clarke 85 en to gas

[squazy84]

hi,we have an old clarke 85 en,which to be honest has never welded properly for some reason,anyway, i would like to get it going and convert it to gas, the torch and cable are in poor condition so i assume i need a gas valve and new torch assy and to do something with polarity? is this a viable plan?if so where can i get the bits please
thanks
squazy

 

[BrokenBiker]

is it a gasless only mig?

if so, you will need a gas pipe for the torch(so could use a torch from a proper mig), reverse the torch and earth clamp polarity, and a gas solenoid valve, along with all the pipe work for the infeed for the solenoid valve, and the regulators for the bottles. its a bit tricky to do

if its a gas/no gas, just reverse the polarity and link up the relevant gas cylinder, and use solid wire instead of flux core

 

[squazy84]

its gassless only,and i cant see any gas valve,i presume it just needs a mechanical gas valve in the torch? i think i have to re crimp the wires to reverse the polarity unless i do it before both transformers?would this affect the other take offs(i presume the feed motor ect)

 

[BrokenBiker]

it will have to be done after the transformers, i.e., the torch end.

you will need a gas solenoid valve, so that when you pull the trigger, you get gas, and when you release the trigger, the gas stops, otherwise you will run out of gas very quickly

wire feed may be an issue, but shouldnt be as most gas/no gas models i have used just have plug in leads, so its just a case of unplug, swap and plug in again.

as its only 80 amp though, and gasless dont tend to go down to the lower end of the amp scale, is it worth all the hassle of rewiring it, wiring in a solenoid valve, possibly changing the torch and having to plumb in the gas from scratch?

maybe a second hand mig from ebay or similar sites would be another option?

 

[squazy84]

well its more the fact that its just sitting idle round the place and annoys me every time i see it! the welder actually has nothing done but is quite impossible to use to any effect on gassless as i remember

 

[BrokenBiker]

if it having trouble welding with gasless, are the torch and earth clamp the right way round? i think its earth positive for gasless, and earth negative for normal mig

also, what gasless wire are you using with it? as cheap wire doent work on my brand new mightymig gasless just splutters and doesnt penetrate, but decent wire works great

 

[squazy84]

im not sure what wire it was but I know several types were used and all found to be of no use for thin-ish material,regarding the polarity the leads seem to be hard wired to the transformers with a braized or crimped fitting

 

[BrokenBiker]

gasless is just plain useless for thin metal, unless you spend alot of time practicing. the gasless migs dont have a low enough power setting for anytihng less than around 1.5mm, and the arc is alot more fierce than with standard mig. they will blow holes all day long unless you have the right techniques

does it weld ok on thicker (2-3mm) material?