Welding Tips and Tricks

Was recently given a Lincoln Power Mig 300 in unknown condition along with Prince XL Push pull gun and a Cool Arc 40. I'm new to welding and understand this setup is probably waaaay beyond my needs but seemed too good to pass up. After some troubleshooting and circuit board replacement I got the PM up and running.

My question is I think I'm missing some parts to connect the Prince to the PM. Below are some pics of what I have. If anyone can point me in the right direction of what I need to get this hooked up and usable. I'm thinking the push pull connection kit 2154-1 but it has limited availability so not sure if it's been superseded by something else. The only source of it I've found is here.

https://bakersgas.com/products/lincolnp ... it-k2154-1

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I've never used a push pull gun, but I have that same welder and a Prince spool gun that looks EXACTLY like yours....are you sure you have a push pull and not half a spool gun?

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@JayWal , I'm pretty sure it's the push pull style being as one of the hose connections is the wire feed line. Looking at the MK products webpage it looks like both guns are identical just one has a spool and one doesn't.

Now being as I'm a total newb, please correct me if I'm wrong. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what I have and more importantly what I don't have but need.

Here is a link to what I think I have

http://www.mkprod.com/Prod_CobraSys_pxl.htm

@JayWal Being as you have virtually the same setup, would you mind taking some pics of the connections to the PM so I can better get an idea of how it should look? Did you need that connection kit or just some some hose adapter fittings?

Sure I'll take some pics tomorrow.

What are you planning to weld? Push/pull guns are designed to feed soft aluminum wire, if you're only planning some steel/stainless and the odd aluminum you might be better off trying to get a regular Magnum mig gun for that welder.

My spool gun isnt water cooled so I have the same electrical connector, a power lead and a gas line on the end of my spool gun lead. Very simple. Power gets hooked up to the + terminal, and the gas directly into the regulator on the Argon tank, solenoid is inside the spool gun.

I am a little confused about your gun, I'd expect a gas line, power through the wire feed line/liner, the electrical connector, and 2 water lines. And I'm not seeing all those. Hopefully someone with Push/Pull experience will chime in.



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I will be primarily welding aluminum with the occasional steel. For the steel I will probably pick up a different simpler torch so I don't have to worry about liner contamination on this setup. Another option might be to convert this gun over to a spool setup, not sure if there's a kit for that.

I too am a little confused as I would think there should be another water connection. I plan on connecting as many things as I can today and see what's left. I don't really need the cooler so I'm not as concerned about the water connections, just would like to know what I have.

Pretty simple setup

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So after a few calls to MK Products, a call to Lincoln and multiple visits to my local supply store I've been able to figure things out.... somewhat. What I've learned is that I have an early model AIR cooled gun however back then they used a lower gauge water cooled power cable that has a female 5/8"-18 RH connector. Lincoln used to offer a push pull connection kit that included the power block and fittings to attach this particular power cable to the power stud in the machine. Since MK and Lincoln parted ways a number of years ago, this kit is no longer available. I've spent a ton of time on McMaster Carr and other fitting supply sites and have not been able to find a fitting or combination of fittings that would terminate this cable.

With that, I have decided to go outside the box a little. I plan on picking up a 1/4" CGA nipple and the corresponding 5/8"-18 male nut that slides over it. Then I'll drill out the base of the nipple just enough to allow for the nut to fully and securely seat on the end of the power cable and then crimp a battery lug onto the nipple. Once complete I'll also solder the crimp then shrink tube the connection. This should provide me with a solid termination but also allow me to remove my "adapter" later if I decide to switch to a water cooled barrel and install a cooling supply line which I really don't see myself doing. I'll post a pic or two when I complete it.