hello from new jersey & clarke 160en problems

[fabklyn69]

hey guys. greetings from new jersey. probably not as nice looking as Jersey, but we do have a few good things. i got this link from a portuguese friend-all around craftsman, so i know this is a good site to be in touch with good welders.
i bought a clark 160en mig welder (220v) not long ago. using it in auto restoration. good machine, but it seems no matter how slow or fast i set the wire, how high or low the voltage, i burn holes or sputter everything. i'm new at welding to begin with so that doesn't help.
my friend helped me get some welding done when he came with his lincoln and used gas. it was much betterer! i'm not using gas and wondering if i have to to solve my problem or clarkes aren't meant to be used on thin metal like floor pans,trunk pans,etc.
help--anyone....
much obliged

 

[shenion]

Gasless wire runs hotter than regular wire. That makes thin metal difficult. What type and size wire are you using?

Most flux-core wire (gasless) is 0.035". See if you can find 0.030. Stay away from no-name brands. Home Depot has the Lincoln wire that is good (item 391899).

The tutorials on this site has a description of the "Thin Metal technique". It should help.

Welcome to the forums from the South

 

[cumbriasteve]

Welcome to the forum from over the water..

New to welding... gasless and thin bodywork, nothing there that makes life easy I'm afraid.

Get a bit of thicker material first and weld away to get the feel of the machine and the variables of power and wire speed, then work your way down to car body thickness.

Gasless is never as easy as gas but plenty of people using it after practice.

 

[fabklyn69]

went down to .030. will try the lincoln wire. that may be a trick.
even trying test pieces, still ran hot. i got the clarke figuring it was almost up there with lincoln and miller. i guess it's best with gas or thicker metal, not floor pans and such. thanx for the tips.

 

[fabklyn69]

true-found that out the hard way. did do some testing, but will give it another crack with more fervor.
thanx a bunch

 

[shenion]

The Clarkes are close to the low-end Milller (140) except for a less-durable wire feeder. I was suprised the Miller had a lower duty cycle than the Clarke at over twice the price.

Gasless will take practice. It is tricky to control the heat using the thin metal technique shown in the tutorials.

You will need to have the pieces fit with no gap. My big Miller gos way down on amps. I eventually found it was easier to up the power and move faster. Trying to go slow, it would arc to one side and melt back.

Gas is not that expensive. I picked up a 30lb CO2 tank off ebay. I see argon and CO2 tanks on Craigs list often. Fill is not bad, $28 for the CO2 tank (has lasted me 3 years so far.) I think I calculated my 30lb tank was 10 hours of welding.

I also bought an argon bottle from my gas supplier Cost about $175. Argon is a fairly big tank and was fill was $40 ($73 if they don't discount it.)

Since there is no rental on tanks on this side of the pond, once you buy them, they cost you nothing sitting there unused.

CO2 is not that bad, it does have a wider bead but you can use 0.025 wire and really get the heat down. I had no spatter using it on my Clarke 130EN.

Keep an eye on Craig's list. I see bottles appear often. I do see a lot of CO2 tanks in the tools and commercial section.

My CO2 setup (tank, reg and fill) cost me just over $100. The argon setup was expensive as i got a 110CF tank (4' tall.) I use that on my TIG welder (MIG will use argon/CO2 75/25 mix.)

Checked the central NJ CL and there are two, big, full CO2 tanks for $80 in the tools section. A regulator is about $50.

Note CO2 and argon mixes have different fittings. Takes a different reg.

Even with gas, it will take practice. Takes a while to get the feel and be able to see and hear what is happening.

An aluminum or copper backing plate can be used to support the weld and pull heat out.

 

[philsmin]

I've been welding bodywork gasless for years, takes a good amount of practice to get it right but it can be done (using clarke machine too)

I tend to use a pulsing technique (which allows the metal to cool), if I try to get a run of weld it either burns holes or I have to turn it down so far that I don't get enough penetration, if the metal has thinned or is rusty forget it! having said that if it is you shouldn't be welding it anyway as it belongs in the bin

 

[fabklyn69]

thanx for the awesome help!