Clarke 130TE

[Onoff]

Everybody always says that MIG is far easier than stick welding but it's never been the case for me. 20+ years back I bought a Clarke 130TE with the intention of doing up a Capri. I've used a borrowed stick welder countless times in the intervening years mainly to make brackets from Unistrut or weld nuts on studs etc for timber projects. (Just also got a Parweld XTS 162 but that's for another thread).

Well skipping forward to now and I've used the Clarke MIG maybe twice in all that time and never on a car. (Still got that Capri.....and two more since).

Actually dug it out the other weekend and lent it to the BiL to weld his son in laws Lexus and it didn't miss a beat.

Thought I'd treat it to a new metal liner and a new reel of 0.6mm wire and tips.

The plan is to take my old Focus off the road and fit new sills. I can get a loaner car so it won't have to be a rush job.

BUT...I need practice! Thinking to run the 1mm slitting saw into some 1 / 1.5mm steel sheet I have here and have at it trying to weld the lines up, then of course post up on here for comment. Got CO2 and CO2/Argon mix as well.

Sound like a plan?

 

[cumbriasteve]

That's not the best way to practice, in reality you would already be trying to fill a gap and probably blow through too easily.

Start on some 2mm or 3mm, simply laying good straight beads until you get used to power/wire speed settings and torch distance and angle.

Personally I would be using 0.8mm, no need for 0.6mm

 

[WorkshopChris]

Go for it once you have it masted welding flat on a bench, rig something up so you are welding upside down the more practice you get before you start the better.

 

[Onoff]

Cheers for the replies. Looking around I've found a few guides that that suggest for a flush body panel join then having a nominal gap is a good thing? Even to the extent of laying the repair patch / panel over the repair area and cutting through both bits with the 1mm disc.

I'd rather avoid joggled edges / lap joints where rust can reside.

 

[gaz1]

a good practice is try looking for a thrown out metal bed cut it up and use the pieces to reweld or even try to make something out of it

what you will find is that stuff will blow through if you get it wrong but hey its free metal so why not learn from it

though do stick it out at least you can have both for different things as many of us do have both systems

 

[Onoff]

This is the regulator that fits my Clarke 130TE MIG welder:

It connects to a small throwaway bottle of gas. On the top is a 0 to 6 dial.

I've a collection of old, disposable gas bottles and one new argon one bought from MachineMart yesterday.

On the old bottles, CO2 and CO2/argon mix, you attach the regulator. On 0 nothing, 3 you're sort of half way there gas wise. On 6 it's coming out at full pelt.

However...with the new bottle of argon, nothing happens until you turn to 3 even on 6 it's about equivalent to position 3 with the other bottles.

Is that right?