Clarke 100e mk2 mig welder

[jon1993]

Hi guys i have just acquired my first welder as in title, it powers up couldnt hear any motor working does it have to be earthed to work the motor? All i saw was the power light on as had nothing metal close by to earth to, couple of quick questions..
1) How much are pub refillable gas canisters roughly?
2) Will any gas bottle adaptor/regulator fit the refillable or certain one for disposable and vice versa?
I was told it needs wire, the gas adaptor/regulator and the gas bottle
But i was also told it only works on maximum setting would this be a easy fix to sort or new thermostat switch etc?
I know nothing about welders just used a couple thats as far as it goes....

 

[rtbcomp]

Welcome to the forum.

The motor should run when you pull the trigger and the mains is on, irrespective of whether it's earthed or not. Release the clamp that presses the wire against the roller and give it a try.

Gas bottles can vary a lot in price, have a look in the shielding gas section for an idea and possible suppliers near you.

You will need the correct regulator for the bottle, those little ones for disposable bottles won't work on a 'proper' bottle.

The power selector switch(es) could be faulty, try operating them vigorously for a few times, sometimes this can clean the contacts. Make sure they are pressed fully in the operating position.

By "thermostat" I guess you mean the thermal cutout, if this operates, the whole machine will be dead apart from the fan (?) and the light in the switch. Normally this light is off.

You can download a manual from Clarke's website, have a look in the 'Links' section.

 

[Jan]

I would suggest you first unplug the machine for safety and then delve inside it to check on all the push/pull connectors. All that is needed is to pull them off - one at a time so you don't get them mixed up - and replace each after giving it a thin coating of petroleum jelly. This will cut through the surface corrosion and keep out air & moisture so the corrosion will not return for a very long time. If it still only welds at full chat then one or more switches probably need replacing, which shouldn't cost a lot as they're pretty standard switches. When adding a new roll of wire make certain that the feed roller is the right way up for the wire thickness. There are numbers printed on each side so you know which way should be up - 8 for 0.8mm gas or 0.9mm flux cored and 6 for 0.6mm gas wire. While you're in there check for a fan. If there's one then it should be running all the time that the unit is switched on. If it isn't running the odds are that you've been sold 'a pup' or that the plug fuse has blown!

Although 100 amps on a stick welder can stitch some quite thick metal the same is not true for MIG. Anything over 3mm is going to be a struggle with MIG at that current and will require that the pieces are well prepared before nailing them together.