Bad earth / Warm earth clamp

[excossack]

Today while doing some welding on my Landy I struggled to get a decent earth.
While welding (or trying to) the wire came out and melted in a way that can only be described as silly string. So I readjusted the earth clamp and got a better sounding/looking weld.
But I did notice that the clamp felt warm to. Is this normal ?
Also, when striking the welding, the earth clamp sparked like I had started off by welding onto the clamp.

Bad earth (onto the body of the Landy)?
Bad wiring to the clamp?
or
Worn out wire for the earth clamp to welder?

 

[brightspark]

Today while doing some welding on my Landy I struggled to get a decent earth.
While welding (or trying to) the wire came out and melted in a way that can only be described as silly string. So I readjusted the earth clamp and got a better sounding/looking weld.
But I did notice that the clamp felt warm to. Is this normal ?
Also, when striking the welding, the earth clamp sparked like I had started off by welding onto the clamp.

Bad earth (onto the body of the Landy)?
Bad wiring to the clamp?
or
Worn out wire for the earth clamp to welder?

get a good quality earth clamp with plenty of spring in it and make sure the cable conection is tight .all so clamp to a clean piece of metal on the workpiece

 

[Hitch]

It's probably a bad connection between the work, and clamp by the sounds of things.

Grind off a spot where you can attach the clamp, and make sure it is tight. If its a crocodile type, and the spring has weakened, it may be time for a new clamp.

 

[excossack]

The problem was made harder by the fact I was clamping onto underseal covered metal and the bare metal that was available I couldn't get the clamp onto.

Can you get earth clamps held on by magnets?

I think I will go the whole hog, new wire and a new clamp

 

[fuff66uk]

Here vou go buddy,i don't know if they are any good though as i have never used one

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WELDERS-E...584?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3cb55daf50

 

[mike os]

still needs to go on to clean metal... crud/sealer/paint = insulation/resistance=heat & current loss at the point of weld

 

[excossack]

Sweet.That would have helped somewhat today! cheers.

 

[brightspark]

make your own. get a pair of mole grips weld a bolt on to them then crimp a lug on to your earth cable and conect to mole grips ::dual purpose use to clamp 2 pieces of metal 2gether and a good solid conection

 

[weldequip]

What's the make & model of machine & how old is it?

 

[Hitch]

I Would steer clear of the silverline magnetic earth clamp. Eaither a decent heavy clip type, or a screw type.

To be honest, i find just about anything magnetic to be a pain where i can get covered in dust and swarf.

 

[keith19]

I just use any of a variety of sizes of mole-type wrenches, usually from the £1 shop.
One or the other will clamp in a convenient spot and make a good earth. Then just clamp the normal 200 A earth clamp to the wrench.
Depending on the job, this way you can often make a good close earth in a spot it would be difficult to directly put the earth clamp onto.

 

[dannyp]

need to grind back to clean metal really for a good earth IMo the smaller your welder the more inportant it is as you have less power to waste,

also getting burns when moveing the clamp isn't funny. 200A crock clip type clamps are plenty cheep enough 400 and 600 A screw types arnt much more ether. i like to have a crock clip lamp and screw type on short leads with an inline connector.

i learnt a electrifying lesson the other day letting the eath lead run over an extension lead is a really bad idea in the inline connector was knackerd and had been meaning to change it fr ages it just hadn't happend anyway it got nice and hot and melted the extension lead it was lead on, bench suddenly became connected to 230v ouch

 

[excossack]

What's the make & model of machine & how old is it?

Its a Clarke 100 EN Turbo Gas/Gasless and I was using Co2

No idea how old. :-(

 

[madkayaker]

a few quarry welders i have seen carry around a bit of flat bar with a bolt welded to that the cable is fixed to. they then grind off a clean bit and tack the plate to the job to be welded when they have finished they grind the plate off. you only need a couple of tacks to get a good conection then recoat the chassis when you have finised.

 

[chunkolini]

I like brightspark's idea, cheap and effective.
Magnets and swarf etc as hitch said is a pain. Literally, when you pick it up and get stabbed in the hand .
Chunko'.

 

[Hitch]

And not to mention all the dust and swarf that will be stuck to it, giving you a bad earth.....defeats the object really.

 

[Tino]

a few quarry welders i have seen carry around a bit of flat bar with a bolt welded to that the cable is fixed to. they then grind off a clean bit and tack the plate to the job to be welded when they have finished they grind the plate off. you only need a couple of tacks to get a good conection then recoat the chassis when you have finised.

More or less what I use. The power I run at work, clamps never last long.I weld about a 1 1/2" pice of tube with an id of about 15-20mm to a bit of plate, pop the end of the cable in and walop with a hammer, then tack the plate to what ever I'm welding.Lasts 2-3 years before it needs doing again and costs nothing.