Problems With Hobart Handler 140

by Hector
(PA)

I have a new Hobart Handler 140. I assembled it, and rigged it for gas. I followed the directions which were fairly simple. You had to make sure you change the factory settings of polarity from flux core to solid wire. Then I had to install the welding gun which included plugging in two wires (polarity did not matter here, you can plug them into either slot without worrying about polarity apparently).

I also installed the grounding clamp, which was simple. It's solid.

I bought a gas cylinder for $225 and connected it to the machine. The first problem I had was leaking gas from the from the flow meter. It was coming out at a ridiculous rate no matter how tight it was. They should warn you about that. Anyway, I got some teflon tape specifically for gas and that totally solved the problem.

Next I installed the solid wire on the reel. That was fairly easy and little confusing because they don't tell you which parts to use for smaller wire rolls. But I figured it out.

After that I ran the wire through the machine and into the gun (after removing the tip of the gun), and then I put the right tip on the gun for the .030 wire I installed.

Then I got some scrap metal to test the machine on. I put my ground on my welding table, clamped the metal on my table, and used a magnet to hold the pieces together. I then set the machine according to the specifications on the lid of the machine for gas and metal thickness.

I turned on the Hobart Handler 140 and sounded good to me. I like the hum, maybe I'll get that sound for when I go to sleep at night. Ha! Anyway, I then got my welding helmet on and started my first 'bead'. Holly smokes! It was crackling and popping and sticking. I thought I was the worst welder of all time!

I checked the machine again and tried again. Same problem!

I could not figure the problem out because everything was set correctly. So I called my father in law and he came over to check it out.

The problem was that there was no gas flowing through the gun. Duh! I felt like and idiot. So he basically just shoved the end of the gun into the machine, tightened it, and now it works.

Yes, I know. I should have known. But there you go. If you have any problems sometimes it's the simplest and most obvious solutions that escape you.