YOUR NEW FEOCLEAN PRO

Unpacking Instructions

Attach the handle and red cable assembly to the connector on the right hand side of the machine. This connector has a red border: See Fig 1.

Attach the clamp and black cable assemble to the connector on the left hand side of the machine. This connector has a black border.

The wand and shroud are shown in Fig 2. Screw the threaded end of the wand into the threaded connector on the handle. See Fig 3.

Screw the Teflon shroud onto the stainless steel thread at the end of the wand, so that it moves back towards the handle. Eventually you will be easily able to see the threaded fitting on the end of the wand, to attach one of the carbon fibre brushes.

Screw the carbon fibre brush into the end of the wand, and then screw the shroud down, away from the handle so that it covers most of the brush.

Figure 2. Brush, wand, and shroud

Figure 3, assembled, brush, shroud, and wand

Electrolyte and Neutraliser, Marking Blocks, and Marking Solution

The machine will need an electrolyte solution to work.  Please consult the local distributor who sold you your machine.  They will be able to supply you with the appropriate electrolyte and also the other items mentioned in this section.

When you use the machine, it is important to thoroughly wash any electrolyte from the surface of the piece, after you have cleaned or polished it.  You must do this before the electrolyte has had any time to dry.

The most common electrolytes are acidic, and for these, it might also help to wash it down with a mild caustic solution, called a neutraliser, to react with and neutralise any acid left on the surface.  You may also then follow that with a further water wash.  Again, your local distributor can assist you by providing a means to purchase neutraliser.

Your FeoClean Pro  can also be used to leave indelible, custom-made marks on the surface of the stainless steel.  Your local distributor will be able to provide you with a suitable accessory, called a marking block, and also assist you with creating templates, and the appropriate marking solutions.

About your FeoClean Pro  weld cleaner

The FeoClean Pro uses “hybrid” technology.

Its design is a balance between the simplicity of a transformer based weld cleaning machine, and a so-called “inverter” machine.

Its design is optimised for carbon fibre brush technology.  For a weld cleaner to drive a carbon fibre brush effectively it needs to be able to respond to load changes very fast, and the voltage should be less because there is less voltage drop.  These two issues make “inverter” machines a poor choice to operate carbon fibre brushes.

Transformer based machines, can follow load changes very quickly, but the issue they must face is what happens if the load gets too high – how can they limit the current to protect the transformer against overloads?

Other transformer machines insert some kind of resistance into the path.  This means that as the brush draws more current, the transformer is protected against overload, but more and more of the available power gets turned into heat rather than as power delivered.  Also the volts delivered to the brush head fade, as the current goes up.

Your FeoClean Pro  solves this problem, by using Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) to rapidly switch the output off and on again, but only when the current load is too high.  That effectively limits the current delivered to the brush, but without any power loss.  Such switch-mode technology is at the heart of “inverter” style machines.  Hence why your FeoClean Pro  has “hybrid” technology.

LEDs

Your FeoClean Pro  has two LEDs.  One is on the left hand side near the Clamp connector, and one is on the right hand side near the Wand connector.

The left hand LED is called the Power LED.  In the ‘OFF’ position this LED will be green.  When in any of the Active modes the LED will be Red.

Upon power up, the FeoClean Pro  performs some basic self testing, and if a fault is detected, the Power Led will Flash Red, 0.5 seconds On, and 0.5 seconds OFF.  If this is detected, please alert the distributor who sold you, your machine.  Do not attempt to use it.

The right hand LED is usually Green.   It is called the TRIP LED.  If the machine detects that the transformer is overloaded, its over-current protection circuits engage to protect the unit.  In normal operation the user should see this flash only occasionally, or not at all.  If this LED is almost permanently glowing RED, then the brush is being overdriven.  This will not cause any harm to the machine, but it does mean that the machine is not operating as effectively as it could.  The operator should lessen the pressure they apply to the brush so as to cause this LED to flash only occasionally, or not at all.

Modes of Operation

There are three basic things that you will want to do with your FeoClean Pro.

Cleaning stainless steel

Note that any weld cleaner will clean some other metals too.  For example, brass, bronze, and copper.  But there are many simple ways to clean these other metals.  Stainless steel, on the other hand, is very difficult to clean.

