Hello guys,I just purchased my first ever mig welder it's a Clarke 130en, it has the fluxcore wire in it, the previous owner said he used argon gas with it as he used to weld stainless and aluminium, I got the welder, fluxcore wire, helmet, is there anything I need and il be welding cars so how can I use this welder safely and correctly on the cars, all help appreciated
- Thread starter BAZ-MIG
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Safely... Common sense will come in here mostly.
Use PPE, mask, gloves, overall, or at least some heavy cotton clothes. Don't have any bare skin.
Football shirt and tracksuit bottoms will be useless.
Check the area for flammable substances/material and remove where possible. If it isn't possible, be aware and check the area regularly.
Keep onlookers away from the arc and any stray sparks. Especially kids running around.
Have an extinguisher handy, just in case.
Be aware of what may be the other side of where you are welding, carpets, fuel lines, hoses and such.
Don't attempt to weld anything under pressure.
Use the correct power supply to the welder.
I'm sure people will add car welding specifics, like battery disconnection, axle stands.....
Use PPE, mask, gloves, overall, or at least some heavy cotton clothes. Don't have any bare skin.
Football shirt and tracksuit bottoms will be useless.
Check the area for flammable substances/material and remove where possible. If it isn't possible, be aware and check the area regularly.
Keep onlookers away from the arc and any stray sparks. Especially kids running around.
Have an extinguisher handy, just in case.
Be aware of what may be the other side of where you are welding, carpets, fuel lines, hoses and such.
Don't attempt to weld anything under pressure.
Use the correct power supply to the welder.
I'm sure people will add car welding specifics, like battery disconnection, axle stands.....
AndyStobbs
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You'll want a jacket or you'll be burnt all over your upper body.
BrokenBiker
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pure argon wont be anygood. Need to have co2 in it aswell other wise the arc will be unstable. 5% co2 will do for most hobby welding on mild steel
AndyStobbs
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You've got flux core wire, you don't need gas. If you are going to be welding outdoors the flux cored can be better, wind plays hell with the gas.
AndyStobbs
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Gas outdoors is great if you can get out of the wind, or its a still day. Doesn't take much breeze to remove the shielding of the gas.
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Just put up some sort of windbreak, sheet of ply, tarpaulin etc. and turn the gas flow up a couple of notches.
Liquid Metal
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As far as safety goes, as said above, protect your eyes and remember you only ever have one pair, also goes for anybody around you while your welding. Also thick cotton clothes are a must really or simply a heavy cotton boilersuit, as anything with a lot of nylon/polyester can catch light due to spatter burning it, if you have a big bit land in you lap for example and your wearing nylon joggers you wont know about it straight away, usually will know once they have caught light and you start getting burned, as you wont see it with your headshield on, and as said previously dry powder fire extinguisher close to hand incase something else catches light so you can deal with it straight away is always a good idea.
Might not be nice wearing overalls in the height of summer, but do you really want to risk getting burnt?
Been on the recieving end of wearing flimsy cheap polyester overalls which caught alight, and where i was in the middle of a weld, didnt know about it until was choked by my headshield filled up with fumes and felt the flames burning my chin and the front of my neck. Wasnt very pleasant at all. Now I stick to proban overalls lol.
Also good idea to get some fume masks, especially if you are welding a panel which has been painted, as even though you might clean off the paint right where you are welding it doenst take long before the heat from the weld passes through the metal and starts to burn the paint. Your lungs and throat will appreciate it lol.
Keeping where youre working clear of people not only protects them from hazards, but also aids the concentration factor
Have a look an HSE website for any further points if you have any concerns, or phone and speak to somebody, they are usually very helpfull and full of advice.
You will be better off with gas shielded solid wire on car body work, but as said straight argon is not any good for mild steel, you want an argon/co2 mixture. Fluxcore is good stuff, but burns with a hot arc and is quite difficult to use on thin material, which bodywork usually is, also some fluxcore wire you cannot weld vertically with unles you weld vertical up. This is a whole different ball game, and not easy at all on thin sheet around 1mm thick lol. Solid wire is definitely easier on thin sheet.
If using 0.8mm wire, Set your machine so you get around 16v output, As far as the wirespeed goes if you can set it by ear it's the easiest way, start with wire-speed low-ish and then increase it until you get a sizzling noise. Some people refer to it like the sound of frying bacon, but i personally like to go a tiny bit past this and aim for the sound of tearing paper. Once the weld starts to make a stuttering popping noise and you get lots of spatter, you have taken the wirespeed too far. If you have an adjustable regulator, then 12 litre/min is a good starting point.
You can weld with the wire a little slower than this but then you get excessive heat and quite a bit of spatter.
Also dont take too much notice of all of the videos on youtube showing people pulling a weld along and weaving side to side. You want to keep the torch square on to the direction of travel if anything a very slight push angle, and weld in a straight line without weaving, keeping the arc in the front part of the puddle, focus at the root of the joint.
If you weave the weld, its does not affect penetration at all, if you weld a thicker material, simply turn the power up and re balance the wirespeed. All you achieve really by weaving, is you pump heat into the weld, which when welding sheet metal will give you all sorts of problems with distortion, and you will have more chance of burning through, and leave more weld for you to remove if you want an invisible seam.
