Clarke 160EN Turbo Maintainance

[JonnyAlpha]

HI;

Just got hold of a second hand Clarke 160EN Turbo from the For Sale section on this site and need a bot of advice on maintaining it ready for welding.

It has been sat out of use for about 18 months and the seller has advised wisely that I should remove the welding wire that is currently in the machine as it has rusted. Again I think on advice from him I'm going to snip off the wire near as near to the back end of the hose (wire feed mechanism end), and pull the wire out through the nozzle end with a pair of pliers.
I am then going to remove the wire reel unless after removing the top layers its OK of course.

The shroud is very rusty should I replace it? How often do they need replacing and or is it a good idea to have spares on hand whilst welding i.e. do they get damaged?

Do i need to replace the tips - UPDATE just read on the weldequip site that the Tips are copper and transfer current to the wire so looks like thats a YES replace them as copper corrodes.

What should I clean the wire feed mechanism with WD40? or just a dry cloth?

Once Iv'e removed the rusted wire, replace the shroud and possibly the tip if required it should be good to go?

Thanks in advance.

 

[rtbcomp]

Shrouds and tips are consumables and you choose the tip depending on the diameter of the wire you're using; so always have a few spares to hand.

I wouldn't use WD40 as it leaves a lubricating film, and you want the rollers to grip the wire, also you don't want contaminants being picked up by the wire as this could spoil the weld.

If the wire has rusted in the liner I'd replace the latter also, in fact new shroud, tip, liner and swan-neck should get you off to a good start and not cost the earth.

 

[JonnyAlpha]

If the wire has rusted in the liner I'd replace the latter also, in fact new shroud, tip, liner and swan-neck should get you off to a good start and not cost the earth.

Do you mean a Swan Neck Liner HERE, or an entire Swan Neck HERE and a liner?

Before I get these I'll pull the wire and inspect it, if its not rusted inside the torch hose then all should be OK.

Someone else suggested blowing it through with an Air Line?

Thanks

 

[rtbcomp]

The liner by itself should be OK unless the swan-neck is damaged, sometimes threads get stripped &c.

I'd still replace the liner anyway, they're cheap as chips and can get worn causing the wire to snag.

It's a good idea to give a blast of clean dry air down the liner everytime you change the wire.

 

[JonnyAlpha]

Stripped the old wire out of the liner and it didn't look rusted at all (picture below) so I'm guessing the liners are gonna be OK. Seems a shame to replace them if they are OK?

By the way what's MIG wire made of?

 

[Wozzaaah]

That wire looks fine. It's mild steel with a very thin copper coating.

Edit: Strange marking on it though, almost looks like it's been run through a knurled roller.

 

[weldequip]

Replace the liners as a matter of course, both torch & neck liners. They are a standard service part, should be replaced often, but never are - then people start moaning about "poor wire feed" & slating the machine; 99% of the time it's because the liners are blocked & have never been changed

 

[Wozzaaah]

Ah, possibly answered my own question.
It's an EN, doesn't that roller have a smooth groove for solid wire and a knurled groove for gasless wire?

 

[shenion]

My 130EN had knurled rollers.

Never could find a smooth one and ended up making one. Checked some of the other Clarkes and they seemed to have the same roller part #.

 

[garym71]

Out of interest, why would you need a smooth groove roller? I though the reason for the knurled groove was to try and prevent wire slippage through the feeder for any type of wire.

Is there some problem I'm unaware of when welding with wire that might have a knurled imprint on it from the roller?

 

[brightspark]

Out of interest, why would you need a smooth groove roller? I though the reason for the knurled groove was to try and prevent wire slippage through the feeder for any type of wire.

Is there some problem I'm unaware of when welding with wire that might have a knurled imprint on it from the roller?

might wear your liner out quicker??

 

[rtbcomp]

You don't want too much grip. If the wire jams in the liner the rollers should slip to avoid a "birds nest" forming at the start of the liner.

Also the pattern imparted by a knurled roller can cause the liner to wear more quickly.

 

[JonnyAlpha]

Thanks for the replies, I just ordered a couple of spare shrouds, a hose liner and a swan neck liner. I also got some more 0.6mm tips, so that 10 I have.

 

[shenion]

When feeding soft aluminum wire, the knurling causes drag and the wire will birdsnest easily. Best is U-shaped rollers with bothe upper and lower wheels driven.

I made a smooth roller for mine (V-shaped) when i needed to do some aluminum welding.

 

[pidgeon chit welder]

Jonny Alpha..
If that is the machine you purchased off me don't waste your money just yet... that machine has only had 300 mm if light welding through it .

The wire reel is the first one ever fitted to it and you can see by the amount of wire on the reel it is almost full, the copper tip is also the original but you do have the spare ones in the packet anyway .

David

 

[JonnyAlpha]

David;

I ordered the liners but just to have them on hand as spares (they cost less than a tenner), my motto is if it ain't broke don't try and fix it until it is.

Ordered a Siflite Solar Powered Welding Helmet so almost ready to go

Got some spare shrouds and extra tips so if I need them they are on hand.
Also been watching some very good basic videos on Youtube ref cleaning the tips and shrouds before welding and coating with Anti Spatter Grease, don't see much on sale in the UK though, wonder if spray would do as good?

Thanks

 

[pidgeon chit welder]

I don't know ..... the industrial stuff I've used never had any probs , the Clarke only had an aerosol squirt on the work piece.

When the argon guage arrives , the operating instructions also enclosed tell you about differing feeds , for aluminium if I recall correctly , you make /set the feed rollers to grip lighter . But do use a big argon bottle as the small one supplied will not be much cop to learn with ... ( not enough gas content ) .

 

[DIY]

Drive rolles

My 130EN had knurled rollers.

Never could find a smooth one and ended up making one. Checked some of the other Clarkes and they seemed to have the same roller part #.

How did you make the v groove drive rollers

 

[shenion]

I turned them on a lathe, it was fairly simple to do using a 60-degree threading tool for the grooves.

 

[Mike Valentine]

Hi
After a whole load of studying your columns (and various others too), I have finally bought myself a Clarke 160EN Gas/Gasless, a bargain virtually unused machine to which I am fitting all new liners and stuff so I know it will be working at it's best.
I note the comments made about the wrong settings in the Clarke manual and using your information I have remade that page of the manual. It's here if you want to download a copy.

Cheers. Mike.