Playing with my new Clarke 180EN

[clevinski]

I finally got the gas connection sorted out and started playing with my Clarke 180EN. Tried some simple beads on .040" (1 mm), .100" (2.5 mm) and .250" (6.35 mm) stock just to get a feel for it. I know it's not rated for the .250/6.35 mm without proper V-preparation, but I was just trying to get a feel. I discovered the following.

1. Someone should invent an interlock so you can't start welding when your gas is off. I turned the gas off five separate times; I forgot to turn it back on five times. In the US, we would say that's batting 1000, but that's a baseball (rounders for you UK guys?) reference.

2. I'm assuming that the proper sequence to increase power is not what is stated in the manual, but rather 1 min, 1 max, 2 min, 2 max, 3 min, 3 max.

3. With the feeder roll positioned for the correct wire diameter, the wrong wire diameter will be visible. This seems to be because the thickness is stamped on the side of the roller nearest the groove it represents, and the Clarke uses the slot farthest from the side you can view. It took me a few minutes to realize this.

4. Dripping molten steel is hot, and it tends to go places it's not supposed to, like inside my short socks. This would not have been possible had I put on the blue jeans I had brought downstairs to wear for my welding practice, but I was a bit lazy and thought, "What's the worst that can happen if I leave my shorts on?"

5. Higher current doesn't make it easier to see what you're trying to weld.

6. Welding .040" steel with 0.8 mm wire requires you to move the torch faster, even on 1 min. It's probably better to switch to 0.6 mm wire for this.

7. It seems the higher the current, the more critical the wire speed. At 180 amps (well, you knew I had to try it out; why buy a 180 amp machine if you're not going to at least try welding at 180 amps?), I was set a bit too slow and was getting a fair amount of sputtering and unpleasantness. Fortunately, speeding it up to the next setting was close to perfect and the sound really became the hissing that I keep hearing about. Did I get into the magical spray transfer mode?

Now I have to try building something, as I find I don't learn as well with just experimenting as with having actual projects to work on.

Thanks for everyone's advice on welding in general and on upgrading my welder in specific! You guys (non-gender-specific form) are a great resource for anyone learning to weld!

 

[shenion]

If you are using C25 gas (75/20) then you did not get into spray transfer. The Clarkes are nice as they have a larger reactor than most. That makes for a soft arc, it is often more of a hiss than a buzz.

Stray transfer is amazing. Hard to do as you move the torch about twice as fast. I did some on the Airco and was easily blowing holes in 3/16" plate. Was like doing thin metal; keep moving or blow holes..

You would probably have a high wire speed on 0.030 wire at 180A. I prefer 0.035 on anything over about 120A or 1/8". It is easier to control due to the slower wire speed and has less spatter.

I have about 1/3 roll of 0.030 left. I will use 0.025 and 0.035 from now on. Gives me easy work on thin and can do thicker stuff. I find the heavier wire is easier to control.

Yes, I keep forgetting to turn the gas back on. I have a slow leak in the mixer so I turn it off often. Add to that, I have 30' of hose between the tanks and feeder (and a 12' torch) so when I forget to purge, I get a real mess for 3 seconds.

You can do thin steel with 0.0.030/0.8mm; yes you have to move fast. 0.025/0.6mm is easier.

You should have put jeans on and long sleeves/gauntlets. You will get sunburn real quick. Bad for me as I can get sumburn by candlight

Post some pics

 

[clevinski]

Yes, I'm using a 75/25 argon/CO2 mix, so I guess the elusive spray transfer will remain in the domain of you really high current guys.

I should get some .035" to try on thicker stuff.

I always wear gauntlets and usually long sleeves. It was stupid to wear shorts, but I was just "fooling around". Nobody told the steel it wasn't supposed to burn you when just fooling around. Fortunately, it's nothing serious but a good warning.

 

[peterd51]

Hi,

well done, it's great to get started isn't it?

I'd say that you have a minor problem with your feed roller or wire guide if the wire's taking the inner track. On my Pro90 and 150TE it's the outer track, ie, the one nearest the diameter figure.

So the figure you see on the roller should be the wire size that you're using.

Could you post a close-up photo of the wire feed and roller?

Regards
Peter

 

[clevinski]

peterd51, everything seems to be aligned, but here are some photos. Due to reflection from the flash, it's a little hard to read the number on the roller, but it says "0.6". I took the roller out when setting it up and confirmed that the opposite side says "0.8" and that the wider groove was closer to the "0.8" side.

BTW, when installing the roller, I loosened it after positioning the wire initially and moved it slightly in and out to make sure the wire was centered in the groove, then retightened it.

 

[shenion]

Looks fine; that is how my 130EN was.

 

[peterd51]

Hi,

yes, sorry, I see what you mean.

The Pro90 was like that but I'm sure than the wire ran around the outer groove (but I may be wrong as that was some years ago!).

The 150TE has a plastic cover that you twist half a turn clockwise to take off. Then you flip the wheelover and screw the unit back in. In this case it does run in the outer groove.

Regards
Peter

 

[clevinski]

My other welder uses the outside groove, too. Thanks for the comments.

 

[clevinski]

First welding project with Clarke 180EN

I have these 2.5 mm thick plates I got from a friend that I use to block others from seeing my arc and to keep sparks contained when welding small projects on my welding table. I usually use magnets to hold them in place, but that's a pain when you move them, plus they use up most of my magnets.

My first little welding project with my Clarke 180EN (I wonder what the "EN" stands for?) was to add little feet to these plates so they'd stand on their own. I cut up some scrap (1 mm thick) to act as feet, cleaned everything up with a twisted wire wheel on my angle grinder, clamped small pieces of angle to the plates to give me a right angle, then clamped the "feet" to the angle. I then tacked the feet in place, removed the angle and the clamps, and started welding.

My first two welds were at 1-max with 0.8 mm wire. I wasn't getting adequate penetration, so I went up to 2-min, which worked much better. None of the welds are great, but the first two are particularly not great. Adequate for this project, but I need to improve a lot. In all cases, I kept the arc on the 2.5 mm most of the time and would swing briefly onto the 1 mm. I found that I was going too fast and wasn't steady enough, and tried to correct that with the second set of welds. I went a little too slow at the corners of one of the welds; you can see where the 1 mm burned through. I really should have used heavier stock for the feet; live and learn.

Before anyone comments on the rust on the feet, I removed all the rust in the area where I was welding the 1 mm and back about 25 mm on each side of where I would weld the plate and on the opposite side (where I would not be welding.)

Any comments or suggestions are appreciated.

 

[jugs]

Hi Charlie

"Before anyone comments on the rust on the feet, I removed all the rust in the area where I was welding the 1 mm and back about 25 mm on each side of where I would weld the plate and on the opposite side (where I would not be welding.)" & " cleaned everything up with a twisted wire wheel on my angle grinder"

Sorry but that’s really not clean enough, there is a lot of mill-scale & rust at the weld site. You must get back to bright metal, use a grinding disk not a wire wheel. The welds show evidence of the rust & scale exploding .

Amps look about ok. Start and finish positioning correctly is hard, but comes with practice (on clean metal ).

Good pics, keep em coming.

 

[clevinski]

OK, Jugs, next time a grinding disk it is.

 

[clevinski]

Please comment on these welds...

Wanted to make one more of these little barriers, so I cut some thicker material to match the upright (about 2.5 mm / 0.100"), ground off all the paint, set the Clarke 180EN to the fourth highest setting, and went at it. As usual, I could have done a better job but I think these are better than my last welds...