Clarke 150 Turbo TE

[ampack]

Hi everyone, I've been given the above welder by a kind neighbour. I fancied trying welding but didnt want to buy new in case i dont get on with a welder.
I managed to get wire feeding but it keeps crumpling up at the rollers. After reading advice about wire liners i replaced the plastic one with a new metal one. Curiosity made me remove the swan neck and theres no liner in it?, I can push my offcut metal liner all the way up it. Do i use this off cut as the new liner or is there a special one? and i assume its not pushed all the way up as to cover the gas holes?
Hope i exlpained ok, any help appreciated. Thanks

 

[madkayaker]

hi there. If it fits can't see why not but there is a proper part for it called a swan neck liner

 

[Jake SS]

If the liner goes all the way through then thats a bonus, maybe you have cut the liner too short, may have to put another liner in it and cut after you have pushed it all the way through, just enough to be touching the contact tip, measure twice cut once
Cheers

 

[ampack]

Thanks,for your advice,it now feeds wire very freely.
I've got some scrap metal from the local engineers so i'll go and have a practise and see what happens as i have never welded before.

 

[ampack]

Hi to all, I've had a go with the welder this afternoon and I think i now know why it was given to me.
If i touch my work with the end of the welding wire without pulling the trigger it arcs.
If i pull the trigger the wire will feed and the gas flows as it should.
Can anyone help,suggest what to look for or check? Thanks

 

[rusty69bus]

some welders are built like that

 

[simon718]

measure twice cut once
Cheers

or like someone i know, measure once cut twice and another trip to the stockholders

 

[weldequip]

If i touch my work with the end of the welding wire without pulling the trigger it arcs.

Probably because you've bodged the neck lining by using an off-cut from the torch lining...fit the proper part & I think you will find it works fine
weldequip

 

[ampack]

Hi,again,everyone, I've had another look at this Clarke 150 TE Turbo and downloaded the manual. The light on the on/off switch is alwys on indicating a fault?? Is this why the torch is live without pulling the trigger?
Think i may just buy a new welder. (and give this one back to my neighbour)Cheers

 

[Finalreminder]

Do what weldquip said and you'll be fine

 

[malcolm]

Sounds like it could be the relay sticking closed, or possibly a short somewhere. None of the torch should be live before you pull the trigger, so the liner routing inside the torch is unlikely to be the problem (though it could cause wire feed problems later).

 

[Jake SS]

Some of the older machines the wire is live all the time, and by triggering it you then get gas and feed, but there are also some that have this problem because the AC input polarity is wrong

Cheers
Jake

 

[Jake SS]

Can you post a pic of it?

Cheers
Jake

 

[R Kraft]

Some of the older machines the wire is live all the time, and by triggering it you then get gas and feed, but there are also some that have this problem because the AC input polarity is wrong

Cheers
Jake

AC polarity ?
Robert

 

[Jake SS]

Yes AC polarity

 

[ampack]

Thanks,I'll get a picture later in the week wen i've finished work,So is it wired wrong from the factory or has someone been messing?