Can anyone tell me what type of welder this is and how do I test that it works ok?.
Is it complete ? The insulation is missing where the plug meets the power cord.

Type... its a stick welder uses welding rods up to about 2.5 mm

if it was me i would...

Pull the cover off and make sure nothing shows signs of being overheated or melted.

then i would have someone that knows what he is doing put a new plug on the end of that power lead and test it to make sure that the earth has a good connection to the welder

Check that both of the welding cables have a good connection to there respective ends, and lay them on the something that is not conductive ie:- the concrete and and not anywhere near each other
.
Plug the power lead into a RCD protected power outlet and turn the welder on.
If this goes well

Hook the earth lead to a piece of steel, put a welding rod into the hand piece put on some gloves and a welding helmet. i will assume you are wearing long cotton work clothes... and strike an arc between the rod and the steel.

Plenty of things can stop it from working , most are a job for a Technician, if your lucky there might be a fuse near where the power lead goes into the welder or on the motherboard near where the power lead attaches, you can try looking for that and checking the fuse.

Telwin MODERNA

stick electrode welding machine in alternating current (AC) , probably around 130 amp.

Who makes Telwin welders?
Telwin Welders | Telford Group
Telford Group
Telford Group are proud suppliers of a wide range of Telwin welders. Telwin have been a worldwide leader in welding machine, cutting systems and battery chargers for over 45 years. Situated on all 5 continents, Telwin have access to over 100 markets.


I'd just hook the earth lead up to a mower axle and turn the amps up to full by pulling the centre rod out , you will have to twist the
knob to get the rod out then twist to lock into position but some welders are on full amps with the rod all the way in , you will soon see
which way is on full amps.

Plug the power lead in and flick the orange power switch on and strike the welding rod on the axle.If you don't have a welders helmet
close your eyes.

I would try the welder first , if there is a problem it will blow a fuse in the fuse box or trip a switch.

Lot of welders are for sale under $50.


Cheers
Max.

Didn't expect such detailed responses.
I'll do as everyone suggested.

I'm a complete novice to the welding caper but have a desire to be able to so some of my own as getting someone to do it for you can be pretty steep for the time and effort they put in -which doesn't seem that much.

hi MF, show us a few pics of your welds...
cheers
speedy

Lol, not sure I'll reach that stage but I'll have a play.

There are a lot of youtube videos that show how to weld Mf.

Too many amps and the puddle will be excessively fluid and hard to control , excess spatter and higher potential for undercut.

If your amperage is too low, your electrode will be especially sticky when striking an arc, your arc will keep going out while maintaining the correct arc length or the arc will stutter.

Some easier rods to learn welding, would be Austarc rods.

https://www.welding.com.au/news/view/austarc-16tc-why-its-australias-best-selling-electrode

A couple links below.
https://unimig.com.au/the-ultimate-guide-to-stick-welding/

https://www.wikihow.com/Arc-Weld

I've been meaning to weld an old wheel brace back together for years now , finally got to it today and used some stainless arc rods ,
I thought it might snap in half again after welding as it might have weakened the hardened steel but tried the wheel brace on a trailer wheel
and seemed to have no problems.

I'd like to try some alloy arc rods on a alloy mower base as I've never tried welding alloy before.]

Cheers
Max.