Welding Advice I have a Clarke 100e

[kai16181]

Hiya, i have the above named MIG welder on order from ebay to suit my intro to this world.

I've also taken up a nearby place that "fixesscrews" up on their clearance prices and bought some clamps, wire and bits/pieces to get me started.

should i stick with 0.6m wire, and what gas mix should i use?

I'm looking at hobby weld or possibly sourcing locally.

whats best to get me started on some practice welds. later on i plan on welding my MGB car panels, but not for some time mind... i want to be proficient first.....

Kai.

 

[Wozzaaah]

Me again.
Sorry if we got off on the wrong foot, that really wasn't my intention.

0.6 should work ok and will help you avoid blowing holes in your MG but the fact that welder goes down to 27 amps means you're unlikely to have too much trouble in that department.
It may pay you to try a small reel of each size (and the appropriate contact tips) to see which you prefer.
Some members have struggled with one size wire only to change to another and find it sorts all their issues.

Gas-wise, a light argon mix gives the nicest results. Plain CO2 works fine but produces more spatter. Ok if you can get it cheap though.

Practice steel, I reckon something around 1.5-2mm would do you ok.
Normally we suggest 2-3mm for more powerful welders.

 

[kai16181]

Thats just what I need, thanks Woz and don't worry about anything, all is good.

I'll perhaps try the reels and tips from a place that "fixesscrews" as their prices are low ATM and i'll perhaps invest a little more cash when i progress with greater skill.

Kai.

 

[cumbriasteve]

I think you may find a few people have bought the cheap wire from the same place and promptly binned it due to it's poor results...a decent wire can make a world of difference to ease of welding and results.

 

[kai16181]

ooops, never mind i gather it will be ok to learn the ropes with.

 

[Country Joe]

ooops, never mind i gather it will be ok to learn the ropes with.

Not really, if it's really crap wire, then it'll spit & fizz all over the place, give cruddy results, and put you off before you even get started.
At this point you want to give yourself the best chance possible!
All the Best,
CJ

 

[mike 109444]

Welcome Kai. The 5kg spools at MM are not to dear and work ok. Just make sure when you are swapping part used spools that you hang onto the end of the wire and be ready to tuck the end in the little hole in the edge of the spool to stop it unspooling. There was a post a few weeks back titled something like "what they don't tell new welders".... And what followed were admissions by quite a few even experenced welders that had had misshapps with spools unspooling If you have not yet seen it it's worth looking out for the Mark Evens "A car is borne" series on tv because he did a complete strip and rebuild of an MG. That would give you a good look at whats under the rusty parts on yours

 

[kai16181]

Thanks Mike i'll be sure to avoid the unspooling trap you refer to.

Yeh i've found the car is born stuff on youtube a great reference.

Kai.