Just bought a new welder!

[Steveneverlearn]

Congratulations on the new welder.

Check CL for tanks. In Colorado they had a dealer dumping some that look like a pretty good price.

cosprings.craigslist.org/tld/4927010594.html

No association, just saw the ad.

Steve

 

[Clint S]

The only thing I have found with my 140 it that you cannot let the feed line coil up. Keep it as straight as possible so that means welding away from the machine. When my line is coiled the wire binds and creates trouble at the roller. Not enough tension and it slips and tighten it up even a bit and a bird nest at the roller follows. Other than that it has been good.

 

[Brad_Blazer]

I have the older Handler 135. It's been a good machine. I run straight CO2 with a regulator from Harbor Freight. A tank of that lasts a long time.

 

[Big Barn]

I acquired a HH 187 from a friend. At first I thought the torch was kind of cheesy and toylike but with use I grew to really like it. It was lightweight and easy to manipulate for awkward fab jobs.

Didn't have any problem with the tapped settings either. The chart with settings on the inside of door were surprisingly accurate. Sold it only because it was too costly to add the spool gun to it.



Terry

 

[The Suburban Farmer]

You will love your Hobart 140. I have had one for a while now, and it is a fantastic welder. Agree with ClintS on the "keep the feed line straight" issue. It's not a common problem (doesn't happen every time) but the ONLY problem I've had with my 140 is when I let the feed line get a little too bent and the feed slows down or stalls. Supposedly the newer 140's (from 2012 on, I think?) fixed that problem with an all-metal feed mechanism.

As for the gas, I bought my own bottle, and still have an almost full bottle sitting around that will probably never get used up. Honestly, for 99.9% of what I do I just use a high-quality flux core wire (Hobart, Lincoln, etc. -- AVOID the Harbor Freight wire) and I really don't have much of a splatter problem. I'm not a GOOD welder by any stretch of the imagination, so maybe it's my skill, but I haven't seen a huge benefit in using the gas over using the flux core for MY PURPOSES. Your mileage may vary, though.

The other thing about flux is that you can use it outside in the wind, or take the welder to the job site on your property without lugging around a tank. The main reason I bought the Hobart 140 instead of a bigger 220v machine was so that I could move it around to the places where I needed to weld instead of taking the project to the welder. Flux core just makes it that much easier to do that. Also, if you are really pushing the limits of the 140 (like trying to weld 1/4 steel or doing multi-pass welds on something thicker) the flux core will burn a lot hotter than the gas-shielded wire, giving you a LITTLE bit more penetration for those larger pieces.

So... my suggestion would be to get a smaller bottle. I wish someone had told me how great the Hobart 140 was with flux core before I bought it. I bought it since it was gas capable and my experience with flux core welding had been bad in the past, but the 140 does a great job with it. IF YOU ARE LIKE ME you may find you don't use the gas as much as you think you will.

Gas certainly has it's place and I'm glad I have the capability to use it with my 140... this isn't a commercial for flux core -- just telling you what I experienced as an "I need to fix a broken piece of metal" welder and not an "I make works of art and require perfect rolls of dimes every time" welder. If I had it to do over, I'd skip the bottle and put the money towards an upgrade to my welding helmet.

 

[vulcancowboy]

You will love your Hobart 140. I have had one for a while now, and it is a fantastic welder. Agree with ClintS on the "keep the feed line straight" issue. It's not a common problem (doesn't happen every time) but the ONLY problem I've had with my 140 is when I let the feed line get a little too bent and the feed slows down or stalls. Supposedly the newer 140's (from 2012 on, I think?) fixed that problem with an all-metal feed mechanism.

As for the gas, I bought my own bottle, and still have an almost full bottle sitting around that will probably never get used up. Honestly, for 99.9% of what I do I just use a high-quality flux core wire (Hobart, Lincoln, etc. -- AVOID the Harbor Freight wire) and I really don't have much of a splatter problem. I'm not a GOOD welder by any stretch of the imagination, so maybe it's my skill, but I haven't seen a huge benefit in using the gas over using the flux core for MY PURPOSES. Your mileage may vary, though.

The other thing about flux is that you can use it outside in the wind, or take the welder to the job site on your property without lugging around a tank. The main reason I bought the Hobart 140 instead of a bigger 220v machine was so that I could move it around to the places where I needed to weld instead of taking the project to the welder. Flux core just makes it that much easier to do that. Also, if you are really pushing the limits of the 140 (like trying to weld 1/4 steel or doing multi-pass welds on something thicker) the flux core will burn a lot hotter than the gas-shielded wire, giving you a LITTLE bit more penetration for those larger pieces.

So... my suggestion would be to get a smaller bottle. I wish someone had told me how great the Hobart 140 was with flux core before I bought it. I bought it since it was gas capable and my experience with flux core welding had been bad in the past, but the 140 does a great job with it. IF YOU ARE LIKE ME you may find you don't use the gas as much as you think you will.

Gas certainly has it's place and I'm glad I have the capability to use it with my 140... this isn't a commercial for flux core -- just telling you what I experienced as an "I need to fix a broken piece of metal" welder and not an "I make works of art and require perfect rolls of dimes every time" welder. If I had it to do over, I'd skip the bottle and put the money towards an upgrade to my welding helmet.

Thanks! Good stuff, from the research I have done, it seems like the biggest advantage to using gas is less spatter and thus a "prettier" bead. Guess I'll just use the flux core for now.

 

[Shield Arc]

Mig has a huge advantage over self shielded flux core with really thin material, say auto body work.
Hobart's 21-B, Lincoln's NR-212, and NR-211 are very good self shielded flux core wires. Good thing to remember, anything that produces slag you should drag. If you are right handed, start your weld on the far left, and travel to your right.

 

[CDN Farm Boy]

. Good thing to remember, anything that produces slag you should drag. If you are right handed, start your weld on the far left, and travel to your right.

Does that mean that when using solid core mig you should be pushing the puddle rather than dragging it? I've tried it a couple times and never liked the results.

 

[Shield Arc]

Does that mean that when using solid core mig you should be pushing the puddle rather than dragging it? I've tried it a couple times and never liked the results.

It really makes no difference with Mig. What ever direction works for you.
Here is a good chart put out by Miller.

 

[Big Barn]

Does that mean that when using solid core mig you should be pushing the puddle rather than dragging it? I've tried it a couple times and never liked the results.

Like SA says, it shouldn't make a difference. Perhaps you were using too much torch ANGLE when pushing?

Try it again. Easier to see going right to left pushing for me. I'm right handed.

Terry