Ground Clamp Differences

[Haywire]

What is the difference between these two clamps? There must be a purpose for the different shapes. The part number for right one starts with 'LPG', but I don't know if that really stands for 'low pressure gas' as in a ground to go on a pipe. I got this pic from weldingsupply.com

thanks,
Ian

 

[dcyrilc]

What is the difference between these two clamps? There must be a purpose for the different shapes. The part number for right one starts with 'LPG', but I don't know if that really stands for 'low pressure gas' as in a ground to go on a pipe. I got this pic from weldingsupply.com

thanks,
Ian

Could it be a reagional thing? Every welder I've ever seen around here always has the one on the right. Not that I really know anything other than just what I've observed. I've never seen the style on the left before.

 

[Skyco]

I have the one on the right and it beats the heck out of the steel clamp that came with my welder...

 

[grsthegreat]

my plasma cutting table has one like you show on the left.

If you turn it over, it lies flat against the metal so it doesnt get in the way of the gantry.

it wont work any better or worse than the other, cept it stars clear of my gantry

 

[Scooby074]

One on the right is a "Tweco" style. Very much the most common replacement style here. Factory machines tend to come with the cheaper "jumper cable" style clamps. The Tweco's are far better, make better contact and have bigger capacity between the jaws.

 

[chad22]

I'm not sure what it's designed to be used on. "Assuming pipes" but I have one of those on the right.

I got it for free. Found it in the dumpster, along with some extra cables. The clamps on my little 110 volt campbell Hausfeld welder. Which is a piece of Sh**t right now.

I attached a pic of my old Welder. I've had it for around 7 years.

It was my first welder. I might just keep it and put it up on a shelf somewhere.

My switch broke on it and a new one was gonna gonna be somewhere around $20.00 to replace. So I just went down to the hardware store and got me 2 household switches and attached them. It worked great.

I never did get the cover put back on and it's been like that for at least 3 years. :laughing:

I'm hoping to get my new lincoln Lincoln Electric AC225S Arc Welder - K1170 at The Home Depot welder by next month "June" or July by the latest.

Then I can fix my broken welds on my backhoe and get to digging again with it.

Chad

 

[yomax4]

The style on the right was designed to work on flat and pipes. the one on the left is maily for flat stock. I use both.

 

[Soundguy]

tsc sells the one on the right and calls it a 400a clamp.

soundguy

 

[Scooby074]

tsc sells the one on the right and calls it a 400a clamp.

soundguy

Possible. Tweco (the creator of it) sells it in a 200, 300 or 500 model. What the clones rate their copies at is anyones guess.

 

[JB4310]

I just bought a clone of the one on the right at HF.

I kinda like the one on the left for what appears to be a better cable strain relief system, assuming there is a set screw clamp in the open barrel handle.

The standard one on the right just has a metal band you squeeze onto the cable, not that positive of a hold. I know that style has been around forever, but it's new to me and I was not impressed with it. I was thinking about a hose clamp if it ever comes loose.

JB.

 

[Soundguy]

my hobart has the inelegant style that resembles a hd jumper cable. I've been towing with the idea of addid a 2nd leader cable off of it with another clamp so I can provide 2 grounds when making initial welds on some larger pieces... still thinking it over how I'd want to do it though..

soundguy

 

[Grayson Klassen]

my hobart has the inelegant style that resembles a hd jumper cable. I've been towing with the idea of addid a 2nd leader cable off of it with another clamp so I can provide 2 grounds when making initial welds on some larger pieces... still thinking it over how I'd want to do it though..

soundguy

Why would you want two grounds? Current always takes the path of least resistance which wont change much with two grounds.

 

[Soundguy]

grounding both pieces that are being welded, in the case of adding something to an existing frame.. also, when welding so I don't have to reposition the ground clamp when I say.. go to the other side of a work piece. the closer the ground source to the electrode the better... not hard to 'get away' from the ground while working. if you have another ground.. not too shabby.

at least in electronics, having more than sufficient ground is -NEVER- a problem.

can't imagine that tenant changes much with welding...

soundguy

 

[rankrank1]

...at least in electronics, having more than sufficient ground is -NEVER- a problem...

soundguy

Well not quite sure I would say NEVER with electronics. Ground loops can create havoc on sensitive measurement electronics especially in conjunction with high speed data acquisition systems. Somtimes people think they are insuring better grounds by installing more grounds and they inadvertingly create ground loops that wreak havoc with sensitive equipment.

That said, It would not apply with welding. Your idea sounds like it could be easily achieved with the ratty remnants of an old automotive jumper cable set. Salvage the best cable to clamp to your existing ground clamp then clamp the other end to your alternative desired ground location. Modular design would allow you to not have to use the add-a-ground when not desired or needed.

 

[rankrank1]

I'm not sure what it's designed to be used on. "Assuming pipes" but I have one of those on the right.

I got it for free. Found it in the dumpster, along with some extra cables. The clamps on my little 110 volt campbell Hausfeld welder. Which is a piece of Sh**t right now.

I attached a pic of my old Welder. I've had it for around 7 years.

It was my first welder. I might just keep it and put it up on a shelf somewhere.

My switch broke on it and a new one was gonna gonna be somewhere around $20.00 to replace. So I just went down to the hardware store and got me 2 household switches and attached them. It worked great.

I never did get the cover put back on and it's been like that for at least 3 years. :laughing:

I'm hoping to get my new lincoln Lincoln Electric AC225S Arc Welder - K1170 at The Home Depot welder by next month "June" or July by the latest.

Then I can fix my broken welds on my backhoe and get to digging again with it.

Chad

Nothing wrong with salvaging - or making a less expensive repair, but that mess looks very unsafe to say the least.

