Clarke 100e mk2 mig welder.. can i use without gas?

[jon1993]

Hi all, im a newbie to the welding scene posted a topic few weeks ago i got a clarke 100e mk 2 mig welder from the internet and was told it only works on highest setting, feed works fine. I was also told it would weld without gas connected just not as good without the extra Oxygen can anybody shed any light on this? I have tried it without gas feeds but wont arc or weld when earth is mounted to metal.. I dont want to purchase a gas bottle if the welders no good prefer just sell it as it is if any good to anybody, is it possible to use a gas welder with gas less flux wire at all has anybody tried it? Many thanks

 

[Jan]

In theory all you have to do to weld without gas is the reverse the polarity - gun negative and 'earth' positive. However if the machine is faulty you may have a problem using it at all. If it doesn't arc at all without gas the odds are that it isn't just a bit faulty, but actually broken! With the welding wire removed use a multimeter to check for voltage between the gun tip and the earth clamp. If there's no significant voltage carefully (very carefully as mains voltage can bite/kill) work your way 'upstream' checking for voltage. If there's still nothing showing before you get back to the transformer then there's most likely a fault on the circuit board. Most of the time you have to replace the whole board even though the component(s) may be replaceable. Unfortunately professional time costs money, so it might be cheaper in the long run to just get another machine.

 

[Richard.]

Feeding but no arc.
First port of call if you don't have a meter to hand is check the return cable is actually connected in the machine itself.

 

[jon1993]

I can get hold of a multi meter when you say work way up stream do you mean on the tip i take it? does it require taking out trigger also what would i earth it to of positive polarity not a metal bike suspension arm like i did i take it? Think it probably is well and truly knackered i dont want to fork out for gas if its not going to work seems pointless

 

[Jan]

By 'upstream' I meant you should start checking for voltage at the torch tip with the meter 'earthed' to the ground clamp, then similarly check the torch switch contacts followed by the connection on the machine end of the torch hose. After that it's a matter of checking all the switch contacts inside the machine in each position (on and off). Until you get deep inside the machine you should be only checking for relatively low voltages, but care should be taken inside the machine while it's plugged in as there is high voltage in many areas which aren't well insulated. My SIP 130 wasn't working too brilliantly at lower settings until I 'broke' all the push fit connectors (isolated from mains current first), gave them a coating of petroleum jelly and then remade them. It's often surprising how little corrosion at these points can stop a machine from working properly. For the sake of an hour's work and a few coppers in PJ it's worth doing every couple of years as a matter of course. More often if your workshop suffers from water ingress.

However the earth lead should be checked for continuity first as any lack of conductance/severe impedance here will limit any functionality of the machine.

 

[jon1993]

Yes will give it a go thanks for that, i was told it only works on highest setting but it was transported to me strapped to a motorbike for 10-15 miles so that wouldnt help, iv never took a welder apart before wouldnt know where start is it easy enough for a newbie to do if done with care? i may just see if anybody wants it as it is and go for a new machine. Before i took it apart and used a multi meter how would i earth to a positive polarity? taking apart is last resort to be honest dont want to cause any more damage. Will try the heat setting switch see if its got any crud inside etc

 

[Jan]

I'm not talking about taking the whole thing apart, just breaking, greasing and reconnecting each of the connectors in turn so you don't lose track of where they came from. Only the exterior casing panels need to be removed for that and should be simple to replace and refix with the original screws once you've finished.

I don't know if this machine as already set up for reverse polarity. If it is there might be a simple swap over connector on the wire feed side of the machine marked with '+' (plus) and '-' (minus) signs to indicate the torch polarity. Or the leads might be interchangeable to accomplish the same thing. Some say that staying with torch positive can still make decent gasless welds. I couldn't say as I only use shielding gas even though I've got some flux cored wire and added the necessary Dinse plugs & sockets in case I need to go gasless for the odd job.

 

[jon1993]

Got it to ark today i earthed the clamp to a hammer thats just bare metal no coatings on, if i fed wire while the tip of torch/wire wasnt touching the hammer it wouldnt do it job just feed more wire out if you get where im coming from? I didnt try it on to any other metal as was doing it indoors so decided against it so this welder might be ok. I was under the impression when i earthed to bare metal it would spark normally or is this not the case? Could i use this 100e with gasless wire/flux wire to in essence make it a gasless welder?

 

[Jan]

As I put before: You first need to check if you're getting voltage at the tip of the torch. With the wire feed disabled there should be over 20 volts at the tip when you press the 'GO' button if measured against the earth clamp. If there's no significant voltage at any setting then the earth lead/clamp is the first thing to check for continuity. Cheap multi meters can be bought at many places such as eBay, Maplins, etc. Please bear in mind that a hammer is just too much metal to try and work on with such a low powered machine, so it can't really do much of anything on one. Similarly if the tip is too large for the wire diameter it will likely just bounce off the test piece and wander off across the workbench.

Have you got any clean(ish) scrap metal to practice on? Anything in the 2-3mm range will be excellent as your machine can't really penetrate steel thicker than that anyway. Clean off all coatings and evidence of corrosion, attach the earthing clamp to it and try again. Keep the wire stick out short - under 1cm - and arc up with the wire in contact with the metal. The general advice is to reverse the polarity of the machine, although gun positive will, at the very least, form an arc of some kind, but only flux cored wire will produce a decent puddle of molten metal and some kind of penetration.

I'm afraid that until you do some kind of 'scientific' testing you will never know if the machine is broken or whether it can be fixed fairly easily.

 

[jon1993]

Yes appreciate your input will test it out properly and remove wire while testing if thats correct? do you know if i could use gasless wire on this machine at all?

 

[Jan]

There's nothing magic about flux cored gasless wire that will stop it working with a gas only machine.

Yes, definitely remove the wire from the liner before carrying out any testing. Watch out for it springing when the last inch or so withdraws from the liner or it will similarly unwind from the spool which will take ages to rewind.