Welding 3mm to 3mm with a Clarke 160

[WouldBWelder]

Before I spend ages mucking about with trying different settings, anyone with a quick guide?

Clarke 160 - if I have the settings on Max and 3 - the power trips, so I'm limited at Max and 2 ...

Lots of gas, lots of wire? Joint is a T joint - presumably I should be bevellingthe endge of one of them?

I feel this is at the machine's limits thickness wise ...

Any help appreciated.

 

[peterd51]

Hi,

my Clarke 150 can handle up to 5mm...

You could leave a small gap and run weld in from both sides if you wanted to.

2 - Minimum should be enough but you can also use 2 - maximum if you prefer.

Have the gas set just above where you can hear it, or 10 - 12 litres per minute if you have a guage.

Wire feed around 6 or 7...mine changes the wire feed automatically as I change setting. Sorry but I don't know if yours also does this.

Try it on some scrap pieces first.

If you could post a picture it'd help people to know what specfic advice they can give you.

Regards
Peter

 

[WouldBWelder]

Cheers Peter, I'll post a pic later if I get a mo ...

This should be a doddle by all accounts but it's getting the settings right ... and I'm a novice.

 

[peterd51]

Hi,

that's why you practice on scrap pieces first :-)

I assumed that when you mentioned 'T joint' you meant one piece flat and the other at 90 degrees up out of the middle, like two capital 'L's back to back?

That's called a fillet joint for some reason.

You may find that if you run a line of weld along one side then it pulls the vertical section over as the weld cools.

Unfortunaltely running the weld along the other side doesn't restore it back to vertical.

You would need to put several short weld beads on one side, say, 1/2" of weld and 3" of gap
and then run a complete line along the other side, then run a complete line down the first side (fill in the gaps).

It'll help to stop the joint deforming. Also, if you haven't done it yet, read the tuorials on here about car body work...leaving gaps and going back to fill in when the metal is cooler.

Regards
Peter

 

[FireStorm]

hmmm mustang!!!! would love to see a on going report on the project mate!!!!

neighbour got given a 67 fastback i think stripped, all body was done just needed to be rubbed down and painted, then put back together. he sold it for 2,000 as a shell plus all the bits.

if i had the time and room i would love to restore a mustang!!!!

 

[George641]

not forgetting the skill firestorm

oh yeh if its the same as on my clarke if max3 is too much go for min3 ... i fink its 1min 1max 2min 2max 3min 3max see if it still trips