Clarke 102 NG advice please

[SaccharumBB]

Hello all

I have come by a Clarke 102 NG mig and would like some advice from you members.

I have browsed some posts on here and although it doesn't seem to be a great bit of kit, it was free and I have been pondering getting a mig welder for sometime.
I would like to do some car body repairs with it ( bodywork and thicker bits ) but from when i've read the lowest setting of 35A it too high for thin sheet metal.
Haven't actually done any welding with it yet but i've given it a strip down and clean and everything seems to function, so........
Can you tell me what welding wire you would recommend?
The clarke stuff is poor so who makes and sells the good stuff? Is there one brand that those of you who are experienced at this would trust? Probably go for a 0.7/1kg spool to start with. I've come across Oxford welding supplies and SIP.
Also the wire size that came with it is 0.9mm flux core and I think from looking at videos and reading on here that I will need a thinner wire if I am to try to weld 1.2/1.5mm sheet. According to what i've read flux core burns hotter with more chance of blowing through so would 6mm/8mm solid wire be a bettter choice?

It may well fail to do what I want but it was free so i'll give it a go. Obviously testing it on some scrap first.........if I can find any.

thanks in advance

 

[Itfluxmeoff]

If you want good flux core wire, the best stuff I have tried is Parkside 0.9mm for £2.99/roll or 3 times the price on ebay when not available in Lidl.

0.8mm and smaller wire tends to give a high bead with lots of spatter(although minimal in comparison to some brands I've tried!), 0.9mm can lay flat at 90A+ on 3mm thick steel with little to no spatter with easily brushed off flux deposits.

35A is the minimum most of these hobby welders go and combined with a stitch technique shouldn't cause issue although rotten/thin body panels are likely to hole, not the welder at fault.

 

[johnrev]

Hi and welcome. I'll be interested to see what the more experienced guys on here have to say as I'm an occasional hobby welder and use my gasless rig purely for welding steel that's thicker than car stuff. You are correct that gasless does seem to burn hotter than gas shielded wire and I certainly wouldn't try welding a car with it myself. You will definitely need the lowest power setting and I suspect .8mm or.9mm wire.

The problem is that it will tend to very quickly burn a nice big hole. The usual series of tacks method is your only chance but in my experience with gasless they need to be quick and short tacks which seem to deposit a blob rather than a nice even tack weld. Slightly longer tacks would produce the better and neater weld but will probably produce a hole before that happens.

Probably much of this is down to my lack of experience but I suspect car welding may be enough to turn you towards the idea of getting a better mig and a gas bottle. Let's see what the pro chaps can input for you.

All the best.


Itfluxmeoff posted while I was typing so hopefully more will follow with further advice.

 

[Itfluxmeoff]

I can assure that the lowest 35A setting using Parkside 0.9mm wire and a stitch technique works fine on sound car body panels, approximately 0.5 second cadence on/off.

It's when you try welding on panels weakened by corrosion you will burn holes so you need to alter your approach to suit, always a way.

Remember the saying "A grinder and paint makes me the welder I aint!"

 

[SaccharumBB]

I will try the stitch method. It seems to be a reliable way to get butt joins on thin sheet whilst minimising distortion.
Others have recommended the parkside wire but it's just a case of being in the store when they have got it in stock otherwise the ebay scalpers will get it all.
I also need a half decent helmet. Anyone purchased a good brand reasonably cheaply? Auto darkening if I an afford it. Again, parkside seems to be a good buy if you can find one

 

[GRW]

Hello all

I have come by a Clarke 102 NG mig and would like some advice from you members.

I have browsed some posts on here and although it doesn't seem to be a great bit of kit, it was free and I have been pondering getting a mig welder for sometime.
I would like to do some car body repairs with it ( bodywork and thicker bits ) but from when i've read the lowest setting of 35A it too high for thin sheet metal.
Haven't actually done any welding with it yet but i've given it a strip down and clean and everything seems to function, so........
Can you tell me what welding wire you would recommend?
The clarke stuff is poor so who makes and sells the good stuff? Is there one brand that those of you who are experienced at this would trust? Probably go for a 0.7/1kg spool to start with. I've come across Oxford welding supplies and SIP.
Also the wire size that came with it is 0.9mm flux core and I think from looking at videos and reading on here that I will need a thinner wire if I am to try to weld 1.2/1.5mm sheet. According to what i've read flux core burns hotter with more chance of blowing through so would 6mm/8mm solid wire be a bettter choice?

It may well fail to do what I want but it was free so i'll give it a go. Obviously testing it on some scrap first.........if I can find any.

thanks in advance

I got one of those for my first foray & attempt at welding.... and you're right, the Clarke gasless Flux Core wire is useless stuff.
The minimum setting I found way to cold to get penetration, so you will undoubtedly find you need to run on one of the higher of the 4 settings, and then use the "tack & move" method to get an effective weld.
Wire... I ended up buying E71-TGS wire in 0.8mm & found it considerably better (it worked fine in the 0.9mm std roller & with a 0.9mm tip). Widely available, my local Halfords sold the mini reels of it as well as available online.
It's not the best tool for sure - but it did get me started & see if I could manage to weld at all without outlaying much - but for sure there's better kit.