500 Amp Welding machine rebuild

[Frank S]

It's been a while since I did this on ebut I thought I would share.
This is a 500 Amp Miller Air pac with a 12 KW 3 ph option it was in pretty sad shape after being used by the railroad for many years, but it still ran and all systems functioned as they should so that made it worth rebuilding






Railroad track Forming anvil die I welded a strip of flat bar to one side of the rr track so I could have a different forming anvil shape for straightening the top and side covers


Some covers were missing so I had to hand make them

Laying out for perforation punching

Using my Roper Whitney 8 ton manual punch with a special ground die to make the oval perforations the Die and punch were bought from Cincinnati punch works


Splash on a little paint and good as new. Almost impossible to tel which panels were straightened and which were hand made



add a few decals and that is how you take a $800.00 salvaged machine to being sold for $15,000.00

[rendoman]

Nice done!
This welder is huge!

[Frank S]

Nice done!
This welder is huge!

Thank you .
Yes it is the engine is a 68 HP 4 cylinder air cooled Deutch the #1 cylinder has an air compressor head on it to the tune of something like 46 CFM @90 PSI
The welder will burn 1/2" gouge carbons all day long and not complain and the 46 CFM air will blow the slag 20 feet. I rebuilt it for a customer who turned down the $15,000.00 offer. I know this for a fact because I am the one who offered that amount after he had paid me to restore it
He uses it every day to power his truck repair shop. He says they can run all of the shop electrical requirements off of the regular 110/220 receptacles even while welding using 3/16 or even 1/4" rods or when he needs to use the 3ph he still has the 110/220 Plus the air to run impacts or for tire repair

[DIYer]

Thanks Frank S! We've added your Welding Machine Rebuild to our Welding category,
as well as to your builder page: Frank S's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Welding Machine Rebuild by Frank S

tags: welder

[DIYer]

Thanks Frank S! We've added your Anvil Die to our Anvils category,
as well as to your builder page: Frank S's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Anvil Die by Frank S

tags: anvil, die

[suther51]

Fantastic! Go big or go home as they say. Work like that takes real skill!
Eric
👍

[Pa1963]

So that was pretty much cosmetic? How much would it be worth without the new paint? I'd love to have that machine, especially for $800 bucks.

[Frank S]

So that was pretty much cosmetic? How much would it be worth without the new paint? I'd love to have that machine, especially for $800 bucks.

Not entirely cosmetic the way those machines are made their cooling depends a lot on the sheet metal matching up to the internal ducts plus you have to remove most of the sheet metal just to get to any internal components to tighten any loose connections or anything else trying to reinstall bent up sheet metal can take as long as it would to just straighten it up some. But to answer your question I doubt if a running machine that size with the options installed could be bought for less than 5 grand even as bent up as it was.
My customer buys a lot of auction equipment and has often said that he can buy for 10 to 20 cents on the dollar of a machine's worth. I told him that I would pay $2000,00 for every complete large machine like that one that he can buy for a $1000.00 so far I haven't had to cash any CD's to back up my loud mouth, but I'm sure the day will come. I did buy a Miller Bobcat 225 at auction for $275.00 that wasn't running it had only 400 hours on the meter and was 5 years old I spent about 75 to replace missing parts repaired 3 broken head bolts but didn't bother with cosmetic work. I've now got about 700 hrs on it but wouldn't sell it for less than $2,500.00

[Savage11]

You are a genius man. That is awesome. I would live to find a welder generator at those prices. Your work is mind blowing!!