Clarke mig welder

[rich a]

I have half inched my dads Clarke 135te turbo mig its using co2/argon mix has anyone got one on here and what settings r u using? so far best results on 1mm sheet steel is setting no 2. min on power and wire speed about 7 but it still looks c?ap any ideas cheers :confused:

[kent14sr]

I would guess at those settings you are getting the welds sitting on top of the metal and not penetrating it very well/if at all.

I have the same welder and use the same gas - I find that I am always changing the settings to fine tune; you need to reach a balance where you are getting enough wire to make a good weld but not too much power you are blowing holes in the metal!

It is very much practice, practice, patience and more practice!!

[rich a]

cheers kent im only practicing on scraps of metal at the mo would it have different results if I was welding 2 pieces together ? but your right it seems to leave little weld or blow holes in it what settings do u use ?

[Mike]

Ive got the same welder too. Use feed between 6 ~ 6.5 and run it on high power. Don't do massive continuous welds as itll blow through it. Also youd be better off using a C02 not a mixed gas.

Incedently, I used that very same welder to do these end plates onto 10mm RSJ's with nothing more then a hobby bottle of gas (C02), feed on about 7 and full power. Was accidently drop tested from about 8ft in the air narrowly missing Lee's feet and didn't even crack lol

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j181/mikenova/IMG00292-20110420-1733_zps0780aeae.jpg (http://s80.photobucket.com/user/mikenova/media/IMG00292-20110420-1733_zps0780aeae.jpg.html)

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j181/mikenova/IMG00291-20110420-1732_zps9b5de9a6.jpg (http://s80.photobucket.com/user/mikenova/media/IMG00291-20110420-1732_zps9b5de9a6.jpg.html)

[dgbnova#1]

It's all in the way you do it really no hard and fast setting just need to play with it get 2 plates and keep apparat 1mm and tack it in a few places then weld it up tweaking the settings till you get weld on the back side if you get this right you can weld anything. This is the best test you can get you will not get a good gauge from laying welds on plates

[rich a]

Hi mike I thought it was better using gas with argon for some reason what difference does it make out of interest ? will it make a difference when I start trying to weld 2 pieces together as aposed to just running down a single piece. Also what setting do u have it on 1 or 2 ?

[Mike]

Hi mike I thought it was better using gas with argon for some reason what difference does it make out of interest ? will it make a difference when I start trying to weld 2 pieces together as aposed to just running down a single piece. Also what setting do u have it on 1 or 2 ?

C02 argon is for aluminium ideally (using a different flux aswell) pure C02 is best suited for mild steel. And as said, smacking some flat welds down wont really learn you much other then torch handling, you need to be fusing two pieces together for the weld to take any kinda real form/definition & learn a lot more.

I always use mine on high power (cant remember which it is though, 1 or 2?)

Also, how far is the electrode tip/torch head from work piece and what mask are you using?

[rich a]

The mask is a Clarke one not sure which it has 2 dials inside for reaction time and something else so its pretty good . The tip is about 20mm from the work ish might be a tad more

[rich a]

It's all in the way you do it really no hard and fast setting just need to play with it get 2 plates and keep apparat 1mm and tack it in a few places then weld it up tweaking the settings till you get weld on the back side if you get this right you can weld anything. This is the best test you can get you will not get a good gauge from laying welds on plates

Cheers dave think I have been weeing in the wind with my attempts at practicing will get some practice on 2 pieces and see how I go lol

[Mike]

The mask is a Clarke one not sure which it has 2 dials inside for reaction time and something else so its pretty good . The tip is about 20mm from the work ish might be a tad more

Its auto mask then. Two knobs inside are for reaction/dim out (a lot or little) & type of welding (TiG & MiG/MMA). Try going in closer, 10mm or little less. The gas is for shielding the weld giving a nice clean burn, closer you are, cleaner/neater the weld. Or some bolloxs like that anyway (Im not no professional welder lol sure some one will explain better/correct me lol)

[rich a]

cheers mike for the tips/help will get an 02 bottle an keep practicing then might have a go on the car :d

[paul james]

I tend to turn the regulator all the way up on the gas, I'd rather have good welds than try and save on gas, those lttile bottles do actually last quite a long time. Another vote here on using just co2 and not a mix.

[Mike]

I tend to turn the regulator all the way up on the gas, I'd rather have good welds than try and save on gas, those lttile bottles do actually last quite a long time. Another vote here on using just co2 and not a mix.