Pickling Paste is one alternative to weld cleaning.  It is a gel containing 40% fluoric acid and 60% nitric acid.  This paste is dangerous for the operator, and the environment.  It is also a quite slow process.  The surface must be “painted” with the gel, but the gel thickness must be “just right”, not too much and not too little.  Then the gel must be left alone for a while (and again not too long, and not too short an interval).  Then the gel must be thoroughly washed and the water used must be collected and disposed of properly – it cannot be allowed into normal sewers, as the fluoric acid will eat the PVC pipes as well as any old clay pipes, as well as pose an environmental threat.

Also, if the gel is applied too long, the surface that is cleaned changes appearance.

And that change in surface appearance is the fundamental problem with another alternative – abrasives.  Abrasives that are suitable for the surface hardness of stainless steel are expensive, wear out quickly, and the regions buffed/sanded look different, so the whole surface must be buffed or sanded.

It is this ability to have zero or minimal impact on the surface appearance that adds to the advantages of using a weld cleaner.  Not only is it a more economical and safer alternative to pickling paste and abrasives, it helps ensure that the natural appearance of the stainless steel is unaffected by the cleaning process.

But one must take care when using a weld cleaner, especially a weld cleaner as powerful as your FeoClean Pro.  Such power makes the cleaning process much, much faster, but comes at a cost.  Such large electric currents can overheat the surface of the stainless steel.

If the surface of the stainless steel overheats, the metal crystals expand against each other, and break.  Note that bad welding practices can lead to the same effect for the same reason.

The result of the overheating from welding, or weld cleaning, is that the surface looks very slightly polished – for those that have used pickling paste, the appearance is very similar to having left the pickling paste on the surface too long.

To help prevent this overheating, your FeoClean Pro comes with three different cleaning modes.  See Fig 1.

The middle position on the left of the front panel switch, ie Clean Setting ‘2’ is appropriate for most work.  Clean setting ‘1’ is recommended for thin sheet material which, because it is so thin, can overheat easily.

Clean Setting ‘3’ is advised only on heavy plate metal, or used in light “dabbing motions” on thinner material to break down regions where there is some “black oxide”.  As most welders know, the “black oxide’ discolouration is difficult to remove.  Black oxide is non conductive, so the electrochemical process can only work on the edges, rather than through the surface.  Most weld cleaners simply do not have sufficient power to clean black oxide, but unless it is very pitted, and the black oxide is in very small pits, your FeoClean Pro  can remove black oxide.

When cleaning large jobs, the time spent cleaning can be many minutes.  As a consequence, electrolyte can dry before the cleaning has finished.  So, in this circumstance, wash and wipe the surface as you go.  And in this circumstance, a neutraliser is recommended after cleaning.

This process of “washing while cleaning” is important.  Operators who are more familiar with using pickling paste tend to “paint” the whole job first and then wash.  This is because they have to wait for the gel to work anyway.  This practice cannot be used when using a weld cleaner.  The operator must not clean the whole job before washing, but instead clean part of the job, wash it, then clean the next part of the job, and wash it, and so on.

Polishing

Some weld cleaners offer polishing as a mode of operation.  Your FeoClean Pro  is no different.

Polishing differs from Cleaning in that the current which is applied is dc.  It causes electrons to flow into the surface of the stainless steel.  Electrons flowing into the metal, will cause some iron atoms to leave the surface of the metal.

In the cleaning modes, the current is ac.  Any iron atoms that leave the surface are quickly forced back when the current reverses.

Many of the iron atoms that leave the surface of the stainless steel in polishing mode, will recombine with the surface nearby.  But the iron atoms that leave from the surface peaks will often leave the surface permanently.

The result is that the surface will look polished, because the surface peaks are eroded more than the lower lying areas of the surface.

That may be your desired effect, you may want this for some decorative effect.  But most users do this process for another reason, and that is to dramatically improve the corrosion resistance.  This is because it is the iron that is removed, and not the chromium.  Thus the outer few layers of atoms of each crystal has a significantly higher ratio of chromium after being polished.

Some stainless steel surfaces with very matt appearances have such an irregular surface, that no amount of polishing can ever make them look polished.  Such surfaces are often popular with interior designers and architects, because they are non-reflective – polished stainless steel can cause problems with glare, and also polished surfaces show marks very easily.

But a rougher surface finish has less corrosion resistance than a more even surface, even for the same grade of stainless steel.  Polishing can not only equalise that difference in corrosion resistance, but also improve on it, turning 304 stainless steel into the equivalent of 316 for instance.

