Thanks for your comments guys,
Ian,
I was sort of in the MIG frame of mind,
I do a wee bit of aluminium work every now and then.
Yet I have never seen a rod that works well with an AC welder, Weldwell bought out one in the late 80's here, it disappeared from sales after the flux caused serious burns to a weldor that couldn't get the thing to melt consistently, with the stated current, so he bumped it up above the rated current.
Aussie,
I've since meggered the transformer and it is down on both sides to the core.
I'm not plugging that in again.
I don't want the embarrasment of having a Faultsman here replacing my pillar box fuse.
And boy would they rub that in!!.
Kiwi,
This is the painful part mate, my Grandad told me on his death-bed that he was giving me that welder, I've had 8 years use out of it, intermittently, but it is hard to let go of it.
Reality would tell me to grow up and move on.
Copper prices being what they are, it might make sense.