Yea this too, have the reg on full. Always. Every time you weld something. W

hen you pack it away, turn the reg off and unscrew it completely off the bottle (if using hobby bottles).

Them little regulators love to start randomly leaking.

[gearbox90]

You use pure argon for ally. You should use a mix on steel, you will get better penatration with a mix and less splatter. Has for setting I'm afraid a can't help, each machine is different so its just a case of playing around with it.

[BRoadGhost]

Idd; open the gas right up the try.

[GRUNT 16V]

To be honest clarke welders are crap and so are the welds in produces, get a propper welder not being big headed but its the truth i have used allsorts clarke, cebora, kemppi, esab, sealy,boc,eland the list goes on ! Clarke is the worst performer ever get a cebora 130 turbo as a bare minimum for welding cars

[Iain]

I quite like my little Clarke 150TE, but I don't have much experience of other machines. Much prefer CO2/argon mix to pure CO2.

Try this site for working out rough power/speed settings to get you started and fine tune from there: http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/calculator.htm

Take note in the manual of whether the welder is MIN 1/2/3 MAX 1/2/3 or MIN1/MAX1/MIN2/MAX2/MIN3/MAX3 settings as I think some models differ in their behaviour.

[rich a]

Thanks a whole heap guys had a little go when I got home turned the gas right open an now im in welding heaven not sayings its perfect but its a million times better hardly any splatter an with a little more practice an fine tuning I might let myself on the car thanks again guys rich

[L14MNP]

Ive got the same welder too. Use feed between 6 ~ 6.5 and run it on high power. Don't do massive continuous welds as itll blow through it. Also youd be better off using a C02 not a mixed gas.

Incedently, I used that very same welder to do these end plates onto 10mm RSJ's with nothing more then a hobby bottle of gas (C02), feed on about 7 and full power. Was accidently drop tested from about 8ft in the air narrowly missing Lee's feet and didn't even crack lol

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j181/mikenova/IMG00292-20110420-1733_zps0780aeae.jpg (http://s80.photobucket.com/user/mikenova/media/IMG00292-20110420-1733_zps0780aeae.jpg.html)

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j181/mikenova/IMG00291-20110420-1732_zps9b5de9a6.jpg (http://s80.photobucket.com/user/mikenova/media/IMG00291-20110420-1732_zps9b5de9a6.jpg.html)

That looks like almost zero penetration!
On thick plate like that, the colour change alone is usually staring you in the face, when the weld has penetrated.

That is seriously helping to support a house?

[gearbox90]

Running too much gas is just has bad had running too little , you will introduce perousity into the weld , also cause brittly welds.
I have never used a clarke but have used many 'budget' welders and have never really had a problem, I have also used 20k welders and can say a lot is down to set up rather than make. Yes a Clarke will never run a weld as good as a high budget welder but neither could the person using it. For car repairs I would expect the Clarke welder is more capable of running a perfect weld than most people using them.

[L14MNP]

The wire feed on my Clarke 175TE (iirc) is very erratic.

I was forced to use one of those bollocks hobby bottles yesterday when welding a mates car.

No gauge. No point. (That's without mentioning the copious other drawbacks of them.)

[Andy]

you cant use gas on max!!!!
christ on a shopper man!

[L14MNP]

you cant use gas on max!!!!
christ on a shopper man!

"Are you on gas?!"

"No, but that fookin welders are!"

[GRUNT 16V]

If you want propper gas but on a budget get on to hobby welds website! They have distributers all over the uk

[L14MNP]

If you want propper gas but on a budget get on to hobby welds website! They have distributers all over the uk

Or BOC. They do a bottle now that is the equivalent of about 100 of those throw away things, for £35.

[Mike]

That looks like almost zero penetration!
On thick plate like that, the colour change alone is usually staring you in the face, when the weld has penetrated.

That is seriously helping to support a house?

That's a second pass chap, I ground a chamfer onto the rectangle plate & double passed it on all four sides. This, and 2 more with joints in the recesses are holding up a mezzanine floor that is still there now.

I never realised there were so many pro welders on here before. But as we all know, its always easier to criticise some one elses work...

[gearbox90]

Was a pro welder for over 10 years, coded and qualified. I was also quality controller for over 30 other welder and trained more welders than I can remember.