Clarke Mig welders
Discussion
My dad's just handed me a machine mart leaflet he got through the post advising him about a couple of "VAT free" days in January.
My question really is which one to get?
This will be my first welder (I've done a bit of welding before but never at home).
I've been put off gasless so want a gas MIG. For the amount of use it will get I can't see me justifying anything more than the disposable bottles.
This will be for hobby/car stuff, can't really see me needing to do anything over 3mm and not particularly heavy/long use either. It will need to run from a standard 13A socket.
Looking at the 135TE but, as with everything, will I eventually want more [Clarkson]POWER![/Clarkson].
It's £30 extra for the 151TE but is this just a 150TE (only £10 extra than the 135TE) in a posh frock?
I don't really want to spend any more than for the 135 but will stretch if the general consensus is that it is well worth the extra.
I can't seem to find any explanation as to what the differences are in their model range?
Obviously max power is indicated with a number, but then E, EN, TE etc? "Turbo" or TE means fan cooled I assume?
Opinions please, especially those with experience of Clarke MIGs.
My question really is which one to get?
This will be my first welder (I've done a bit of welding before but never at home).
I've been put off gasless so want a gas MIG. For the amount of use it will get I can't see me justifying anything more than the disposable bottles.
This will be for hobby/car stuff, can't really see me needing to do anything over 3mm and not particularly heavy/long use either. It will need to run from a standard 13A socket.
Looking at the 135TE but, as with everything, will I eventually want more [Clarkson]POWER![/Clarkson].
It's £30 extra for the 151TE but is this just a 150TE (only £10 extra than the 135TE) in a posh frock?
I don't really want to spend any more than for the 135 but will stretch if the general consensus is that it is well worth the extra.
I can't seem to find any explanation as to what the differences are in their model range?
Obviously max power is indicated with a number, but then E, EN, TE etc? "Turbo" or TE means fan cooled I assume?
Opinions please, especially those with experience of Clarke MIGs.
I have a 150TE which I am very pleased with. the bottles don't last long but as I only use it occasionally, its not a problem.
One thing I have found is they are sensitive to wire quality in terms of corrosion. I had no end of problems with the wire feed and snagging, and noticed the wire was very slightly rough... I put on a new reel... perfect.
12 months later, same problem, so I bought another new reel... perfect again! looks like the damp over winter had cause a bit of VERY fine surface corrosion on the wire, despite the copper coating. So now I take the wire off when I don't use it and keep it in the warm house... no problems since.
One thing I have found is they are sensitive to wire quality in terms of corrosion. I had no end of problems with the wire feed and snagging, and noticed the wire was very slightly rough... I put on a new reel... perfect.
12 months later, same problem, so I bought another new reel... perfect again! looks like the damp over winter had cause a bit of VERY fine surface corrosion on the wire, despite the copper coating. So now I take the wire off when I don't use it and keep it in the warm house... no problems since.
The 135 would be adequate for up to 3mm, though I personally pay the extra for the 150 (which is what I have now).
IME the single biggest improvement you can make to these welders is to throw the bit of damp string and puny little clip that passes as an earth cable and fit a proper heavy duty item. Other than that they aren't bad for the money.
IME the single biggest improvement you can make to these welders is to throw the bit of damp string and puny little clip that passes as an earth cable and fit a proper heavy duty item. Other than that they aren't bad for the money.
I bought a 130TE (I think) from them last year, it does 30 amps and welds very nicely. Trolley holds a large gas bottle well, no issues with wire feed etc.
I haven't tried it on thicker metals yet, but at <2.5mm it's very good indeed, easily as good for the novice as the Lincoln mega-units I learnt on.
I haven't tried it on thicker metals yet, but at <2.5mm it's very good indeed, easily as good for the novice as the Lincoln mega-units I learnt on.
Don't waste your time and money on disposable bottles. They last no time at all, and are a very expensive way of buying gas. Whichever welder you choose, make sure it can use a proper bottle. I get the 2-litre bottles of Argoshield Light from BOC... http://www.boconline.co.uk/en/products-and-supply/...
The bottle rental is about 25 quid and about the same for a bottle. They are pressured to about 230 Bar, so you are getting 460+ litres of gas. I suggest you start at a flow rate of about 10-12 litres-per-minute, so that bottle will last you 40 minutes or so of actual welding. Good luck.
The bottle rental is about 25 quid and about the same for a bottle. They are pressured to about 230 Bar, so you are getting 460+ litres of gas. I suggest you start at a flow rate of about 10-12 litres-per-minute, so that bottle will last you 40 minutes or so of actual welding. Good luck.
Edited by pilbeam_mp62 on Wednesday 31st December 17:52
buzzer said:
One thing I have found is they are sensitive to wire quality in terms of corrosion. I had no end of problems with the wire feed and snagging, and noticed the wire was very slightly rough... I put on a new reel... perfect.
12 months later, same problem, so I bought another new reel... perfect again! looks like the damp over winter had cause a bit of VERY fine surface corrosion on the wire, despite the copper coating. So now I take the wire off when I don't use it and keep it in the warm house... no problems since.
Rust on the wire is the biggest problem if you weld infrequently; I also have the reel off and store it in the house in the airing cupboard if there's no welding to be done, otherwise you need to snip and throw away the layers of rusty wire as it fouls the wire liner and wears both it and the contact tip out quicker.12 months later, same problem, so I bought another new reel... perfect again! looks like the damp over winter had cause a bit of VERY fine surface corrosion on the wire, despite the copper coating. So now I take the wire off when I don't use it and keep it in the warm house... no problems since.
I'd second the suggestion to have a look at Mig-welding.co.uk, you'll find posts from people who own the welders you're considering and there are tutorials on how to do the basics.