Using a setup around that sort of ball park area, you should be able to weld in all positions flat, horizontal, vertical, overhead once you get the hang of it, without having to alter you machine too much, except turning the wire-speed down just a fart to weld vertical down.
Might not be nice wearing overalls in the height of summer, but do you really want to risk getting burnt?
Been on the recieving end of wearing flimsy cheap polyester overalls which caught alight, and where i was in the middle of a weld, didnt know about it until was choked by my headshield filled up with fumes and felt the flames burning my chin and the front of my neck. Wasnt very pleasant at all. Now I stick to proban overalls lol.
Also good idea to get some fume masks, especially if you are welding a panel which has been painted, as even though you might clean off the paint right where you are welding it doenst take long before the heat from the weld passes through the metal and starts to burn the paint. Your lungs and throat will appreciate it lol.
Keeping where youre working clear of people not only protects them from hazards, but also aids the concentration factor
Have a look an HSE website for any further points if you have any concerns, or phone and speak to somebody, they are usually very helpfull and full of advice.
You will be better off with gas shielded solid wire on car body work, but as said straight argon is not any good for mild steel, you want an argon/co2 mixture. Fluxcore is good stuff, but burns with a hot arc and is quite difficult to use on thin material, which bodywork usually is, also some fluxcore wire you cannot weld vertically with unles you weld vertical up. This is a whole different ball game, and not easy at all on thin sheet around 1mm thick lol. Solid wire is definitely easier on thin sheet.
If using 0.8mm wire, Set your machine so you get around 16v output, As far as the wirespeed goes if you can set it by ear it's the easiest way, start with wire-speed low-ish and then increase it until you get a sizzling noise. Some people refer to it like the sound of frying bacon, but i personally like to go a tiny bit past this and aim for the sound of tearing paper. Once the weld starts to make a stuttering popping noise and you get lots of spatter, you have taken the wirespeed too far. If you have an adjustable regulator, then 12 litre/min is a good starting point.
You can weld with the wire a little slower than this but then you get excessive heat and quite a bit of spatter.
Also dont take too much notice of all of the videos on youtube showing people pulling a weld along and weaving side to side. You want to keep the torch square on to the direction of travel if anything a very slight push angle, and weld in a straight line without weaving, keeping the arc in the front part of the puddle, focus at the root of the joint.
If you weave the weld, its does not affect penetration at all, if you weld a thicker material, simply turn the power up and re balance the wirespeed. All you achieve really by weaving, is you pump heat into the weld, which when welding sheet metal will give you all sorts of problems with distortion, and you will have more chance of burning through, and leave more weld for you to remove if you want an invisible seam.
Using a setup around that sort of ball park area, you should be able to weld in all positions flat, horizontal, vertical, overhead once you get the hang of it, without having to alter you machine too much, except turning the wire-speed down just a fart to weld vertical down.
fixerupper
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Good bit of writing Liquid Metal, .... jeff.....
Liquid Metal
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Only passing on bits ive found out along the way, Im far from an expert but if i can pass on a little know how and help someone out, then I'll help if i can
Fastfingaz
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One more little thing, you may or may not agree but I find that wearing clear safty glasses under your hood could be beneifical from anything popping or flying into eyes after lifting hood up,, slag is famous for this,, mig and fluxcore alike
Liquid Metal
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Yes, especially if you get a popper!! Somethimes and I dont know why but never looked into it, you get a bit of a ball form on the end of your wire when you finish a weld. Something to do with oxidation of the wire i guess, and when it pops, ive seen the still red hot blobs go 10ft plus accross the workshop lol.
Bad enough when you get a bit down the back of the neck, wouldnt fancy a bit in the eye
Keep your safety glasses on all the time. Having them on has just become second nature to me to be honest, and feels a bit funny not wearing them when im on the way home, Feel all exposed
When welding galvanised metal, (even after cleaning the weld edges) wear a filter mask.
An old leather/ suede jacket (that closes up to the neck, or adapt it so it does) is good or buy a proper welding jacket.
A thick hat or leather cap is useful as well.
When welding overhead and under a car on axle stands a leather apron or fire blanket helps to cover the legs etc. it really hurts when you get a spark on your sensitive bits!!
If you wear glasses normally get one of the magnifying lenses that fit inside the mask.
A strong light source helps to make the weld area more visible when the mask is inert i.e. before you strike the arc.
An old leather/ suede jacket (that closes up to the neck, or adapt it so it does) is good or buy a proper welding jacket.
A thick hat or leather cap is useful as well.
When welding overhead and under a car on axle stands a leather apron or fire blanket helps to cover the legs etc. it really hurts when you get a spark on your sensitive bits!!
If you wear glasses normally get one of the magnifying lenses that fit inside the mask.
A strong light source helps to make the weld area more visible when the mask is inert i.e. before you strike the arc.
ajlelectronics
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On the safety note, I saw an episode of The Professionals recently, where they had to build a battering ram out in the street. The welder had no gloves on, there was no screening and Bogie and Boil stood there watching the arc welding taking place. It appeared to be a genuine weld going on, so no doubt there were a few sore eyes later that day!
