Clarke welder

[poshguy]

What are peoples opinions on this welder
Clarke mig 90 en

I can get 1 for £70 with extras and will not be welding full chassis but only bracckets etc will this be suffice and adequate for the jobs.

cheers
Craig

[PorkChop]

Have a look on www.mig-welding.co.uk - it's a really good site. That Clarke will only do up to 2mm really, bearing in mind brackets will be at least 3mm thick.

It would be ideal if you wanted to weld up monocoque cars because it has a really low min current.

IME, Clarke welders are not bad little machines, although the power settings aren't exactly intuitive.

[vmax1974]

I got the same and hot handyandy to come have a look he said that it is no good for plates and brackets but would be ok to do the rest as long as I dont mind waiting every time it cuts out so I am on the lookout for a min 150 hope this helps

Dave

[robo]

Thats just £70 worth of door stop.

Bob

[PorkChop]

Originally Posted by vmax1974

I got the same and hot handyandy to come have a look he said that it is no good for plates and brackets but would be ok to do the rest as long as I dont mind waiting every time it cuts out so I am on the lookout for a min 150 hope this helps

Dave

Bear in mind that you can only go so powerful a welder on a standard single phase 13A plug.

[deezee]

Originally Posted by PorkChop

Bear in mind that you can only go so powerful a welder on a standard single phase 13A plug.

I've run my welder at 130 amp without any problem in my garage (13amp plug). So from experience I'd want at least 130amp welder to make the Haynes Roadster Chassis and help fabricate the extras like engine mounts and roll bars.

[skov]

I've got a Clarke 130TE, which is fine for the chassis tubes, and borderline man enough for 3mm plates.
I think you want to be looking for a welder that will do at least 120 to 130A (although like deezee says, much more than that and it won't run off a 13A plug).
If you go for a second hand one budget a tenner or so for a new liner. I was amazed what difference it made changing mine.

[MarkB]

You won't get anywhere near the claimed amperage output of those cheap migs, they are for mot bodge welding not for fabrication work. Just because a weld looks ok doesn't mean it has penetrated the steel, it's more likely it's a cold weld just sat on the top.
You have to take into consideration the plate and tube thickness when welding, not just a bit of 3mm plate etc, as two pieces of 3mm surprise surprise becomes 6mm when welding so those cheap n cheerful migs are not up to it.

[PorkChop]

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/calculator.htm

^That's a handy page to look at if you're looking for what thickness steel a welder is likely to weld. In fact, the whole site and forum is really really good.

I'm intending to use a 130A mig for the chassis tubes and hopefully for the 3mm brackets. If not then I'll tack them using the 130A and borrow a bigger welder to finish them

[vmax1974]

I have run a 16A socket in the garage took about 25 mins and should be up to the job