Spoolguns

[fizzy]

Going to treat myself for Christmas.
Will one work OK on my old Clarke 230TE? It has a Euro connector.
I see the voltage output on the Clarke is between 23v and 46v. Video on Youtube suggest 22v and up - any suggestions?

Prices vary quite a bit - I suspect most are clones of each other.
And how do I connect it to the Clarke? Doesn't seem to be an accessory socket or anything.

Or, as the torch and wire has to be disturbed anyway, would I be better off with a teflon liner? Not sure how well the rollers would feed though.

3M Spool Gun For AIM145 Welding Machine Portable MIG Welding Gun Accessories UK | eBay

ãCompatible with AIM145ã: Specifically engineered to work seamlessly with the AIM145 stick welding machine, ensuring compatibility and optimal performance. 140A Spool Gun for MIG Welder 10FT for AIXZ AIM145 welding Machine.

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Mig Welding Spool on Gun for MIG180, MIG181, PROMIG250, MIG251, MTS251, MTS255S & MTS255HF

Spool On Gun MIG Welding Torch for Aluminium Welding, euro plug connection designed to fit with the R-Tech and MTS320S MIG Welder

www.r-techwelding.co.uk

 

[carbon]

Sorry I can't help with those, mine was made by ck systematics and has a separate control box that then plugs into the remote socket on my powcon

 

[fizzy]

Looking at this video I may just try a Teflon liner and keep my torch straight. Will save a lot of hassle and money

 

[fizzy]

Anyone tried graphite liners instead of teflon?
And do you need to change back again when using steel wire?

 

[carbon]

If going with a Teflon liner try some 5356 wire

 

[fizzy]

If going with a Teflon liner try some 5356 wire

One good tip from the video - use a larger tip size.
Also do NOT cut the liner short like in the video - have it going close to the spool.
If I put a teflon liner in do I need to swap out again when using steel wire?

 

[hotponyshoes]

You don't "need" to swap it but feeding aluminium wire is a pain at the best of times so don't make things harder.

I'd get another 3m torch and set it up with a Teflon Liner. Maybe get one size bigger than needed, ie an mb36 rather than a mb25 as the ends cope with the higher heat from Alloy welding and the whole thing is stiffer so easier to keep it straight.

See if you can fit 2 U-groove rollers into the welder (and that they don't cost more than a spool gun!) as its hard work without them as well.

 

[Kram]

I rarely mig but when I did use it, I would never go back to a standard torch. Spoolguns are better unless you under a car, which I dont do.

Of the chinese units, the miller style clones are best, this sort,

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Welding-0-8-1-0mm-Aluminium-Manufacture-Maintenance/dp/B0C5W2MVP4/

 

[Stueeee]

I fitted a spool gun to my MIG. It's just one of the Ebay cheapies, I haven't used it much but it certainly works OK. I fitted a double pole changeover switch and a 2 pin plug/socket setup to allow connection of the welder's wire drive output to the spool gun when I'm using it. I modified the gun after taking this photo to accept a standard small wire spool rather than the odd thing came with it.

 

[minimutly]

I bought a nearly new one from someone on here, tried it on a 200A mig I had in for repair, just connected it to the wire feed circuit instead of the existing output. Worked really well, on a 20A breaker it was a bit limited, but I'm keen to get something set up to use it again now that the 200A mig has gone back to it's owner. What I found was that for tacking up it was miles better, and for general welding again a lot quicker than tig.

 

[hotponyshoes]

If you are going to modify the machine ro accept a spoolgun then it might be worth adding a 2nd gas solonide and a dinse socket then you could leave the original torch connected (and the steel wire in place) and just switch between the 2 rather than faff about removing the mig torch.

 

[fizzy]

If you are going to modify the machine ro accept a spoolgun then it might be worth adding a 2nd gas solonide and a dinse socket then you could leave the original torch connected (and the steel wire in place) and just switch between the 2 rather than faff about removing the mig torch.

Jolly good idea

 

[minimutly]

If you are going to modify the machine ro accept a spoolgun then it might be worth adding a 2nd gas solonide and a dinse socket then you could leave the original torch connected (and the steel wire in place) and just switch between the 2 rather than faff about removing the mig torch.

