Clarke 150 TE mk1

[mick31423]

Just got myself a Clarke 150 te mig welder (mk1) was wondering about any good / bad points about it ? Why is it that most of the time when i do a weld the wire seems to get stuck somewhere in the liner or tip ? It doesnt come out of the tip (Even when i pull the trigger) so i leave it for a couple of seconds then the wire pops out (making a clicking noise) then i can carry on welding ? very very annoying!

Could it be because i am using a 0.8mm tip with 0.6mm wire letting the wire to expand and fuse itself to the tip ?

Any help or advice would be brill.

 

[irondarren]

I would suggest you change the liner in the torch, this would certainly help the wire feed. Maybe some new tips. should make it like a new machine

 

[Wozzaaah]

Are you using some old rusty wire that was already in the machine? If so, strip some layers off until it's nice and clean, if it doesn't become clean then throw it away and put a fresh reel on. Even light surface rust will cause feed problems.
Like Darren says, fit a new steel liner, not a plastic one, a new tip and shroud and it should make a big difference. PM weldequip for a price on a service kit, they're very cheap. Make sure you buy plenty of tips, both sizes. A decent handful will probably cost you not much more than a blister pack of 5 from Halfords or MM.
Using 0.8mm tips with 0.6mm wire is ok though ideally you should match the tip to the wire. Obviously you can't use a smaller tip with bigger wire .

 

[mick31423]

The wire was very rusty but i stripped a good couple of layers off the reel and it looks fine now.

And could you tell me how to pm weldequip as not 100% sure how 2 ?

Thanks alot.

 

[malcolm]

Find his page in the member list - http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/member.php?u=461 then select the contact info tab and click send private message.

Does sound like a plastic liner that's been abraded away. Mine was like that. Torch service kit is a good think to ask for as that includes the swan neck liner.

 

[mick31423]

PM'd weldequip going to sort things out tomorrow!

A very helpful guy must i say,

Another question- Does anyone know where i can get a manual for my welder ( Clarke 150 te mk1 )? Tried looking at the ones on this forum but my pc just freezes when opening the pdf.

 

[malcolm]

Mine does that too. For me it's a problem with the web browser. If I see a pdf link I'll right click and select "save target as" (Internet Explorer) or "save link as" (Firefox) and save it onto my computer without opening it. I can open them from the file system as a normal file without getting the browser involved. Worth a shot.

 

[Jezzer99]

I think if you go to MachineMart's web site you can get the manual in PDF format.

 

[mick31423]

Got my torch service kit 4 the 150 te on thursday, fitted it works like brand new !

very happy indeed, laying really neat welds even without the argon/co2 bottle hooked up

After laying a few low amp welds on 1.2mm sheet i turned the welder to full power and ran a couple of welds on some 3mm mild steel sheet but didnt get no where near enough penetration! Does anyone know why ?

Its running off a 30-40 foot extention cable (welder and cable both run on 13 amp fuses) was told this could be why and wondering what a good set up would be ?

thanks.

 

[Wozzaaah]

Volt-drop is always an issue when running high-load equipment off long leads. What size cable is the extension lead? Ideally you want one with 2.5mm cable to minimise the drop.

 

[mick31423]

I would say its around 2mm thick,

Going 2 get some thicker cable but whats the longest i could have until it would start dropping the volts again ?

Also what is the thickest mild steel i could weld with the 150 te

Cheers.

 

[Wozzaaah]

Reading your post again, you should be fine, 40 feet isn't that long although the bigger the better in any case. Whip the cover off the welder and check all the internal connections are good and also that the earth return lead is good too. It doesn't take much to reduce the output.
3mm should be a breeze for a 150A machine.

 

[weldequip]

I think our Wozzah is now abusing his position of Moderator & is now becoming a bit too technically competent...can we moderate him please?!
weldequip

 

[Wozzaaah]

Hehe, only trying to be helpful .

 

[mick31423]

Got a Morsafe auto darkening mask ! Are they any good ?