Clarke mig welder

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DEFENDER90-DAZ

DEFENDER90-DAZ

New Member
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Scotland - Houston
Hi am going to have a look at a clarke mig welder tomorrow:
CLARKE TE130 TURBO GAS + GASSLESS £100

Can anyone give me any tips on what to check / look out for please?
Will be able to try it out before buying it.

Cheers
Daz
 
Make sure it arcs and the wire speed control works.

Apart from that, there isn't much really to go wrong.

I have a clarke at home so I don't have to lug my Lincoln back from work everytime. It is a perfect little machine and all parts are available direct from clarke for spares :)
 
Ok sounds good mate! Buying it for jobs i'll have to do on the disco.
Have read a lot about mig welding but will the 130 be able to do just about anything on a disco?

Cheers
Daz
 
I had a Mig 100 but didnt get the penetration on the chassis so bought a Clarke turbo 165 mig and use argon mix. The only criticism I have is the shroud being held in place by a spring rather than threaded on like my old mig 100. I would have thought a mig 130 would be up to the job.
 
Just been to see the mig welder.
The speed control works perfectly from v slow to v fast and it gives a good weld!
Will probably need some more gas and wire but i'm setup!

Cheers for the advice
Daz
 
dont get the stupid disposable bottles.

if you want co2 then have a chat with a friendly pub landlord to 'borrow' a co2 cylinder for a while. my one has lasted ages and i only had to buy him a pint :)

of course if you want argon etc then there are plenty of suppliers but it can cost a bit.
 
The guy i bought the welder from said about the dumpy co2 bottles you can get from pubs , i'll have to start asking round!
Have to start watching you tube vids and getting some practice in!

Cheers
Daz
 
co2 isn't all that great. I use co2 to weld plates in for a car to go off for banger racing but I wouldn't use it for any vehicle work. It has its uses in very thick metal but if you're doing a job to keep sort of thing then you'll want argoshield light or something similar.
 
Right mate i'll have a look at argon gas then. Only seen it in the disposable cans though?
As the clarke mig welder didn't come with any instructions what do the switches on the front panel do? (apart from the on/off switch :) )

Daz
 
Find your local BOC supplier. They will rent you a bottle of argoshield light which is the best I've used.

The switches control the amps ;)
 
No,not ARGON, thats for something else,later on mate,later on ! ARGOSHIELD is the BOC trade name for a CO2/argon mix for mig welding regular steel . Argoshield light is the preferred one for bodywork but I find it fine for all round use. Look in the phone book/ online for a local independent inddustrial gases supplier .For a long time BOC and Air Products cornered the market and charged outrageous fees for bottle rental and delivery charges even when you collected. More recently people have started offering their own brand mig gases and some oxygen too,so its worth asking agents for the big 2 if they do own brand.

This site here....

MIG Welding - The DIY Guide

will tell you how and what and why and there is a forum for questions and you can get instructions (though the clarke ones wont leave you much wiser) and they will even sell you good bits cheap.

my best advice is that my clarke little machine has rarely had the wire speed above 2.....since I have known what I am doing....and high wire speed was the cause of many of my problems initially. Search on here , I have posted in detail before as have others.Make sure you can undo the screws on the handpiece for when you need to change the liner or untangle the wire (you will!!!) but dont take it apart yet as the springs will fly out and you may have just a little trouble....well,maybe more than just a little........
 
DISCOVERY1-DAZ said:
Brilliant advice guys!!!
Thanks very much!!

Can't wait to get started!

Is it worth getting some flux wire just to practice with, so i don't need the gas bottle just yet?

Daz
Click to expand...

gasless is useful esp if welding outside but its not quite so easy to see the pool....if its all new to you I'd try a bit of gas shield welding first til you get the hang of it
 
Ok thanks guys - i'll get reading up on it and start praticing on some off cuts if i can get some locally. Might even put some pics on so you can rip the **** out of em :)

Cheers
Daz
 
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