Hmm, would need to make sure the gun not in use is isolated tho?

 

[hotponyshoes]

Hmm, would need to make sure the gun not in use is isolated tho?

Do that with the dinse to only power up one or the other.

And do the fluxcore mod via the same

 

[willie.macleod]

Looking at this video I may just try a Teflon liner and keep my torch straight. Will save a lot of hassle and money

I went hating aluminium MIG welding using a transformer machine with a spool gun I adapted to loving it with a modern pulse welder with a standard short euro torch. Second hand spool gun I think I got from here, added a 2 pole "aviation connector" which I wired in parallel to the existing drive motor I seem to recall, its currently sitting a hundred miles away from me. Don't expect to get results like in that video, he's got a fancy pulse machine and 4 roller wire feed so he's milking things for the camera.

Fitting a spool gun to the Clarke can help sort out wire feed issues but you are missing half of what you need like hot start, crater fill, burn back control and of course the magical pulse. A decent liner and the correct U rollers will get you sticking bits of alloy together eventually after a lot of faffing around and wasted material, never particularly nicely and always with issues at the start and the end of welds. If you are really treating yourself to a present find another MIG welder which has aluminium programs and leave the Clarke for basic steel work where it will do just fine.

 

[fizzy]

I went hating aluminium MIG welding using a transformer machine with a spool gun I adapted to loving it with a modern pulse welder with a standard short euro torch. Second hand spool gun I think I got from here, added a 2 pole "aviation connector" which I wired in parallel to the existing drive motor I seem to recall, its currently sitting a hundred miles away from me. Don't expect to get results like in that video, he's got a fancy pulse machine and 4 roller wire feed so he's milking things for the camera.

Fitting a spool gun to the Clarke can help sort out wire feed issues but you are missing half of what you need like hot start, crater fill, burn back control and of course the magical pulse. A decent liner and the correct U rollers will get you sticking bits of alloy together eventually after a lot of faffing around and wasted material, never particularly nicely and always with issues at the start and the end of welds. If you are really treating yourself to a present find another MIG welder which has aluminium programs and leave the Clarke for basic steel work where it will do just fine.

I was worried about that.
I do have an older ESAB dte 255 ac tig welder. I just need lots more practice. I know TIG is the best but not in my hands

 

[minimutly]

Do that with the dinse to only power up one or the other.

And do the fluxcore mod via the same

How? I mean how cheaply and easily?

 

[hotponyshoes]

1

How? I mean how cheaply and easily?

For the dinse/fluxcore I'd say £20-£25 depending if you already have a dinse on the earth cable and if you want the small or large dinse connectors. I can probably sort you out the parts if required.

Easy? That mainly depends on how much space you have on/behind the panels and how much you have to strip down for access.

Fairly simple. Remove the big cable that provides power to the euro socket.
Run that cable to a dinse socket and mark that socket '+'
Make up a length of cable and connect it to the euro socket (where you removed the other cable). Feed that through a grommet on the panel (or another socket if you like) and put a dinse plug on the end.
Then you can easily swap the mig polarity for gas/fluxcore. (You might need to buy fluxcore rollers though)
Removing the mig plug will isolate the mig torch and you'll plug the spool gun into the live socket.

Spool gun mod is just adding a multi-way switch to swap the power feed from the internal wire feed motor to the spoolgun motor. I'd connect the spoolgun via a 4p socket and piggyback the trigger wires although you could run the trigger wires through the switch as well if you wanted.

Gas for the spool gun, I'd fit another solonide and again, use the one switch to swap which solonide is in use.
You'll want inlet and outlet connectors for the gas. You'll use different gas with the spoolgun so can leave the bottles connected so you could just run the inlet pipe through a grommet but I'd fit bulkhead quick connectors.

The solonide will probably be the most expensive single component. You could do a budget version to use the existing one with taps or swapping around quick connectors.
I might have a solonide as well but that will depend on what coil voltage you need.

 

[hotponyshoes]