The electrochemistry of polishing is different than cleaning.  If the average electric field strength is too low, or too high, it does not work as well.  That is one reason why your FeoClean Pro  offers only two power settings for polishing.

Unlike cleaning, when polishing, overheating the surface of the metal is not a problem.  In fact polishing works more quickly as the temperature of the surface warms up.  But the most common electrolyte is based on phosphoric acid, and that cannot be allowed to “boil”.  As surface temperatures exceed 175C, then not only is the water in the electrolyte boiling but so is the phosphoric acid.  As well, the phosphoric acid undergoes some chemical changes.  You should aim to keep the surface around 100C – 125C, which can be detected by the fact that your brush will cause a light “sizz” as it is dipped into fresh electrolyte.  If you can hear a sustained “boiling” sound, then the brush and metal surface are too hot.

It is for this reason, and because the electric field is too high, that your FeoClean Pro  only has two polishing power positions, ‘1’ and ‘2’.  Use ‘1’ on thin sheet material, under and including 1.6mm material, and use ‘2’ on anything else.

Marking

Most weld cleaners can do marking, and of course, your FeoClean Pro  is no different.

Marking is done by using a cloth covered ferrite block, which is dipped in a marking solution.

The front panel switch should be turned to the Marking position.  A template is placed over the material to be marked, and the ferrite block rubbed over the template.  Holes in the template material cause marks to appear on the surface, and blank areas of the template cause no mark to appear.

The most common “marks” are dark coloured.  These are created by passing ac current through a chemical solution, which under the influence of an ac electric current can oxidise the surface of the stainless steel.  This creates the black Iron oxide, with chemical symbol, FeO, on the surface of the metal.  The oxidisation penetrates deep into the surface, possibly 20um or more.  The mark is dark, and cannot be scratched off.

Some other chemical marking solutions will leave white marks, and some contain dilute acid that can erode the surface far more aggressively when electric current is pushed through the surface of the stainless steel.  The latter solutions leave a mark that is etched into the surface, and they look very nice on smooth polished stainless steel surfaces.

Some of these chemical solutions require dc current, so, in that case the operator should choose Polish Setting ‘1’ instead of the Marking mode.

The Shroud and your brush

The brush is a consumable.  It does wear out.

It will last longer if you avoid overheating it.  Also you will clean faster and more effectively and without causing surface changes if you do not “overwork” the brush.  Do not push hard on the brush, and ensure that when cleaning, that the electric current flows out the tip of the brush and not the side (this latter tip does not apply to polishing).

Also your brush will last longer if you take the maintenance steps highlighted below in the section below, titled “When Finished”.

But the brush will wear, and eventually will need replacing.   You are provided with 10 brushes which should last you several months.  Your local distributor can provide more as required.

For cleaning, it is always better for the electric current to emerge from the brush tip.  And the Teflon shroud helps hold the brush together to make this easier.

As the brush wears though, the shroud must move back accordingly.  This is achieved by rotating the Teflon shroud.  The internal thread of the shroud acting on the thread on the end of the wand moves the shroud along the brush.  As the brush wears, rotate the shroud to move it further back.

When not in Use

The ‘OFF’ position on the front panel switch is more than just ‘OFF’.  In this setting, the two connectors, Wand and Clamp, are both completely disconnected from the load.

Accidents happen anywhere, and in workshops a weld cleaner can be left connected to a job.

And occasionally someone starts welding on a job with a weld cleaner still effectively touching the job.  Even if the weld cleaner is in a Standby mode, the internal circuits, though Idle, are connected to the wand and the clamp.  The result is that the power of the welder goes into the weld cleaner and causes quite a lot of damage.  The same thing happens with two welding machines, an active one can and will destroy an inactive one attached to the same job.

To help prevent this, users are always advised to switch the FeoClean Pro  to its ‘OFF” position when they have finished cleaning for a short period.  This will completely isolate the outputs of the FeOClean Pro  from the internal circuitry.

When Finished

Turn the front panel switch of the machine to the ‘OFF’ position, and then turn off the power at the rear mains power switch.

Traces of electrolyte left on your working parts (handle, wand, shroud and brush) will eventually cause some corrosion, but they also collect oil and dust from the air, and create a thick grime that fouls the connectors.  Workshops can be very dusty, and a heavy grime can collect on your parts in a matter of days.

