Eastwood MIG Welder Junk
 

I bought an Eastwood mig welder just to have around the shop well I have not used it much mostly small stuff no heavy welding .It stopped working a few weeks ago and I have been trying to get parts to fix it so this is Eastwoods response .The company that sells them to us does not sell replacement parts so basically you can throw out your 400.00 welder thanks Eastwood will be looking at a Lincoln this week.

According to their website, it has a 3 year warranty. I've found their return policy pretty fair in the past. Although I haven't had to return anything like that... just some spray equipment that didn't work out.
I've got one of their TiG 200 models and while its no Miller sync wave, it gets the job done.

Squeaky wheel get the grease

The unit is out of warranty and now I can't get parts to fix it I barley used it .They do have a good return policy but does me no good if it's not under warranty I can get parts for my 45 year old car but not a 3 yr old welder ..

did you try contacting the manufacturer itself or snoop around the internet

Have you looked at parts for say, Miller or Hobart....Just to see if they are the same parts?
Sometimes Companies like Eastwood will contract with a specialty company to build things with Eastwood's name on it.
Post a link to your welder. Maybe someone will recognize it as a copy of a welder that you can get parts for.
I bought a Clarke (Italian made) welder from Northern Tools 8 or 10 years ago and it's been altogether trouble free.

Go to a local welding supply company, and see if they have any ideas.

Yeah, that's kind of what I'm suggesting. I went to the local AirGas dealer to get my tank filled and was browsing the shelves. I noticed a lot of the Miller parts looked exactly like my Clarke parts.

Yes I did there are no identifying tags on it and Eastwood will not tell me who it's made by I found several similar looking ones but the also carried a brand logo not who makes them. As far as Eastwood is concerned they will only replace them under warranty and when that's up no more welder if you have an issue sucks because it was a very good welder for it's size.

I bought a cheap unit from harbor freight 4 years ago and still working great.no heavy welding just panels and stuff I putter with

What are the symptoms?

Ya give a description of what its doing.. or not doing

My Lincoln stopped working a few weeks ago or was very intermittent on the trigger pull it would not feed ...
Took the gun mech apart and adjusted the wires to the trigger plunger and works fine now... I would guess each time i hit the trigger it arcs these contacts gradually eroding them
A lot of parts on Migs are interchangeable... If you know what your looking for from the assembly manual you should be able to ebay it ,, or are there any local welding parts supply houses around you? Look in yellow pages for welding gas or parts


If I were ever to get another welder it would be a Miller or Hobart(made by Miller)

Motor speed
 

The motor will not spin up when it does it's speed is not constant then it will stop I hooked a volt meter to it as the motor runs off a 12v transformer you can see the voltage drop off then falls to 0 when it decides to come back on the voltage will spike to 4.5-6.0 volts then falls off to 0.I pulled the motor out and replaced it did same thing then I tested both motors with a 12 volt batt the both run at the same draw whatever controls the motor speed is shot I wouldn't be so pissed but this thing is as far as usage goes brand new just out by time.
They have offered to replace it for 240 bones but it's Christmas and I'm broke.

Not having a schematic, all I can do is guess. It sounds like a bad contact of some sort. I'd recommend that you pull the trigger apart and check the contacts. Also, pull any connectors and clean/spray them with something like WD-40 and do the same with any grounds. You should also spray the speed control rheostat, liberally, and thinking about it, I would do that first.

I agree with Rich. Sounds like a supply problem to the motor. Anything that current has to go through to get to the motor would be suspect and any grounds. Corrosion, loose contact at any connections, frayed wires at any connections etc., Check the trigger switch while you're at it. Use your ohms function to check continuity through any connection points. Shake stuff around. A schematic would be great if you can get hold of one but lacking that, use your eyes to look for any clues to bad connections.

I have seen many re sellers use "Centry" welders with Tweko Nozzles.
I had considered a Eastwood welder. I have sent 2 of their tumblers back, since bought 2 more of same from another source and know how to prevent the motor burn ups..
Interesting thread...

I went to Eastwood's open house in July. While in the car show, I spoke to one of Eastwood's sales guys walking around the show field. They were giving away a free welder that day, so I asked him who's welder they sell. He said they have them privately made for them in China to their specs. That is why you cant find parts for them or a name somewhere. That is all I had to hear to start looking elsewhere for a welder.
Good luck trying to fix yours.
Gary

Millermatic 180 autoset mig. I love mine!! I've done everything from spot welding in quarter panels up to 6mm fillet and V groove welds to repair crack tractor main frames and worn out bucket corners.

Black and Decker, who Owns DEWALT, does this to get a better quality with their Dewalt line than the B&D line.
Parts, yup can be an issue. If a Mig welder doesnt have a Tweko nozzle, Im not going there....thats just to start... Good post Gary

That is interesting information alright. Having said that, I can't imagine the Chinese making anything of that nature without copying every nut and bolt from someone else's original design. Of course, that could be anyone from the Russians to the French and everyone in between..
I once worked for a company and was told a story by an Italian Engineer doing some training for us. He said that a company he had worked for in Europe was visited by some Chinese engineers who wanted to view the layout of the engineering lab. He told me that the Chinese guys took out paper, pen, tape measures, etc. and copied every single detail in the room even down to how far the doorknobs were from the edge of the doors, where the wall outlets were, everything...

Well the final say from Eastwood is we will sell you another welder at a 20% discount so I figure I'm paying 20% less for another pos I really needed to have use of a welder this past couple of weeks but it will have to wait I will save up for a good one a shame this thing is in new condition all I can do is hope this thread helps some decisions being made.