First welder missing earth lead

[600rob]

hi there, I’m new to welding and am looking at buying my fist mig welder to carry out general vehicle repairs and so I can do some work on making custom motorcycle bits .


I have found a clarke 150en on ebay thats going for a decent price.


The only thing is it is missing the earth clamp lead. i don’t think this is a major problem but can anyone advise me if I need to buy a specific type of lead to fit the particular machine and socket?

Or are these types of item fairly generic parts that I should be able to find elsewhere on ebay?


Thanks

Rob

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Welcome to the forum, Rob.

I'd be asking why the lead was missing. Has it been removed to prevent a potential buyer from trying it out before parting with his 'hard-earned'? If you're confident everything with it is OK, you can order a lead from MachineMart, or make one up yourself - prob with a better clamp.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Maybe I'm a bit trusting......

I'm of little faith....but much experience.

 

[zx9]

I haven't looked but from memory the Clarke ones are fixed so the chance of accidental loss is small, having said that it is easy enough to wire in a new return lead just need a clamp at the work end and a crimped on eye / tag at the machine.

 

[zx9]

From google images the 150en is dual polarity and uses dinse connectors...

My bad, I did say that I had not looked.

 

[Pete.]

I just bought a mb15 torch and dinse earth lead for a mig for less than 50 quid delivered. Measure the dinse plug hole diameter (8 or 12mm probably) and order a new lead. They are cheap for that size welder. I got mine from Oxford Welding Supplies.

 

[600rob]

Nice one, cheers guys.


Yes good point raised as to why its missing in the first place.


Here is the item….
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CLARKE-TU...820?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2ee2dc2114



To be fair im not in a hurry to buy so I may just wait and til something more complete comes up as ive seen a few that come with masks gloves and all the other bits I need to get started.


Cheers

Rob

 

[octo0072000]

that's one of the older clarke welders much better than the newer ones
plug it in stick a bar in the earth hole and see if you get a ark to test it before you take it away

 

[Richard.]

If it's dins connection I'd source one and take it with you. I'd advise very strongly you try it out before shelling out. I'm of the same thinking as slim boy. The lead not available is a pretty poor way to say It works but you can't try it. Tell the buyer you can take all the essentials to try it out if he makes more excuses to say you cannot do it then let someone else take it away and consider yourself lucky you dodged the bullet

 

[eSCHEn]

What the last two chaps say ^^^^^^^

Dinse lead is cheap and easy to source but even a bit of bar in the hole, as Octo says, will allow you to test the arc.

If you do as Richard says and let them know you've got the kit to try it then they get weasely then walk away

 

[PTvor]

Nice one, cheers guys.


Yes good point raised as to why its missing in the first place.


Here is the item….
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CLARKE-TU...820?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2ee2dc2114

How can he say it's tested and working if he hasn't got an earth lead? Well he may have borrowed a lead to test it, he may have done all sorts of things and be telling the truth, but the story seems a little odd on the face of it. Maybe he's got an earth lead but doesn't want to include it in the sale.

I wouldn't poke a bar in the socket myself, it might arc and damage the socket. A dinse plug is quite cheap and if you didn't have a proper earth lead you could codge up something with a dinse plug and something like a bit of heavy flex and a car jump lead, just to test it. That's if you couldn't borrow a dinse earth lead for the test.

To be fair im not in a hurry to buy so I may just wait and til something more complete comes up as ive seen a few that come with masks gloves and all the other bits I need to get started.

Quite right. Second hand welders turn up all the time. If something seems funny about a sale, it's probably best to keep looking.