So that your working parts can last much longer, remove the shroud, and the brush, and the wand, and rinse them thoroughly in water.  Do the same for the handle too.  Then store the brush, wand, and shroud in a container of fresh water.  If you do this each time, your brush, shroud, wand and handle will all last much longer.

Note: please be careful before touching the brush and the wand head.  If you have just finished using them they can be very hot (over 200C at times).  Make sure you quench these in water, or wait till they cool, before removing the brush.

It is not necessary to remove the two cable assemblies from the machine, and there is a good reason not to remove them.  That is so as to keep dust, oil, and grime out of the connectors on the front of the machine.  But, it may be necessary to remove the cable assemblies to allow easier storage of the FeoClean Pro  when not in use.

Specifications:

230V models:

195 – 265V, 44 – 66Hz, 3A max
0-50C operation

Designed for workshop usage:

• Environmental: Conforms with Pollution Degree III,
  as defined in EN 60664/VDE 0110-1
• IP65 enclosure
• Electrical Safety conforming to EN 60950, OverVoltage Category II
• Mains power cable is neoprene coated, oil resistant, and conforms to HAR HN05R-F. 75 sqmm cable.
• Clamp and wand cables are neoprene coated, oil resistant, and conform to HAR H01N2-D. 16sqmm cable.

120V models:

100 – 132V, 44 – 66Hz, 6A max
0-50C operation

Designed for workshop usage:

• Environmental: Conforms with Pollution Degree III,
  as defined in EN 60664/VDE 0110-1
• IP65 enclosure
• Electrical Safety conforming to EN 60950, OverVoltage Category II
• Mains power cable is neoprene coated, oil resistant, and conforms to <HAR> HN05R-F3. 0 sqmm cable.
• Clamp and wand cables are neoprene coated, oil resistant, and conform to <HAR> H01N2-D1, 16sqmm cable.

Maintenance

There are no User Serviceable parts inside the FeOClean Pro.

When the machine powers on, the FeoClean Pro will engage several relays as part of its power on test cycle.  If you cannot hear any relays changing state, on power-up and/or the left hand Power LED is off, please check that the power cable is correctly fitted to its power point and that the power point is working by connecting some other item of equipment into that power point.

If the machine is not capable of powering up, then there is something wrong with the machine, and the distributor who sold you the machine should be alerted.

When the FeoClean Pro  powers up it does some basic internal tests, and if a problem is detected the Power LED will flash Red – 0.5 seconds On, and 0.5 seconds OFF.  If all is OK, the Power LED will be either Red or Green depending on the state of the front panel switch.
Note:  It is always advisable to leave the front panel switch in the OFF state before powering the machine off, or powering the machine ON.

If the machine is in an active mode, and the Power LED is Red, but appears not to work, then in almost all circumstances it means that there is a disconnection in the wand/clamp circuitry.  The most probable causes in order of highest probability to lowest are:

1. The clamp is covered with grime/grease and is not making good contact to the job
2. The handle wasn’t washed properly after the last job, and the thread of the connector end of the handle is coated in grime oil or corrosion, and is not making good contact with the wand
3. The wand wasn’t washed properly after the last job, and the thread of the brush end of the wand is coated in grime or oil, and is not making good contact with the job
4. The wand wasn’t washed properly after the last job, and the thread of the handle end of the wand is coated in grime or oil, and is not making good contact with the handle
5. The brush wasn’t washed properly after the last job, and the thread of the brush is coated in grime corrosion or oil, and is not making good contact with the wand.
6. Oil or grime or corrosion has affected one of the connectors on the machine itself

You can use the machine itself to clean the machines front panel connectors.  This can be done by selecting Clean ‘1’ mode, and attaching the handle assembly to the other front panel connector when fitted out with wand and brush.  This will also help determine if one of these connectors is not making a good connection.

Also the clamp can be cleaned with the brush too, and will help determine where a circuit disconnection has occurred.

For most other connectors of the machine, water, a rag, and a small wire brush will remove problems relating to poor connections or more often intermittent disconnections.

If the wand and clamp though are free of poor contacts, and there is still no power available, then please alert your local distributor who sold you your machine.

Note:  On the back of each machine is a serial number.  When contacting your distributor regarding any problems with the machine, you should always quote the serial number of the machine.