building and repairing farm machinery. A welder, oxy-propane torch kit and an angle grinder can save thousands of dollars. I’ve had 4 multi mode wirefeed welders, sold them and back to more reliable welds with stick. The old AC machine works pretty good for aluminum TIG as well once you master scratch start.

@@va7da I learned to weld with an inexpensive DC inverter stick welder. It might just be in my head, since I repaired this Miller, but I feel like I weld better with the Thunderbolt. I've never tried MIG or TIG and I don't have a torch but I do have a plasma cutter (repaired in one of my previous videos).

Thanks for watching!

I agree, I'm not sure how the new ones are but it'd be nice to just have a thumb-screw on each side. Thanks for watching!

WD-40 is really good for cleaning up metal and the smell is much better than other penetrants.

Yeah, there are some places that sell pre-assembled welding cables (like diamondtool.net) but they seem a little pricey. I had never made welding leads before and, as you can see from the video, it wasn't difficult at all.

There's a chart on the front of the welder for the AC side (left), based on what amperage you want. On the DC side (right), you can put the electrode holder in positive (DCEP, most common) or negative (DCEN).

Which model? I have Irwin wire strippers but they only go up to 10 gauge. Doing it with a razor knife was slower but I didn't have many to do and I didn't cut any strands. Thanks for watching!

The part that moves up and down, when you turn the crank, is broken? In what way is it broken?

@@Mikeattempts both legs r snapped off have legs but there broken

Besides trying to find a replacement shunt on eBay, your only option might be JB Weld. It's worth a shot, it already doesn't work, you can't make it worse. Let me know how it goes.

@@Mikeattempts sounds good I'll see what I can do, thanks

Were you able to get yours working?

@@Mikeattempts I just got the shunts freed up this evening. Good call on loosening up the two nuts. Looks pretty good on the inside. Lots of rust just like yours lol. Still need to get my power source hooked up so I can see if this thing is going to work.

@@TexasAggieNetwork That's great, I'm sure it'll work just fine. Let me know how it turns out.

I think I needed around $200 in parts. There are links for all the parts in the video description.

If you watch the video and pause it a certain points, I think it shows most (if not all) of the connections. What, exactly, do you need to see?

The fan motor for mine is 240 volts 60/50 3000 RPM (part number: 008825). The fan itself is 6 inch with 4 blades at 30 degrees (part number: 005656). I hope this info helps.

@@Mikeattempts yes mike I'm gonna use your info to get that cooling fan for mine, thanks and God bless you.

Mike please, I appreciate all the info you're giving me but I'm still need your help. Do you know any place where I might get this fan from? Again God bless you for what you're sheering with me.

@@chendokilos9418 I found the fan: www.ebay.com/itm/254392228133 but not the motor. If it's the motor you need, you might be able to use the part number from a newer machine. All the fan does is supply cooling so, you could put any 3000 RPM fan in there, as long as you wire it correctly.

@@chendokilos9418 I'm not positive but this motor might work: amzn.to/3uM8SMc . Whatever you end up putting in there, just make sure it's 240v.

The welder outlet is on a 50 amp breaker and the electrical wire is 6 gauge.

As long as you understand that I'm not a pro and this was the first time even seeing the inside of a welder like this, I'll try my best to help. You can find me on Instagram @mikeattempts

Mike attempts oh of course, but out of hours of searching KZfaq for my welder specifically, this video was the closest I can possibly find. And thank you for taking the time to reply. My insta is Shrek_The_Welder and I followed you after I wrote that comment lol. Thank you so much as well!

It could be a lot of things. Are you able to move the crank on top to raise the amperage? I would check all of the connections inside to be sure everything looks good. I had to clean and lube the shaft under the fan to get mine to run properly.

@@Mikeattempts yes I’m able to move the crank, all connections should be good, and I did lube the fan up, still won’t run the fan as it should.