I've asked on mig welding and still no definitive answer as to the model differences.
I count no less than 5 150amp machines with no definitive explanation as to the differences (but huge differences in price).
What makes a dual purpose machine dual purpose? Is there a model code that indicates this?
What really is "Turbo" ? EN Turbo or TE Turbo?
There seems to be so many combinations with no order to it at all.
Why not just
Thus I would quite like a 150ACE - A 150amp, dual purpose machine thats reliable.
I'd like that to be supplied with all thats needed for gas welding.
I count no less than 5 150amp machines with no definitive explanation as to the differences (but huge differences in price).
What makes a dual purpose machine dual purpose? Is there a model code that indicates this?
What really is "Turbo" ? EN Turbo or TE Turbo?
There seems to be so many combinations with no order to it at all.
Why not just
| Max Current | Fan cooled Y/N | Dual purpose Y/N | Old UK/New Chinese |
| 123 | A/B | C/D | E/F |
Thus I would quite like a 150ACE - A 150amp, dual purpose machine thats reliable.
I'd like that to be supplied with all thats needed for gas welding.
Turbo usually means fan cooled which makes a huge difference to how long you can weld for, duel purpose I presume means gas or gasless, I only weld with gas have welded gasless on exhaust systems and worked fine but no use for panel work, Clarke tend not to be s
te but still on the hobby side of equipment, the amps are the important part and I find 180+ machine's tend to have all the adjustments etc. depends on your requirements, my fav at the min is a snap on 185 internals are redmills or such but its one of the best I've used
te but still on the hobby side of equipment, the amps are the important part and I find 180+ machine's tend to have all the adjustments etc. depends on your requirements, my fav at the min is a snap on 185 internals are redmills or such but its one of the best I've used As hinted at above, check on the duty cycle of the welder, there is nothing more iritating than welding and all of a sudden the welder cuts out and you have to wait a few mins before starting again. I had a 130 back in the day, great for small jobs. Buy the best you can afford and do check the duty cycle the info should be available. Look at other makes to
I have never had problems with wire, at work we use copper coated.
I have never had problems with wire, at work we use copper coated.
DrDeAtH said:
When you say dual purpose, are you referring to gas/no gas operation?
Yes.I think most of the stuff I'd use it for would be gas welding but it would be handy to keep a spool of flux-cored just in case.
Not sure whats involved in the conversion? Different wire feed roller and different tip?
This states dual purpose but gas conversion stuff would need to be bought separately.
This looks like the "gas only" version of the above, but I don't get how it can be gas only if the only difference is upping the wire feed roller and tip size from 0.6/0.8 to 0.9mm.
No gas welding is pretty crap to be honest, the flux goes everywhere and it won't be as neat as a gas weld.
If you are dead set on a Clarke welder, then get at least a 150 amp one
Get the BOC/volkszone gas deal and you will be set.
Obviously with welding kit, you get what you pay for. Search the welding forums for any reviews or feedback on the model you want. Maybe post in the 'buying a welder' section.
If you are dead set on a Clarke welder, then get at least a 150 amp one
Get the BOC/volkszone gas deal and you will be set.
Obviously with welding kit, you get what you pay for. Search the welding forums for any reviews or feedback on the model you want. Maybe post in the 'buying a welder' section.
DrDeAtH said:
Maybe post in the 'buying a welder' section.
I have, nobody seems to know the differences in the Clarke model range on there either...Might just have to do it the old fashioned way and go into the store, quiz the salesman and have a good poke around a few different ones, see if there's one I get a feel for.
I have a Clarke Mig 160TM. It's on wheels with a platform at the back that you can mount a bottle onto. I've got a re-fillable bottle that I got from a local gas supplier, not sure of the brand, but it's an Argon/CO2 mix. I've got a 16amp supply in the garage that I run it off, but I think it'll work of 13 amp if you don't try and run it at max power. To be honest, for doing car body work, you only need low power anyway, so it's probably a little overkill, although it will happily run all day.
I've had it nearly 3 years, and barely used it, typically of me to buy tools for my latest fad, but I need to get my act together and get my car project finished. That's once I've finished building my new woodworking workshop at the back of the garden, so I can get all the woodworking kit out of the garage
.
Anyway, I suspect any of the welders you're looking at will suffice. I'd get a proper gas bottle with argon/co2 mix, it's this, and the setting up of the welder that enables you to get the best quality welds.
Oh, and practice on scrap metal before you try it on the car.
I've had it nearly 3 years, and barely used it, typically of me to buy tools for my latest fad, but I need to get my act together and get my car project finished. That's once I've finished building my new woodworking workshop at the back of the garden, so I can get all the woodworking kit out of the garage
.Anyway, I suspect any of the welders you're looking at will suffice. I'd get a proper gas bottle with argon/co2 mix, it's this, and the setting up of the welder that enables you to get the best quality welds.
Oh, and practice on scrap metal before you try it on the car.
Ive had a Clarke "no gas" welder for about 15 years, still works a treat. I originally bought a "no-gas" version as all my welding (an old 2cv at the time) was outside. I bought the bits to convert it to a gas version a few years ago, but TBH never really got on with it, so have gone back to the original. I agree with a previous post that ultimately it's not as neat, but for my use....which has generally been putting various patches in, occasional full sill, boot floor etc has been fine. I think its an 80EN ? but I can't be arsed to go out to the garage to check !
Either way it has stood the test of time re reliability etc. When I bought it I lived in Nottingham, which is where the Machine Mart Mail order dept was based, they occasionally had sales of returned goods very cheaply, which is when I bought mine
Either way it has stood the test of time re reliability etc. When I bought it I lived in Nottingham, which is where the Machine Mart Mail order dept was based, they occasionally had sales of returned goods very cheaply, which is when I bought mine
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