Welding Tips and Tricks

I have an old AC Buzzbox welder called a Canox Sparkler. I believe it was actually made by Miller as a Thunderbolt, but packaged for The Canadian Oxygen Company (Canox). This company was bought out a couple of times over the years.
My question is with regards to the cable connectors. They are just a 1" long very slightly tapered straight pin that is about 9 mm in diameter at the base, tapered down to about 8.5 mm at the tip. They plug in to the mating female end that is on the machine.

I would like to find replacement male end connectors. Anyone have any ideas as to what this type of connector is called or where to get them?

Thanks

They are sometimes called single pin plugs and some other names, but it may be almost impossible to find replacements depending on how old they are. I had a buzzbox from the 50's and needed the male pin plugs and had no luck at all. They just aren't made anymore. I wound up taking it apart and putting in newer plugs and the welder still works fine.

Just to be forewarned, the replacement plugs and recepticles I got from Miller were very poorly machined. The tapered plug wouldn't fit all the way in and it was a very poor fit. I had to retaper the plugs on an O.D. grinder just to get them to work.

This is a picture of how it looks with the newer hardware.

Thanks,
That is pretty much how my connectors look now. This welder would be around early 80's, so not quite as old as yours. I will ask for straight pin connectors and see what I get,
The DIN connectors on our Lincoln equipment here at work are also poorly made. A couple just won't seem to twist together right.
Everywhere I looked, I found the twist connectors, but not the straight pins.

If they're that new, you should be able to get them at any welding supply like Airgas. Places like Home Depot or electrical supplies won't have them, they are too specialized a part.


Here's a link to a welding supply that carries them. I think you probably want the Miller Taper "Old Style"

http://www.stoodyind.com/Catalogs/FISC/ ... tpg189.pdf

I didn't realize that you could still get those parts. I should have known. I will go to praxair and see if they can get other parts I may need. Or if they can get them.

I have an old buzz-box like that. I wound up using 2" shear pins (roll pins?) (5/16, if I remember right). I inserted the leads about halfway into the shear pins and soldered them. The other half, with the slit in them, were a tight fit into the machine's connectors. It was a $2 solution, with a little sweat equity. (No pun intended.)

Steve

Also a great idea. Smart fart

Never would have thought of that. You could always put shrink tube on any exposed metal part.

I forgot to mention, I gave the pins a coat of No-Ox-Ide to keep rust at bay and assure a good connection. I imagine silicone grease (as in spark plug boot grease), or that stuff the auto parts store sells for light bulb connections would work just as well.

Steve

Dialetic Grease it prevents the oxidization of electric part form happening. Works very well.