Running Compounds with No Wastegate

Lincoln makes a really nice mig too and you defiantly want an auto darkening helmet. For that I wouldn't buy anything other than Miller or speed glass. I have a Miller titanium which is the best and of coarse most expensive helmet they have and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I do weld every single day for hours on end but even if I only welded an hour month I wouldn't skimp on a helmet.


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Yeah I bought myself a cheap harbor freight welding helmet with the arc welder Ive heard nothing but good things on that hobart 140 I am thinking about purchasing it once I have more tie with the arc welder maybe a few months or so
 
Some things to help you get going. .035" wire is more applicable for our trucks and most versatile for thick and thin material. The .030" wire can get jammed in the line much easier and doesn't do well on anything over 1/16" thick. .035 can't do sheet metal though. .028 I think is best for that.

Also, you want a wire cleaner after wire spool but before inlet to wire chase. You can buy these as kits but a piece of scotchbrite would work too. You want to clamp it around the wire with a clothespin or binder clip. It cleans the oxidation off the wire so doesn't all build up in the wire chase.

For gas bottles, I'd recommend at least a 30# bottle. 60# would be best but then you can't tuck the welder under a bench if that matters. Bigger bottles are better for cost of refill. 20# bottle is $20 to refill but 60# is $30. I can burn through a 20# bottle in a few days of consistent welding.
 
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lol I must be lucky using both .030 and .035 on everything from really thin sheet to 1/4" with my 140, just run it on 5 for the .030. I pretty much stick with .030 though because I do use it on a lot of thinner stuff around the house. If you're REALLY careful, you can weld as thin as home hvac ducting with it turned all the way down. No wire cleaner either, no issues.

Price of gas varies quite a bit depending on where you are. 60# is about $45 for 75/25 here.

If you're looking at getting the 140, just do it. I've used 2 different ones over the last 4 years, haven't found anything I can't weld with them, and no failures. And it's nice to be able to run it off a cheap 100' extension cord if needed to get it to the driveway.

Definitely get a good helmet as well. I got a mediocre metalman helmet from northern tool. No batteries, the auto darkening is very adjustable, and the glass is easily swapped out.
 
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Broaner said:
Every minute of fab work in 13 years I've done on a hobart 140. Stout cheap machine that never quits. Also, don't let anybody tell you a standard helmet will work fine. A good auto darkening helps really helps on the learning curve and the basic ones are under $100 now.
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Pretty much what I was trying to say above LOL
 
Thanks alot guys I wanna take the truck to the track but blowing boots is not the way I want to go lol
 
I mainly switched from the .030 because I was getting jams in the line. I switched to .035 and had to get a new line anyway because it had some issue with it I can't remember. Never switched back to .030. I might try it again just to see.

madmikeismad said:
lol I must be lucky using both .030 and .035 on everything from really thin sheet to 1/4" with my 140, just run it on 5 for the .030. I pretty much stick with .030 though because I do use it on a lot of thinner stuff around the house. If you're REALLY careful, you can weld as thin as home hvac ducting with it turned all the way down. No wire cleaner either, no issues.

Price of gas varies quite a bit depending on where you are. 60# is about $45 for 75/25 here.

If you're looking at getting the 140, just do it. I've used 2 different ones over the last 4 years, haven't found anything I can't weld with them, and no failures. And it's nice to be able to run it off a cheap 100' extension cord if needed to get it to the driveway.

Definitely get a good helmet as well. I got a mediocre metalman helmet from northern tool. No batteries, the auto darkening is very adjustable, and the glass is easily swapped out.
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