Clarke MIG Welder Manual or Instructions

Locate the grounding cable for the MIG welder and attach it to the metal surface you plan to weld. Most welders invest in a welding table with a metal top. This lets you clamp the grounding cable to the metal table instead of the work piece. However, if you do not ground the welder, it cannot complete the necessary circuit to melt the welding stick.

Locate the shielding gas valve on the MIG welder and turn it on. The Inert gas protects the welding tip during the welding process. Without it, the weld would simply weld the tip closed.

Adjust the speed control knob and the temperature settings to the middle settings. The hotter you set the temperature, the faster you must feed the welder tip across the metal. This can create a weak weld. If you weld slowly with a hot temperature, you can actually burn through the metal. If you use a low temperature, you must weld slowly. If you weld too fast with a slow temperature, you will create a weak or incomplete weld.

Put on your safety gear. This includes a welder’s helmet, leather gloves, long sleeve shirt and steel toe leather boots. These items not only protect you from hot weld, they protect you from the UV light the welder creates.

Touch the tip of the welder against the metal joint you need to weld. With a smooth steady motion, move the welder across the metal surface. The welding stick will automatically feed through the tip and onto the metal surface. When you complete the weld, inspect it. The weld should go completely through the metal joint. If you see dark black spots along the welded edge, you are welding too hot. If the weld does not go through the joint completely, you are welding too fast. This is where practice comes into play. Continue adjusting your speed and welder settings until you get a clean weld joint with no major burning of the metal surface.

Grind the surface of the weld with an angle grinder to remove the excess weld that sticks above the metal surface. This also takes a lot of practice so you can avoid cutting into the metal surface with the angle grinder. Take shallow passes across the welded surface and remove just a little weld at a time. This will minimize mistakes.