@@splashtrain1748 Does the fan spin at all? If so, maybe the plastic blade piece is slipping on the metal shaft. If it's not moving at all, there's a chance the fan motor is dead or maybe the fan wires are damaged/chewed. Either way, the fan has nothing to do with the actual welding. The fan just circulates air to keep the internal components cool. If it won't even make a spark then there's an issue with the electricity flow for some reason. It could be the internal connections, the plug cable or the plug itself, the ports where the welding leads connect to the machine, the welding leads themselves, the ground clamp or the electrode holder. You'll just need to take a really good look at everything and troubleshoot to rule out each thing until you find the culprit. Good luck and let me know how it goes.

@@Mikeattempts ok thank you

@@Mikeattempts is there a possibility that it could need to be completely re-wired?

Yep, if you take care of things they'll usually last a long time. I'm guessing this welder will outlive me now. :) Thanks for watching!

They have the same pressed case too i have clean up the outside but afterwatching you wire wheel ill do the same .

@@pussycat6469 Yeah, the wire wheel makes the job much easier.

That's the one thing I've been kicking myself about, the writing on the front. It had paint overspray on it so I used a Scotch-Brite pad and light pressure to clean up the front. I didn't realize until I was already finished that it really dulled the white writing. I should have tested a spot first or used something less abrasive. Had I known these old Millers were originally red, I wouldn't have painted mine blue. As for your shunt, I assume it's the plastic hole that's stripped? You might be able to buy that plastic piece, or you could remove the metal screw, tape up the bottom of the hole, fill it with JB Weld, and then re-tap the hole. Let me know how it goes!

@@Mikeattempts Turns out it wasn't stripped. I thought it was, got everything spinning free now. I really want to remove the shunt to clean it. but can't figure out how. I removed the two screws on the plastic piece at the top. and moved it all the way up but still can't separate it and slide it out. going to sand blast everything this weekend and start scrubbing and cleaning the rust of the coil and shunt pieces.

@@jadonwilkinson That's great it wasn't stripped! It looks like there's a piece on the bottom of the shunt that would need to be removed in order to remove the shunt.

I think they were 2" threaded stem casters that I picked up on eBay.

@Mikeattempts Thanks for your quick reply.

I guess it could have been repainted, but I didn't find any evidence of blue when wire wheeling the case. Another viewer said Miller welders used to be red, who knows. I've never hit the duty cycle of any welder, I'm just not fast/good enough. :)

@@Mikeattempts yeah. I've never seen the red so this is strange. Yes you are fast enough. A large project is all it takes. It will put up with a lot but give it breaks and keep it cool. Don't melt them like I have. I have a couple of 100 per cent duty cycle machines and even stay mindful. Don't need to on those but I do.

@@johndoe43 Yep, good advice, thanks!

No sé exactamente, sin abrirlo, pero la bobina estabilizadora se conecta al rectificador con un cable grueso y rígido. El rectificador luego se conecta al transformador con un cable grueso. Hopefully that translation is correct. :)

This Miller Thunderbolt is 220 volts.

@@Mikeattempts muchas gracias bendiciones, bonito video .

I used WD-40 to aid with most of the internal cleaning and high temp grease on the shunt. I've since got some silicone grease that might be a better choice if I need to add grease in the future.

@@Mikeattempts I just picked one up for $50 and had no idea if it would work. I watched a second time while cleaning with the volume up and caught what you said about cleaning and lubricating. The guy selling it never plugged it in and I was clueless on this machine (actually most any machine). I used to weld some when I was a mechanic back in the day and have decided it's my new hobby. I already had a MIG, separate Flux core, TIG, plasma cutter, stick welder (DC) and extensive oxy setups. To my wife's eternal distress I tend to go all in on hobbies. So I'm learning them all as I go. Watched your video, got everything cleaned and moving again. I believe that I have it all ready once I get some cable ends and a new plug. Your video was awesome and a great help! Thank you.

That's great, thanks for the comment! Let me know how it turns out when you're able to test the welder.

I was wondering the same thing when I got it. While wire wheeling the case, I thought for sure I'd find signs of the old blue paint but I didn't. Another viewer commented that Miller welders used to be red so I guess this one was made prior to them adopting their signature blue color.

This is only a 220v welder, it won't work on 110v.

@@Mikeattempts Thank you

I'm sure a professional welder might be able to weld aluminum with this machine but I think AC TIG is the best option for aluminum.

