Welding Tips and Tricks

Hi folks, quick question:
What would make a ground clamp get hot while gmaw welding?

Thanks, Colby

Too small a clamp, poor, dirty contacts and wiring...Mine gets warm when welding over 400 ipm or so. Nothing I can’t comfortably hold bare handed tho.


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Welding. But yea, what Jay Wal said.

if its just the clamp and not the entire lead, then its simply poor connections. either clamping badly to the work or table etc, or the wire connection. one thing to check is the connection from one side of the clamp to the other. sometimes they break and all the amps go through one side of the clamp.

if the whole cable is hot as well then the whole cable and clamp is undersized.

Thanks everyone

Colby

In a weld cable circuit, heat is a form of resistance. Resistance can be from poor cable connections, too small of cables for amperage being ran, poor ground connections etc.

snoeproe wrote:In a weld cable circuit, heat is a form of resistance..

that doesn't sound quite right.
heat is caused by resistance.

I look at it this way...you're trying to run electrical current thru a cable not big enough or complete the circuit with a poor connection,,something is gonna get hot..now..take your wife's brand new car and it's about 5 1/2 feet wide. Now drive that car thru a bridge that is 5 feet wide. with enough momentum it's gonna go, but your wife is gonna be pretty HOT.

tweake wrote:

snoeproe wrote:In a weld cable circuit, heat is a form of resistance..

that doesn't sound quite right.
heat is caused by resistance.

pretty sure that is what was on his mind. But yea, heat/thermal energy is a byproduct of resistance.

Yes - but according to the Vogons resistance is futile !