Weld advice please.

[Glenfish]

Hi guys..Having just bought a 2nd hand clarke 105en welder I'm struggling to get good neat welds. I found this fantastic forum and after a lengthy read decidedto plunge straight in for advice.
I use the welder with gas.
My welds as you see are bulbous and don't penetrate or flow. I have used different settings but can't get it any better than these.
The welds seem too high. There is no stain on the other side of the metal despite the welder being set to max

 

[Glenfish]

CO2 small clarke bottle

 

[paceman1]

ok start by setting the wire feed tension so you press the trigger feel the wire with your hand[ earth lead off ]adjust wheel tension till it flows and free so you can just stop it with your fingers ,now set the gas so you can hear it flowing each time you squeeze the trigger as a guess set power setting to number 2 on the set and try wire speed 5 see how it goes make sure the mig tip is new and correct size for the wire the number will be on the side of the mig tip reconnect earth lead to a good earths see how you go

 

[steveo3002]

check the earth is good , the standard clamp is often poor

and can you try it in a another socket , long extension leads /shed wiring is sometimes not man enough

id start with the power settings on full rage and work my way down...but im far far from being a expert lol

 

[cumbriasteve]

The mig you have will max out at about 3mm thickness steel, so ideally you want no more than that and preferably some 2mm to practice on and maintain heat when welding..

The small disposables are famous for difficult setting of gas flow and running out of gas faster than you can blink.

If you have the wire feed tension set right as mentioned above then it's on to the next stage.

Most people suggest starting at low power and wire speed and work up to the ideal, I find the opposite works better, full power and wire speed above three quarters, if you feel the wire banging/pushing against the steel then lower the speed, but only by a very small amount each time until it works and sounds good, once the wire speed is right then drop your power if you are blowing through, then it's a fine balance of both power and speed.

Clean steel both in the weld area and where the earth clamp is positioned and you should be good to go.

 

[J.F]

Have a look at this link, has lots of useful info.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp0pALmMwc6v2ScmEGbvNSpNKcYA8GiGA

 

[PTvor]

Get a peashooter flow gauge so that you know you are getting gas out of the torch at about the right rate. This is much better than listening to the torch or putting the end in a jar of water.

http://www.weldequip.com/gas-flow-tester.htm

but also sold on ebay and elsewhere.

£5 to £10 and well worth it

10 litres per minute is what is usually reckoned right, but you might tune it down if you are welding in a draft free place.

Disposable bottles work out very dear and there are lots of other options. Pub gas or argon mix with a no rental deal or the Volkzone deal.

The general rule for MIG is 40A per mm, so that machine should be comfortable up to 2.5mm thickness and increasingly less so as the thickness increases.

You can adjust the wirespeed as you weld to get the "bacon frying" sound, but it's easier if you've got someone else to adjust it until you hit the sweetspot. There are lots of Youtube videos about MIG welding and adjusting the wirespeed so that it's right and you get the right sound. I must admit it doesn't sound much like bacon frying to me.

 

[Glenfish]

Thank you guys for all your very quick input!
I spent most of the day messing about with it. And took on your advice. Amongst my conclusions is that the welder ain't man enough for this particular job. Measuring the steel its 3mm.
Ultimately it looks like I've got to spend more for the extras including auto mask, clamps, bigger gas bottle etc.
Originally I was using a long extension cable, changing from this direct to socket seemed to help.

 

[paceman1]

the little clark mig was one I started using many many years ago was ok on light car work
get yourself a bigger mig with more reserve than you need that way if you need it for a bigger job you can do it good luck bud

 

[PTvor]

Thank you guys for all your very quick input!
I spent most of the day messing about with it. And took on your advice. Amongst my conclusions is that the welder ain't man enough for this particular job. Measuring the steel its 3mm.

As Paceman says, these little transformer MIGs are mainly intended for car panels. Even if they go up to 150A, the duty cycle is poor at the top end. If you are on a budget and wanting to weld much 3mm and over, a stick inverter is the way to go.

Ultimately it looks like I've got to spend more for the extras including auto mask, clamps, bigger gas bottle etc.

Not that much in the scheme of things and it gets addictive.

Originally I was using a long extension cable, changing from this direct to socket seemed to help.

Extension cables are often bad news with welders

 

[Kent]

Get a good connection on the earth ( return clamp) put it direct into a main socket. Clean any midscale etc back to shiny metal
PRE heating can also steal a bit if you have the facility
Your down on power for what you're trying so every trick needs playing

 

[Glenfish]

Hi guys..Having just bought a 2nd hand clarke 105en welder I'm struggling to get good neat welds. I found this fantastic forum and after a lengthy read decidedto plunge straight in for advice.
I use the welder with gas.
My welds as you see are bulbous and don't penetrate or flow. I have used different settings but can't get it any better than these.
The welds seem too high. There is no stain on the other side of the metal despite the welder being set to maxView attachment 79249

 

[Glenfish]

Thanks again all!
Welder's now on ebay..
As I plan welding thicker 3mm + steel, would you guys advise a more powerful mig or an arc welder. I have a v cheap arc unit which I like.. maybe upgrade it?

 

[cumbriasteve]

If all your welding is 3mm or above then an inverter is the answer if you are happy with arc, any of the main brand machines will do you well, I personally would not be tempted by the cheaper ebay sales, backup and on occasion machine reliability can be dubious but it should be made clear there are many happy customers that have bought by that route.

Re what mig would be suitable depends on your maximum thickness, frequency of welding and even what power supply you have, once you go over 150 amps you can have problems on the normal household supply and may need an upgrade.