@@Mikeattempts Thankes boss

Yep, thanks for watching!

Yep, I pretty much only use DC, it seems to run smoother. Thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching!

Mine didn't have a serial number, just a Style Number (JC-25) located beneath the Thunder Bolt logo. I called Miller and, using that number, they were able to tell me it was manufactured in 1982. I was also able to track down a manual from 1982 on Miller's website: www.millerwelds.com/files/owners-manuals/O316_MIL.pdf

@@Mikeattempts Thanks. Mine has ( JD-40), Not sure what the difference is, guess I will have to give them a call. Thanks again Jim

@J Jenkins Since mine was JC-25, Miller told me it was manufactured on the 25th week of 1982. So, I would guess JD-40 might mean the 40th week of 1983? If so, this might be the manual you need: www.millerwelds.com/files/owners-manuals/O316A_MIL.pdf

Thanks for the sub! I'm not a professional welder so I could only guess, maybe $200 - $300. It all depends on the condition and whether it welds AC & DC or just AC.

It was called Ace Rust Stop Gloss Safety Blue spray paint from Ace Hardware. I saw a few posts online saying it was the closest to Miller blue. I thought someone had just pained this welder red at some point, but it turns out that was the original color before they made the change to blue.

Sweet. It looks nice! I wonder if maybe they made the old AC/DC welders red and the AC blue. Mine is the old 225 AC and it was blue.

@@creaturemythos Another viewer told me Miller welders used to be red. I was inclined to believe it because, when removing the old paint, I didn't find any blue at all. If it is true, I'm unable to find the any information on when they decided to go blue.

Glad you enjoyed the video, thanks for watching! ;)

Do you mean the welder's power cable? If so, you'd hafta cut the cable at the broken spot, open the plug, remove the wire you cut off, and then reattach the wire to the plug terminals. If I misunderstood, please give me some more detail (or a picture) and I'd be happy to help.

@@Mikeattempts no the actual full copper wires behind the receptacles where it says hi and low

Ah, I know what you mean now. One of those solid copper wires was broken in mine too and the previous owner repaired it with what looks like #2 gauge wire and a cable clamp. The cable clamp is a U-shaped bolt with two nuts, they used that to attach the braided #2 gauge wire to the solid copper wire. If you go to the 9:10 mark, I point out the wires with a yellow arrow.

@@Mikeattempts yea i was thinking about just bending it to put back on the receptacle because it broke at the tip.. do you have a picture of how the previous owner did it?

If it broke at the tip then just bend the end of the wire so it will fit around the metal tube and secure it with the nut. Yeah, you can see the previous owner's repair if you go to the 9:10 minute mark of the video. I point out the wires with a yellow arrow.

Sí, debería poder colocar cualquier enchufe 220. ¡Gracias por ver! How's my Spanish, I used Google Translate?

Muy bien

Hahaha, I had no idea the older Miller welders were red. :)

@@MikeattemptsI always thought they we’re always blue but I’m not a huge fan of millers newer machines but those old buzz boxes were nice I’ve got 2 Lincoln tombstones and an old airco they are all AC and they work great

@@2035jim Yeah, the new machines are smaller but a lot more stuff to go wrong. I won't be surprised if this welder outlives me. :)

@@2035jimmy son still uses the miller ac stick welder my dad bought around the time I was born (1966). It is yellow!

@@scottsmith7080 I’ve got an 1972 Airco made by Miller and it’s orange. I’ve never seen a yellow Miller

I'm not sure, maybe $200 - $300, depending on condition.

Yeah, I just figured someone painted this one red but I guess they weren't painted blue until later.

@@Mikeattempts anyway, I just bought a miller mm 235. Came here because I love the heritage of miller electric, and restoring old things. Here's to hoping my 235 lasts just as long as yours did.

@@sethjones5250 I'm sure it'll last long enough to hand it down to the next welder in the family. :) Thanks for watching!

You plug the leads into the jacks on the left for AC welding. Conecta los cables a las tomas de la izquierda para soldar con CA. ¡Gracias por ver!

This is the only welder I use now and it has worked great over the past 2 years since the repair. I guess time will tell. Thanks for watching!