Christmas Gift? Craftsman "Professional" Mod. 20559 MIG Wire Feed Welder
 

Christmas Gift? Craftsman "Professional" Mod. 20559 MIG Wire Feed Welder.

This welder showed up on my local FaceBook Marketplace a couple days ago. For $50 I figured it was worth taking a look at. And I was the "lucky" winner as in first to reply and show up with the money. It was only 5min from my house which was a large factor in me buying it. Paid the asking price and the welder and accessories shown were loaded into my trunk.

I don't necessarily have a use for another 120v MIG welder--I have a MM140 that might get used once a month. But for the money I figured I could find a needy party that could benefit from it. The last little similar Craftsman I bought ($80) went to a buddy of mine that had done me numbers of favors.

Who should this one go to? :confused: My kids have use of any and all of my equipment so they were out of the running. Then I got to thinking about my daughter's boyfriend who is a decent fellow and treats her like a princess. THAT is who might get this unit. He is into cars and such and this might spark an interest in him in the metalworking trades. My dot was unsure if this would be a "good" gift for him so we will see. :rolleyes:

Pics are "after" cleanup and testing. I had to adjust the liner and lube and loosen the idler bearing because the welder had been sitting a while. That is a Tweco handle and tips. It has fluxcore in it and once cleaned and detailed, produced the weld shown. (con't)

Craftsman 117.078.002 MIG Welder (con't)
 

Before you go thinking that the air pressure at the roof of my mouth is less than atmospheric, consider that the pic #6 shows the condition of the inside of the unit BEFORE I worked my magic. Inside the wire cover and on top were similar! :eek: I'm not an entomologist but there were a large amount of "droppings" and egg sacs inside and out of this welder and I am going to guess they are German Cockroaches but that is just a guess... The gentleman I bought the welder from hadn't used it in over a decade. Date code shows it is just over 20 years old... The other pics are for reference.

I've included a compatible owner's manual downloaded from manualslib.com.

Hot torch or cold torch ?

Cold and I verified because I had the same concern...

My neighbor saw it and is interested--might not be a Christmas gift after all... ;)

IF I Recall Correctly.

When Lincoln Acquired Century welders
"Lincoln" Made that piece of shit using the Century name
That pretty much killed the Century name.

Notice the shiny plate with the circuit board see the rivets, IIRC there is eight MOFITS one held by each rivet.
Most of the time when one goes bad it takes out the others and the machine is pretty much junk.

The Tweco gun should be good for $100.

Likely Lincoln will have the manual.

Something like this but you have to go by the model number on the back.

https://www.centurytool.net/117_078_...old_s/1809.htm

I wonder how the welds would look if you use a helmet....:rolleyes:

Yup, that looks like it... Thanks for the link BUT $70 for a freaking drive roller! :eek:

I thought that was what eyelids were for? ;) Me thinks the welds were OK. I was just seeing if it works. Metal got nice and red and that was good enough for me...

That welder is a rebranded Cetury 155GS. They are 105 amps. The drive roller should be knurled so it will never wear out. They have variable voltage but the gun is hardwired in. My guess was it was aimed at being a cheaper alternative then a miller. Lincolns tend to be pricey and have a low duty cycle. I have a 155GS and it has not had a problem for over 20 years. I paid slightly under $400 for it new. I think Century discontinued that model before they were bought out.

Welcome to the site.

Somewhere I read that the knurled groove is for Flux wire so you use lighter pressure, as not to crushing the wire.

This! Knurled groove for flux core, u or smooth groove for solid wire. Being knurled has nothing to do with it not wearing out soon. ;)

Thanks for the welcoming. :)
My comment on the roller was in response to the price of it. You will never need to replace it from wear.
My Century only came with the one Knurled roller and that is all that was available for it as far as I know.
The lighter tension means less force on the plastic drive and does not create problems if it is left on indefinitely. I think that was very smart on Centurys part. As compared to a small lincoln ,they used a plastic drive but with a grooved roller. It impressed me so much that I use knurled rollers with solid wire on other machines as well. The tension is kept low and they never slip. The only machine I have used with smooth driver rollers that absolutely never slips ever is a dual drive wheel set up.

You probably know that we do have an introductions forum for new members to introduce themselves if they care to do so.
It is entirely optional; some do & many don't bother but you seem to be rather forthcoming so I thought I'd invite you. :)

Oh, and welcome to SFT. :D