# Welder jump start



## We.B.Dubbin (May 17, 2005)

Ok, so I'm not actually recommending this methodology. But when its 2 degrees F outside, and you run out of options, you can jump start the car with a wire-feed welder.



This little 110V wire-feed MIG welder has four power settings, A, B, C, and D. They range from 20V to 30V DC output. This is quite high for your 12V battery. But I found that 20V was not enough, I had to use the 30V setting. 

The welder has anode/cathode inside. Normally these are hooked up to a ground (-) aligator clip. Be careful because the polarity may be reversed depending on if the welder is doing MIG (gas) or dry welding. In this case, the positive runs through the welder tip. I disconnected the welder tip from the (+) power source and clipped on my aligotor clip for the jumper cables (+) to car battery (+) terminal. Connected the welder's (-) aligotor clip to the jumper cable's (-) aligator clip to the (-) car battery terminal.



The welder does not apply DC power at the terminals until you press the trigger on the wire feeder. So you have to pull the trigger for a while with one hand while turning the key to the start position with the other hand. :thumbup:

Have to take half day at work after fartin around with two other batteries/chargers to get this thing started.


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## Pat @ Pitt Soundworks (Nov 14, 2008)

Haha yeah that's a new one - although I would feel safer doing it with either stick or tig machine. Mig machines attempt to keep a constant current. When you're starting you might overload the unit - especially small ones. Stick and Tig machines are Constant Voltage, and usually rest around the 20v mark as well, so you could turn one on - let it sit for a bit to charge the battery, and off you go.


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## ibanezguy19 (Aug 21, 2009)

This is getting subscribed. I got a good laugh out of this


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