Earthing concern

[Nick Simpson]

Can you please advise ? I'm a newbie to welding and have a clarke 151 gasless mig welder, this weekend I'm hoping to patch the chassis up on my series 3 shed of a land rover, the question is how do I earth the chassis because the clamps are too small to grip anywhere, thanks, Nick.

 

[Wozzaaah]

Hi Nick. Grind a small patch clean on the chassis and tack a bolt or piece of scrap to it to attach the clamp to, when you're finished just knock the bolt off.

 

[astro_al]

Hi Nick, try cleaning off the rust/paint from a spring hanger or an outrigger or some bracketry. You can't clamp to the main rails of course. You can always take the clamp off the earth lead, and use a G-clamp or similar to hold the earth cable end against a suitably cleaned bit of the chassis box section. Just make sure whatever you clamp it to is nicely cleaned back to shiney metal for a good circuit.

If you need any land rover pointers, head over to LR4x4.com - some good landy advice there.

Cheers, Al.

P.S. - Sorry Woz - simultaneous post!

 

[rtbcomp]

I'd throw the Clarke earth clamp away anyway and use a G-cramp all the time. Get a piece of copper pipe, strip the earth cable back, shoved it in the pipe and flatten it with a hammer, then clamp this to the workpiece.

You could try tacking a bolt on, but you'd have to tack another bolt on first to get a good earth to tack the first bolt on ...........................

 

[Wozzaaah]

I'd throw the Clarke earth clamp away anyway and use a G-cramp all the time. Get a piece of copper pipe, strip the earth cable back, shoved it in the pipe and flatten it with a hammer, then clamp this to the workpiece.

You could try tacking a bolt on, but you'd have to tack another bolt on first to get a good earth to tack the first bolt on ...........................

Or you could just hold the first bolt in the earth clamp then tack it on

 

[rtbcomp]

Or you could just hold the first bolt in the earth clamp then tack it on

Cheat!

 

[Wozzaaah]

Hehe, sorry RTB, couldn't resist that one
As we say down here, nothing like going all round Bristol to get to Bath .

 

[nikita]

One last thing Nick...since you said you're new to welding. Always remove the battery earth terminal from any vehicle on which you are welding to prevent battery damage, or any components which may contain elecronics

 

[rtbcomp]

One last thing Nick...since you said you're new to welding. Always remove the battery earth terminal from any vehicle on which you are welding to prevent battery damage, or any components which may contain elecronics

 

[Justme]

Though we covered that to death & the consensus was its all a load of sphericals?


Justme

 

[Nick Simpson]

Thanks for the sound advice, got to buy a G clamp now, but mean time I have a plastic ratchet type clamp that I can clamp the clarke clip to, I have a battery isolator switch fitted so not a problem on that score, I'll take a look at LR4X4 I'm already registered on the LRO web site which I find helpfull, Thanks again,
Nick.

 

[marknotgeorge]

Plastic's no good for welding clamps - there's too much heat involved.

 

[Stuggi]

Why not unbolt the clamp from the earth-lead, grind a battery-post shaped object with a connection for the earth lead, and clamp that onto the ground lead from the chassis? Saves you from having to find a place to clamp it to, makes sure that you don't fry any electronics and makes sure that you get a good ground...

 

[Nick Simpson]

Does the earthing point need to be relatively close to the area that's being welded on the chassis, if not then the above statement would be easy to do ?
Thanks, Nick.

 

[malcolm]

I'd go with an earth clamp fairly close to where you are welding and on the chassis. Less chance of voltage spikes finding their way into electrics that way - last thing you want is for some bad connection between the earth and work to force the current to find another path back to the earth clamp..

 

[Nick Simpson]

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Stuggi]

Well, you have to be sure that you get a good ground, and that your welding current doesn't pass through any bearings.