At minimium, Why not mount a cheap standard household plastic double gang box to the Campbell Haufiield's original faceplate to give you a place to properly secure the improvised household light switches in an enclosed environment. You could at least re-assemble the welder properly if you did that so that it would be portable again and all wires would be enclosed and strain reliefed - still not a perfect repair but much more useable than this mess and it would still fill the bill of being cheap. Electrical taping all the cracks in the insulation on the wiring would be a good idea too.

Heck if there is room on the faceplate you might even find a spot to cut slots to mount the household light switches in lieu of even having to splurge on the $0.97 cent plastic box - again would allow you to properly re-assemble the welder.

The Lincoln AC-225 welder that you are looking at buying from Home Depot is a good low cost welder, but you can buy a used one for $75.00 to $100 bucks all the time on Craigslist and these things are tanks and rarely break regardless of age - your grandkids will likely be using any AC-225 that you purchase even if it is an old one . So I would go used if at all possible for cost savings - plus some claim that the older units weld slightly better but I have no proof. (I have an older Ac-225 welder that I bought used and love it - best $60.00 I ever spent).

Also, once you get your lincoln AC-225 make yourself a Twin Carbon Arc torch. (As cheap as you appear you will love it for intensely heating metal without the expense of Oxy/Acetlyene. Granted Twin Carbon Arc will NOT cut metal, but it will intensely heat metal for bending, brazing, soldering, improvise flame fill weld, and even remove stuck nuts without flame which is great for sensitive paint areas, etc and do it very cheaply. Twin Carbon Arc should be right down your alley as you might be cheaper than even me - LOL).

 

[chad22]

Nothing wrong with salvaging - or making a less expensive repair, but that mess looks very unsafe to say the least.

At minimium, Why not mount a cheap standard household plastic double gang box to the welders original faceplate to give you a place to properly secure the improvised household light switches in an enclosed environment. You could at least re-assemble the welder properly if you did that so that it would be portable again and all wires would be enclosed and strain reliefed - still not a perfect repair but much more useable than this mess and it would still fill the bill of being cheap.

Heck if there is room on the faceplate you might even find a spot to cut slots to mount the household light switches in lieu of even using the box - again would allow you to properly re-assemble the welder.

:thumbsup: You know. I really don't know how I stayed alive using the welder like that. I agree it's totally unsafe. I was planning on cutting some slots out for the switches, but never got around to it.

Seeing as it does work somewhat. I may go ahead and cut those slots out and put the cover back on.

Keep it as a portable welder for light stuff.

The Lincoln AC-225 welder that you are looking at buying from Home Depot is a good low cost welder, but you can buy a used one for $75.00 to $100 bucks all the time on Craigslist and these things are tanks and rarely break regardless of age - your grandkids will likely be using any AC-225 that you purchase even if it is an old one . So I would go used if at all possible for cost savings. (I have an older Ac-225 welder that I bought used and love it - best $60.00 I ever spent).

Also, once you get your lincoln AC-225 make yourself a Twin Carbon Arc torch. (As cheap as you appear you will love it for intensely heating metal without the expense of Oxy/Acetlyene. Granted Twin Carbon Arc will NOT cut metal, but it will intensely heat metal for bending, brazing, soldering, improvise flame fill weld etc and do it cheaply which should be right down your alley).

I found a lincoln welder on craigslist for $100.00, well it wasn't me who really found it. It was someone else on this forum. If it's still for sale by Monday, I plan to pick it up.

I'm sure I'll love it.

Chad

 

[Soundguy]

lets be clear here.. a groud loop is entirely different from 'sufficient' ground, which is precisely the term I used.

I'm in sound engineering ... ihave quite a bit of experience with ground loops and their associated hums thru pa equipment and mic and line level signals.

soundguy

Well not quite sure I would say NEVER with electronics. Ground loops can create havoc on sensitive measurement electronics especially in conjunction with high speed data acquisition systems. Somtimes people think they are insuring better grounds by installing more grounds and they inadvertingly create ground loops that wreak havoc with sensitive equipment.

That said, It would not apply with welding. Your idea sounds like it could be easily achieved with the ratty remnants of an old automotive jumper cable set. Salvage the best cable to clamp to your existing ground clamp then clamp the other end to your alternative desired ground location. Modular design would allow you to not have to use the add-a-ground when not desired or needed.

 

[k0ua]

Here is another little piece of information.. Electrical current does not take the path of least resistance. It takes all paths. The high resistance paths will have less current flowing in them and the low resistance paths will have more current flowing in them. Just so you will know, old sayings are often not true.

James K0UA

 

[mjncad]

As I commented in another welding thread on TBN, I have one of these MagSwitch ground clamps and I thoroughly like it. It's small to get into tight areas, I'm less likely to knock something out of alignment prior to welding when attaching this clamp.

300amp Ground Clamp : Magswitch - Magswitch

 

[Grayson Klassen]

Here is another little piece of information.. Electrical current does not take the path of least resistance. It takes all paths. The high resistance paths will have less current flowing in them and the low resistance paths will have more current flowing in them. Just so you will know, old sayings are often not true.

James K0UA

I am an electrician by trade and am assuming you have some relation to the trade, having said that I have to say for all intensive purposes electricity does attempt to take the shortest path to ground any other paths are so inconsequential as to be considered non existant. otherwise people would get a lot more shocks than they do.

Here is my take, you want a good gound clamp? Find one with a good spring and the more contact surface area the better. want a good ground 10 seconds with a flap disk will take care of that before you clamp your ground on. Oh and keep it cleaned up any arc pitting from iffy connections affects continuity too. Thats my say!

Thank you
Thank you very much