Gas/No Gas
over £100 cheaper than the standard Gas version.
Rubbish.com, go to the mig welding forum and get a proper welder...
'No gas' welders produce very dirty welds with lots of spatter.
I would go for a gas version every time.
Interesting responses. The second one I will agree with to an extent, no gas does produce a little more splatter.
However, it does have advantages. Firstly it is far better on underbody repairs where it is difficult/impossible to get the metal as clean as you
would like. And secondly, it works better outside where shielding gas gets blown away.
If doing all your welding on fresh metal, and inside, get a gas version and a big bottle conversion. And argon/co2 mix. If you want to do repair work,
lying upside down on the driveway, I would choose no-gas.
As for being rubbish, that is not my experience at all. My first clarke was a gasless 90, rebuilt from scratch 2 complete cars including chassis work
(proper chassis, not on monocoques) but it tended to overheat on long runs at full power as no fan. After 5 years or so of use it died, and was
replaced by a sip. That had wire feed issues and I would not recommend them at all. That was quickly replaced with a clarke 151, which has been in
service for about 5 years. Done a lot of welding on a classic mini, rebuilt a spitfire from scratch and fabricated all sorts of brackets in 5mm steel,
some thicker with appropriate techniques.
In terms of value, I would recommend. Bear in mind the flux cored wire is more expensive though.
Of course, you could buy one and get the conversion kit. I think it is just the regulator and hose. You would need a different regulator anyway for
big bottles.
I have a Clarke 90en gas/no gas welder and its completely adequate fir basic automotive repairs and fabrication. Tbh ive never used it gasless
despite it coming with some gasless wire. In gas mode its fine providing your patient when working against the odds (ie to thin gor too thick material
etc.).
[Edited on 8-10-14 by loggyboy]
I opted for a better quality used on
I bought a cebora turbo 130 which is the same as a snap on 130 turbo
Great little welder,doesnt overheat after 5 minutes use
bits readily available if needed
I got a local gas company to convert a fire extinguisher for my gas bottle
Cost me about £75 inc new wire, nozzles and shroud
Ive tried cheapo ones and theyre cheap for a reason
I have a DP (gas/no-gas) to convert to gas you need a regulator and cylinder and switch the polarity of the electrode.
No-Gas is good if you are working out in the open or doing welds upside down (eg over head) as in these situations with normal MIG the shield gas
gets blown away.
Disadvantages are more spatter and if you are doing more than one run it is essential to properly wire brush the previous run before doing a second
run.
No-gas can produce decent welds but for really good weld you need to use gas.
Clarke welders are a good quality welder, they're not top of the range but they're not SIP/Wolf/etc bargain basement rubbish. Having said
that, I currently run an Aldi gas/nogas welder, which is a rebranded Wolf, and it has done me extremely well.
I did start off with the no gas, but as mentioned it has it's place and that wasn't where I was. Switching to gas was the best thing I could
have done. It's nice to know that I can switch back if the opportunity requires it.
quote:
Originally posted by loggyboy
I have a Clarke 90en gas/no gas welder and its completely adequate fir basic automotive repairs and fabrication. Tbh ive never used it gasless despite it coming with some gasless wire. In gas mode its fine providing your patient when working against the odds (ie to thin gor too thick material etc.).
[Edited on 8-10-14 by loggyboy]
quote:
Originally posted by 40inches
Totally agree, I have had my 90 for 15 years and it's still going strong, although I did convert it to a EuroTorch about 3 years ago.
I have welded Stainless with it, with the appropriate gas, and several times have fabricated 6mm thick engine, alternator mounts by
grinding a substantial "V" in the plate and welding with 3 runs.
OK, I messed around for ages with a Clarke 150, couldn't get decent setup or results, all spatter, sticking wire etc etc..
Got a Portamig 185 now and its so easy to use. So far I've welded everything from chassis repairs underneath my 106, successfully welded the
chocolate Suzuki SJ bodywork, made a chassis with 3mm box, made suspension and engine mounts out if 6mm steel, welded stainless sheet, engine crane
made and tons of other bits welded' and had a good few years out of it now.
It runs a full size bottle and wire spool. Done everything with 0.8 wire and so far am still on the original tip and everything in the euro torch.
Wire speed adjusts to the power setting so no set up issues.
Only downside was the need for a blue 16amp plug but no big deal, compressor and saw now use that blue socket as well.
You get what you pay for, it may be twice the cost but IMO is ten times better...
Good luck.
quote:
Originally posted by coozer
OK, I messed around for ages with a Clarke 150, couldn't get decent setup or results, all spatter, sticking wire etc etc..
the clarke's are ok for what they are but if your going to be doing a lot of welding its worth spending a bit more or picking up a high end
second hand unit. plenty of people have done good jobs at building chassis with clarke 150 amp units, its just a bit easier with something a bit
better.
migtronic esab kempi are all usually great used buys.
this year i treated myself to a brand new esab caddy c200i to replace my 15 year old 160 amp migtronic. the migtronic is a good solid reliable welder
but the esab is just absolute heaven to weld with, just shows what 15years of r&d can do. 