10 Sep
An Antique Birdsell Welder
A reader named John sent in some pictures of an old Birdsell Welder that he had acquired. He’s looking for any information about it, so if any of you know something about this machine, please leave a comment or contact me and i’ll pass the information along. There doesn’t seem to be much on the internet about this company. I did find a Birdsell Mfg Co, Inc based in South Bend Indiana that manufactured farm machinery, but i’m not sure if it’s related to this. So, if anyone knows anything, we’d love to hear about it!
From the data plate:
- Primary Voltage 115 volts / 230 volts
Secondary Volatage 53 volts Open Circuit / 25 volts under load
Output Current = 115 amps @ 20% duty cycle
6.3 kva
hey! my nefew picked up one just like that one at a garage sale , the only difference is the cord. he’s has 3 large aligator clips instead of a plug.
October 13th, 2008 at 10:18 pmif you find any thing please let me know also.
I have a birdsell welder and would like any information you may get. Thanks
p.s. I have not used the welder yet I got it at a sale for $50.
December 18th, 2008 at 2:56 pmI have fixed a few of these, and was needing a few parts are you interested in selling some parts?
January 14th, 2009 at 12:49 pmMy husband just got one of these that belonged to his grandfather. He’s been gone for 21 years, and the family seems to think it’s about 70 years old. Were looking to find out more about them too. Please let me here if you find out anything. Ours works wonderfully, how about yours?
January 18th, 2009 at 10:33 pmHi Jack. I personally don’t have one of these welders, but i often get emails from people that do. If I become aware of anyone that has parts, I’ll be sure to let you know. And if anyone reading this has parts for it or any other welder that I’ve shown, feel free to leave a comment here or in the appropriate category, or email me.
January 20th, 2009 at 8:08 pmHi Tara. As i mentioned to Jack, I don’t personally own one, but I have talked to a few people that own them, or have used them. From what they’ve said about them, they’re a good old welder. And judging by the number of them that are still working, they seem to be quite reliable. If I find out any more information, I’ll definitely update this page. And if you find out any more about them, feel free to let us know too. Good luck with yours!
January 20th, 2009 at 8:13 pmI have a Birdsell arc welder, made in Los Altos CA. that I was thinking of using, selling whole or for parts.
February 16th, 2009 at 3:46 pmI have a BIRDSELL arc welder that is for sale. It was working good the last time my father used it about 10 years ago. Feel free to contact me at cchenowth@cox.net
April 14th, 2009 at 10:48 amI’m in San Diego Calif
I have a Birdsell Model 250 welder, serial 1157. Its for sell if anyone wants it. I’ve never used it, the cords are frayed. All I know is its old and heavy.
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:20 pmI have one of the Birdsell welders that I purchsed at a yard sale, I havent tried it yet. I also have a Welco welder that is of very similar design to the Birdsel except that it is a little smaller, I believe it is only 70 amps rather than 190. If anyone has any information on Weldco i would appreciate it. Lester.
July 29th, 2009 at 12:08 pmI took another look at my Birdsell welder and it looks very similar to the one pictured except that it is a 190A and the secondary amp rating is 190 amps at 20% rather than 115. The primary amp draw is listed as 75 at 115 volts and 37.5 at 230 volts. I have bcome interesed in old welders since my retirement and would welcome any corespondence from other welder enthusiasts. I can be reached by email at. tfth2009@yahoo.com
July 29th, 2009 at 1:12 pmHi,
I have this old Weldco welder. It says San Francisco/Weldco on the diamond shaped logo on the label.
Anyone know what year this is from? I just got an old Miller AC machine that will replace this one and want to sell it. I don’t know if it is better to sell it as an antique or as a vintage welder.
My assessment is that it is from 1920′s or 30′s vintage. It has been a good welder for me, but time to move on.
Thanks,
Tony
August 12th, 2009 at 4:31 amBy the way, pictures of that old Weldco can be seen at:
http://www.compusos.com/havewelder/weldco.
Any help identifying it and putting a value on it will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Tony
August 12th, 2009 at 4:33 amI have and really old Birdsell welder, it came from Otis elevator company, they replace some of there old welds here in the San Francisco area sometime around 1975. My brother in law knew the welding supplier who sold them the new ones so I got a couple of the Birdsell’s and fixed then up, the one I have is missing the top cover and the cables are cracked and not in very good shape but it still works good. I was running it on 220 volts and I think it puts out around 150 to 180 amps. If there is anybody in the bay area who wants it I would like to get rid of it.
Mike Daughtrey
August 22nd, 2009 at 9:23 pmHi Mike. I’m finding that Birdsell welders were a lot more popular than i thought. I’ve gotten a lot of emails and comments about them. If you’d like to post it in the welding classifieds section of the forum here you may get a little more exposure. You can find it here: Welding Classifieds
September 4th, 2009 at 8:05 amI also have an old Birdsell 170. I think it is an excellent old welder. One of the most significant features is that it is HEAVY. To me, that means it has some pretty hefty windings in it, and is not one of these new ‘buzz boxes’ you buy at Sears.
I worked for a high tech manufacturing company years (commercial aircraft) years ago. My company bought several old stick arc welders after WW2. They were great big old things. The welder guys had their choice of any welder in the world, which were already on the factory floor. These guys would sit there and wait until one of these old welders came available and have it hauled across the plan to their job rather than use a new high tech welder.
They like the big, fat arc these old things produce. The Birdsell is a smaller version of these old bad boys, in my opinion.
Unfortunately, i made my career in IT, so after 20 years of owning this and never using it, it is headed for craigslist.
my $0.02 worth. Enjoy.
September 5th, 2009 at 1:11 amI have a Birdsell welder sn 224912 that I have owned for fourty years. It was used by an engine rebuilder in Los Angeles in its earlier life. If anyone is interested It is in Southern California
December 26th, 2009 at 7:38 pmI have some parts for one of these if anyone’s interested
January 10th, 2010 at 4:44 amI bought a welder that looks exactly like this. It is Model 190A 60 cycle. Have never used it and just posted it on Craigslist San Francisco for $50. I sold one a few years ago and the guy that bought it loves it. The one I have looks to be in excellent condition, especially for its age. I never would have guessed it is as old as it sounds like it is.
September 11th, 2010 at 12:24 am